Mealworm Breeding

[LCReptiles]

I am sure there are links somewhere but I would rather hear from people who breed their own mealworms. I've tried multiple times to get things going and never had success. Using wheat germ and oats for a bedding etc.. What type of setup do you use for your mealies? A draw system, a bunch of boxes? How many of these bins do you start with, how many mealies should I start with. Please keep in mind that I'm starting my mealworm breeding 3-4 weeks before having leos to feed so don't go crazy saying I need to start with 10,000 mealies :main_laugh:

 

[EnchantmentGecko]

I use a set of larger drawers (though I would now rather have smaller shallow drawers that are easier to clean) and I use just plain bran from a feed store since it's only $15 for a 50lb bag and is a good gutload as well. I use carrots to give them moisture and extra nutrients. Put in a few cups of bran throw in the mealies and carrots several times a week and nature will take its course as long as you continue to feed and keep the colony clean. Once they begin to pupate set up another drawer with a layer of bran ( I used about 1") and put the pupa in there where they will remain care free until they turn into beetles. Once they turn into beetles just feed them a few carrots a couple times a week and leave them be. After a few weeks begin checking the bran for tiny worms. When you find them just separate the beetles into a new bin with bran and wait for the mealies to get big enough to feed. I don't use any heating.

I started with 10,000 though that was more a personal choice. Keep in mind though that 4 weeks is not going to enough time to get mealies to turn into beetles and then to have baby mealies large enough to feed. I bought mine over two months ago (as adult mealies that were already beginning to pupate) and just found my first babies last week. That includes time for the mealies to pupate and then for them to turn into beetles. You could gently heat them and speed up the process but if you plan to feed from your colony in 4 weeks, i recommend getting enough mealies to set aside just in case.

 

[LCReptiles]

Thanks for the info. That is about what I was doing in the past but it seemed like every time I had pupa they would turn into beetles and eat each other or something (I don't know that they were actually eating each other but they'd basically end up with part of their backs or heads missing) so I thought I was doing something wrong.

 

[mango+cola]

Maybe you weren't giving the beetles enough food so they resorted to eating each other?

 

[EnchantmentGecko]

It's a possibility. Leave a good layer of food (as this is not only what they eat but where they lay their eggs and where the eggs hatch) for the beetles and don't forget to give them water in some form several times a week. I also recommend separating the different life stages or you will have a large number of losses since they are cannibalistic.