Deformed beetles

[Pepper]

Okay, so I decided to take the giant meal worm pupae and keep them, see if they turn into beetles, along with my regular meal worm pupae.

Most of the giant meal worms died off after a few weeks, seems like after a long period of time some of them stopped growing and did not pupate, while about 20% did turn into pupae.

Well with about 40 pupae, about 30 giant, 10 regular. I decided to see what happened.

First beetle hatched out, whitish/peach color, seemed very weak, it's wing shells were also sticking out at weird angles.

Second beetle, hatched out the same.

Third, also the same.

Fourth is very, very deformed, the wings are completely screwed up.

Now a new beetle just hatched out, and it looks perfect, and a little smaller then the other beetles so I believe it to be a regular meal worm.

Those first 3 beetles that hatched are now black and the wings cases look almost great.

The 4th beetle is not black yet, but it's wings and wing case is still highly deformed.

The 5th beetle looks normal so far..

So, is it possible that due to the insect hormone injected to slow down the pupae process in giants can lead to deformities if they do manage to turn into beetles?

I'm going to keep them and see if they produce more meal worms, some say they will, some say the won't...Won't know until I try!

 

[shadowx362]

I really dont know, but I do see normal mealworms beetles with bad wings once and a while so you would need to take an average of how many normals VS giants deformities.
To me it looks like the "pupae skin" doesn't detach well.

 

[combadao]

So, is it possible that due to the insect hormone injected to slow down the pupae process in giants can lead to deformities if they do manage to turn into beetles?

My experience is that some of they, eventually, turn into beetles but they seem to dye more until that happens. Not sure if is because I bought from a different source.

But the ones that turn into beetles seem the same as the normals ones, just bigger. I think it is because they are bigger that people say they put more eggs. The next generation will be normal, though.

As I did not do any control experiment, it would be great to see your results compared wit the normals.

 

[LeapinLizards]

They are supposedly 100% sterile.

 

[Pepper]

I have doubts they will all be sterile, as the hormone says it just is to slow down the growth to prevent them from turning into beetles, which is why 80% of them died when they became to large and could not turn into pupae.

I do somewhat believe these will probably produce eggs, since these few have made it to the beetle stage.

I think I'll start recording all of the information down on to a pad of paper and see if mutations occur, breeding results, etc..

My giant's that did morph seemed to pupate faster then the normal's also..

combadao: My giant's died A LOT more then my regular mealworms. It started with one giant I found laying on it's back, still alive but not really doing anything, and they basically all turned out like that in the last week, on their backs, and then they slowly died. While barely any of my normal mealworms died.

 

[combadao]

They are supposedly 100% sterile.

I assure you they are not, real experience. Or at least not 100% of them...

 

[cwazy]

deformed beetles are just the facts of life... we have them every here and there... sometimes more and sometimes less... it just happens... we cant all be perfect right?

i just toss em in with the others... they will either go about life or become lunch *shrug*

 

[Pepper]

Can the beetles be fed to things?

My tiger salamander will eat...well everything. But are they safe?

 

[myjoyoverflows]

I would think that you'd be able to feed the beetles...just make sure they're gut loaded first...I can't imagine that they would be of much nutritional value not long after turning into beetles. But I'm not positive on feeding them...I'm just assuming that it would be fine...can't say we've ever tried it!

 

[LeapinLizards]

Are you POSITIVE they were Giant mealworms? Not just overy large mearlworms? On every breeders website you go to they state that they are sterile.

 

[Pepper]

Yes, positive they were giant mealworms, my normals are distinctly way smaller.

And their pupae stage is very large.

But all the giant mealworms are dead now.

 

[combadao]

Heather... not sure if you are asking me.

Yes I'm sure. I guess nothing is 100% efficient.