breeding mealworms....

[Samantha]

ok i have a few questions about breeding mealworms for my geckos i have a 10 gal tank that i want to use my bf's room stays between 74-80 will this work and how do i go about breeding them exactly....how many should i buy to start with and such thanks let me know

 

[Samantha]

and can i use instant potato flakes for them to eat

 

[Khrysty]

I started off with 10k--and this was WAY too much. I would suggest around 2k mealworms if you're going to be feeding them off and about 500 if you're not. You set them in a container that is longer than it is tall (I use the under-bed storage containers and they work great) with about an inch or two of substrate (I've seen them eat potato flakes, but most people use wheat bran, oats, or some combination of the two--I use a blended mix of oats, wheat flour, soy flour, and dried milk). Then just leave them be. Put in some pieces of apple, carrot, potato, or another fruit or vegetable every couple of days. Don't let them get moldy and take them out when/if they start to.

And that's about it...just leave them alone and you'll have a bunch of tiny mealies in a few months. Getting it started is a little time consuming but it is much much faster once you get going.

Some people separate out the stages (pupae in one box, beetles in another, mealies in another). I find this tedious and unnecessary. As long as you make sure they always have enough moisture (that's what the fruits/veggies are for), they won't cannibalize each other.

 

[ReptarNDukeNukem]

Also the Beetles CAN fly but they will only fly away if their is not any food left,so that is another reason why to also have food avaliable for them.

 

[Samantha]

ok thanks

 

[erik]

Some people separate out the stages (pupae in one box, beetles in another, mealies in another). I find this tedious and unnecessary. As long as you make sure they always have enough moisture (that's what the fruits/veggies are for), they won't cannibalize each other.

Khrysty may I ask, how do you change the substrate? It seems VERY tedious to me to hand pick all the worms etc before you change it...

I decided to have a go at farming them on a small scale for now. I throw all the pupae in a rollerbox with a mixture of Khrysty recipe

 

[Khrysty]

Khrysty may I ask, how do you change the substrate? It seems VERY tedious to me to hand pick all the worms etc before you change it...

I decided to have a go at farming them on a small scale for now. I throw all the pupae in a rollerbox with a mixture of Khrysty recipe

(i'm pretty tickled that you're calling it "Khrysty recipe" lol)

I have two containers. When I notice the substrate is getting...er...icky lol..I pick out the beetles (not really that hard when you have egg cartons in there..) and put them onto fresh substrate in the second container. As the mealworms in the first container mature, I place them in the second one as well. In around 5 months when all of the eggs have grown up into beetles, the first container is empty and I can fill it with new, clean substrate..and basically start again in reverse.

...Really it's less tedious than it sounds :/

 

[erik]

hmmm gonna get me some egg cartons tomorrow! Don't have a second box yet, unless I decide to put my shoes in a neat row under my bed and use that rollerbox...I might actually do that

 

[RainbowGecko]

Erik, you can sift out the frass (fine, sandy mealworm poop) with a good-sized (2-3 feet square) section of window screen. Keep in mind that if you're raising all stages in one bin that eggs may fall through with the frass, so you may want to keep the frass in a separate container until any eggs in it have developed into worms that are large enough to be then sifted out.

I use a colander (this one: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Square-Colander-Black/dp/B001K7HXK2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1259906144&sr=8-5) to sift out larger mealworms and beetles from their bran bedding.

 

[Khrysty]

Erik, you can sift out the frass (fine, sandy mealworm poop) with a good-sized (2-3 feet square) section of window screen. Keep in mind that if you're raising all stages in one bin that eggs may fall through with the frass, so you may want to keep the frass in a separate container until any eggs in it have developed into worms that are large enough to be then sifted out.

I use a colander (this one: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Square-Colander-Black/dp/B001K7HXK2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1259906144&sr=8-5) to sift out larger mealworms and beetles from their bran bedding.

One thing to note: my substrate is very, very fine. Sifting with a colander would separate the mealworms and beetles, but would take the majority of the substrate out alone with the frass and eggs :/ That's why I do it the way I do

 

[erik]

MY first beetles are running around like crazy! I threw all the pupae I had into the bin. Thanks for all the advice, they seem happy, haha.