Breeding mealies

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thegeckoguy

Guest
Ok so i started breeding in august. Started getting beetles in september. I got id say....30+ beetles and a started getting them....beginning-middle of september. When should i start seeing little worms?
 
hoppslover

hoppslover

Definitely not Junior
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Fort Fun, Indiana
I would think with a really good eye you might be able to see them soon. I used a flashlight to give me alittle extra help. Probably be awhile though before they are big enough to use as feeders.
 
T

thegeckoguy

Guest
ok cool. So now that ive got it going, it should be pretty much self sustaining right?
 
nats

nats

New Member
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Maryland
I had I guess 3 or 4 dozen beetles in a tupperwear tub for about 4 weeks when I finally started seeing teeny weeny mealie babies :main_yes:
 
M

MagicalGecko

Guest
thegeckoguy said:
ok cool. So now that ive got it going, it should be pretty much self sustaining right?
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Well, make sure you keep throwing something with moisture in there. Carrots are the best bet because they don't mold as easy as potatoes and you can put them in every couple of days.

Also when you remove the old carrots, make sure you shake them. There will probably be little worms on there and you don't want to start throwing away your little ones.

Your colony will grow fast. We started about 4 months ago and have close to 100,000 mealworms. We started with about 500-1000 mealworms.
 
J

jbodkin

Guest
MagicalGecko said:
Well, make sure you keep throwing something with moisture in there. Carrots are the best bet because they don't mold as easy as potatoes and you can put them in every couple of days.

Also when you remove the old carrots, make sure you shake them. There will probably be little worms on there and you don't want to start throwing away your little ones.

Your colony will grow fast. We started about 4 months ago and have close to 100,000 mealworms. We started with about 500-1000 mealworms.
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Can you share your setup with some pictures?
 
R

RepBex

Guest
I have very small but you can see them baby mealies how long do they take to grow large enough ?
 
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MagicalGecko

Guest
Okay I did it tonight. We started out with shelves, but soon outgrew them. We underestimated how fast these little fellas procreate. Anyhow we are now in Large Sterilite containers. We have two for the beetles and two for the mealworms. At this point we have most of the mealies in the fridge for feedings and the only mealworms that are left are the ones we are going to allow to pupate.
The beetles have been in there for about 3 weeks. Soon we will take them out and put them in the other two so the eggs can hatch and the mealies can grow up.
Also, I know you don't have to have lids on them, but it gives me peace of mind. We cut a hole in top and put window screen material over it to allow plenty of ventilation. Here are some pictures. Keep in mind a lot of are hiding.

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jbodkin

Guest
Do you remove the pupae from your worm bin and keep them seperated till they beetle?
 
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MagicalGecko

Guest
jbodkin said:
Do you remove the pupae from your worm bin and keep them seperated till they beetle?
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Yeah, I've started to. If you are REALLY good about keeping moisture in there it's not 100 percent necessary, but I usually do. I either take them out and put them in their own smaller tub or put them in with the beetles. The beetles seem to have less of a tendency to nibble on the pupae than the worms do.
 
J

jbodkin

Guest
MagicalGecko said:
Yeah, I've started to. If you are REALLY good about keeping moisture in there it's not 100 percent necessary, but I usually do. I either take them out and put them in their own smaller tub or put them in with the beetles. The beetles seem to have less of a tendency to nibble on the pupae than the worms do.
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Do you leave your Beetles in the Beetle tubs till you see small worms (babies) or Do you just move them after a certain amount of time?

Also about how make breedings/broods do you get out of the life cycle of one beatle? (How many times do you move them around before they die off)
 
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M

MagicalGecko

Guest
I try to move them every two weeks. Lately it's been closer to every 3 weeks or month. I normally don't see anything moving in there, I just know they're there. I think 2 weeks is the best and a month is the most you should do it. Otherwise you end up with mealies being too different in size and some start to pupate when others aren't big enough to feed.

The beetles will live for about 3 months. So I can usually move them about 5 times or so before they die off. However, I'm always adding to the collection. When it's time to move the mealworms into the fridge, meaning they are big enough, I use a strainer to strain most of them out. There are inevitably there are a lot that fall through the holes in the strainer. Instead of picking them out, I let them stay in the bran until they turn into beetles and put them with the rest. This way there is a constant cycle going on. It's no more work, it's actually less work. I don't have to go hunt for the mealies that went through.

Also right now, I think I have too many beetles so I'm trying to cut back a bit. These guys have TONS of babies.
 
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