Managing a mealworm colony

[GeckoCrossing]

What's the best way to manage your mealworm colony? I've read through threads and searched online, but keep getting conflicting information.
Some say to keep each stage separate. Like beetles in one tub until they lay eggs, then move them in to another tub so they don't eat the new worms hatching.
Can I just put all of them in a big container and keep them well fed to stop them cannibalizing on the babies, the eggs or worms? :main_huh:

 

[Notmyfault]

From what I've read no matter how well fed you keep the beetles/worms they will still canabilize. Although it is easiest to keep them in one bin, you will supposedly have better production with keeping the stages separate.

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[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

I keep all my stages separated. I keep beetles in a tub with fine chicken scratch for 3 weeks. Remove the beetles and place them into another tub set up the same. The first tub will begin to fill with baby worms and then I keep rotating them that way. I always have different size worms and never have issues with beetles eating eggs or baby mealies. You can keep them all together but separating them out will be a pain and also you have to ensure there is ALWAYS plenty of food, shelter, and moisture for every walk of life in there. Just more work that way in my opinion.

 

[BadKelpie]

I keep them all together. The risk of them eating a few of the babies or pupae is worth not having to bother with the hassle of different tubs and separating. They don't eat very many, I still get enough that I could feed my (2) geckos only mealworms and have plenty left over.

 

[GeckoCrossing]

Well I guess I'll just have to try it and see which works for me. Maybe even do both at once... one tub with about 500 mealworms and just keep them well fed and see how that tub does. Then do the separating each stage, starting with 500 too. Would be a interesting test

 

[Fencer04]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x5lEN2jqc4

Watch that video. It shows a great method involving a three drawer setup with a screen put on the bottom of the top shelf. I do this and separate the pupae because I have seen a lot of cannibalism. The method in this video works amazingly well and you never have to move your beetles around which can be a serious pain.