Mealworm beetle help?

[flukefoot]

Okay so this will be 2 questions.

1: I just bought a 100 count of mealworms for my leopard gecko and there were 2 beetles in the case with some huge mealworms. Normally i would be a bit frustrated but im trying my luck at breeding mealworms and they were the first i have got. Upon closer inspection i found they might be too small to be darkling beetles, any other beetles that could have slipped in?

2: I have about 20-25 mealworms inside a bin with wheat flour and oats they are all about 1-1 1/2 inch's but won't pupate. They have been in this stage for about a week and a half. What should i do?

 

[SC Geckos]

#1 - I can't remember the name of the insect but the little beetles and there larva are used by some large insect breeders to help keep there colonies clean by eating dead other dead insects, left over food, etc. They are harmless.

#2 - Are the worms you bought normal mealworms or were they sold as Giant mealworms? If they are Gaints, they normally will not pupate due to the hormones they are given. The hormone keeps them in there larva (worm) form. If any do pupate they are (as far as I know) sterile.
If they were normal mealworms, then just keep feeding them like normal and at that size they should pupate soon.

 

[flukefoot]

I do not buy Super mealworms just regular tenebrio molitor. So those beetles are not mealworm beetles and therefore will not give me any mealies?

 

[SC Geckos]

If they are very small beetles like 1/4"- 3/8" in length then no they are not darkling beetles. However as I said as long as you have normal mealworms you should be getting pupa soon. Darkling beetles are normally around 1/2" to 5/8" long.
Also depending on how many animals you are feeding I recommend starting a small colony of mealworms with between 500 - 1000 mealworms. It will normally take several months to produce babies large enough to use as feeders.

 

[flukefoot]

I am feeding a single leopard gecko so im doing it small scale. I want to breed more nutritious and bigger mealies for my gecko and not have to keep running to the store everytime the 100 count i bought ran out. Thanks for the help! I removed the beetles.