Beetle on its back

[Glass_]

My first mealworm pupae hatched today and it keeps on going on its back. Is this normal behavior? He's still moving his legs, but whenever I turn him back around he keeps going back a few hours later.

 

[ChickenChump]

My first mealworm pupae hatched today and it keeps on going on its back. Is this normal behavior? He's still moving his legs, but whenever I turn him back around he keeps going back a few hours later.

Probably OK, especially if it's on a smooth surface. I typically toss any deformed or weak beetles to the chickens, even at the slightlest sign of imperfection. If it's deformed, it can't mate. If it can't mate, it's useless.

 

[C C Gecko]

alot of my mealworm beetles do that when they hatch. After they go into the oatmal substrat they are able to flip themselfs over easy.


Thanks ChickenChump for that bit of info, I didn't know that all imperfection would result in them not mating. Good to know. Now my night just got a little longer lol.

 

[artnic93]

So let me get this straight, because Ive been wondering for some time. Those beatles and weird larvae looking things with their arms crossed in my tubs of meal worms are actually the other stages of the meal worms??
So if I collect the beatles they will potentially mate? Thus making more mealworms?

 

[Glass_]

Okay thank you, He seemed to have straightened himself up and his wings look aligned, I guess he was still wobbly on his new feet because he was fresh out of the pupae. I've heard of those imperfections and that you have to take them out.

So let me get this straight, because Ive been wondering for some time. Those beatles and weird larvae looking things with their arms crossed in my tubs of meal worms are actually the other stages of the meal worms??
So if I collect the beatles they will potentially mate? Thus making more mealworms?

That's basically it. You have to put the beetles in different containers so that they don't eat the mealworms, and ideally the pupae should have their own container too, but yes each female makes 500-1000 baby mealworms when they mate.

 

[Alex G]

So let me get this straight, because Ive been wondering for some time. Those beatles and weird larvae looking things with their arms crossed in my tubs of meal worms are actually the other stages of the meal worms??
So if I collect the beatles they will potentially mate? Thus making more mealworms?

....may I ask what you thought they were??? :main_lipsrsealed:

 

[fl_orchidslave]

That's the alien stage Mealworm beetles are clumsy, superworm beetles have a bit more coordination but can also spin around on their backs like a street dancer

 

[Jordan]

im currently doing all this atm, can i just quickly ask how long does it take for the bettles to mate and lay mealworms or eggs or whatever they do haha. ? cheers.

 

[ChickenChump]

im currently doing all this atm, can i just quickly ask how long does it take for the bettles to mate and lay mealworms or eggs or whatever they do haha. ? cheers.

Typically after a week of eclosing the beetles will start to mate. You can easily spot a good 10 beetles mating in a good colony.

 

[Jordan]

Typically after a week of eclosing the beetles will start to mate. You can easily spot a good 10 beetles mating in a good colony.

cheers

 

[artnic93]

:main_yes:

....may I ask what you thought they were??? :main_lipsrsealed:

I had no clue what they were, just some random bug that had gotten mixed into the mealies....
but now I know!

 

[artnic93]

So upon looking through empty containers of what I thought were just useless beatles, I found two tubs of little, tiny, itty, bitty baby mealworms. And separated the beatles from the pupae.

I am having alittle epiphany over this right now, the money I can save doing this, AND knowing that Theo will have a constant supply of food...BRILLIANT.