Mold in Mealworm Colony

electrofelt

New Member
Messages
36
Location
Massachusetts
Hi everyone. So I started a mealworm colony a little over a month ago and it is my first time doing this so I'm still learning. I started with 1000 mealworms, and by now I already have a handful of beetles and about 50% of the remaining mealworms are in the pupa form. I have them in oatmeal bedding and feed them carrots and kale as staples, and then various other leafy greens and vegetables that I have around the house. I also give them the cricket quencher and that's where the problem is.

I noticed today that there were a few chunks of the cricket quencher that had mold on it, so I took out all the mealworms/pupa/beetles and put them back in with new oatmeal bedding and a clean tank. I replaced the carrots and kale, but didn't give them any of the cricket quencher. I also saved all the powder poop on the bottom just in case there is any eggs.

Was this what I should have done? Are all these mealworms contaminated? They seem to move less than normal the last two days, but when I pick them up they are still moving and alive. As of right now I am not feeding them to my leo just in case, but I wanted a second opinion. Should I keep taking care of the mealworms and see what happens? Or should I just throw them out?

Thanks in advance!
 

fl_orchidslave

New Member
Messages
4,074
Location
St. Augustine, FL
Cricket quencher isn't necessary with the veggies and will add too much moisture in your bedding, hence the mold. Any moldy bedding or egg clumps should be discarded. It's a good idea to go ahead and start putting up some worms in the fridge for storage, in case you ever run short for any reason. No veggies in the fridge box tho, just take them out once a week and feed veggies for a 24 hour period, remove uneaten pieces, put back in the fridge.
 

artgecko

New Member
Messages
353
Location
Winchester, Massachusetts
The mold shouldn't be a problem. Just get rid of the moldy veggies, bedding. Try to let the colony dry out a bit. Sounds like you let the moisture content get too high. I find it is better to keep everything on the dry side.
 

electrofelt

New Member
Messages
36
Location
Massachusetts
Ok, so I just wont use the cricket quencher anymore and I've put some of the mealworms in the fridge.

So the mealworms don't seem to be as active as they were, does this happen naturally when they get closer to becoming pupa? Should I just not worry about it? When I pick them up they squirm around, but in the tank 75% of them just sit there and don't move, even their legs. The temperature is about 65*F. I'm just worried that they aren't moving because of the mold.

Are they ok to feed to my gecko? She is already not doing so well, would it just be safer to go buy PetCo mealworms until my mealworms have a few days to eat non moldy food?
 

fl_orchidslave

New Member
Messages
4,074
Location
St. Augustine, FL
They are not as active at 65* as they are at 75*, nor will they grow as fast. The shell will look thick, light cream colored and dry when they're about to pupate. At that point they aren't actively eating either. If you go ahead and feed some fresh veggies now, it will be okay to feed your gecko tomorrow as long as the mold wasn't there for an extended period, like almost a week. Once eggs start hatching, you will see they are very prolific and to lose some isn't a big deal.
 

electrofelt

New Member
Messages
36
Location
Massachusetts
Excellent, thank you so much.

The mold wasn't there for more than 3 days because I would have noticed it when I fed them. I'm glad to hear that they are still ok to feed to my gecko. It would have been a bummer to lose 1000 mealworms :)

Thanks for all the info, take care.
 

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