question about breeding meal worms

[Anakan2]

Hello everyone. I am sorry if you have answered this question a hundred times in the past but I looked around and didn't see a thread containing the information I need. I have 2 questions.
1. Can you put giant meal worms with regular sized meal worms and
2. Is a storage container that is about 11 inches by 9 inches big enough for several hundred worms? It is a rubbermaid.

I want to breed meal worms for my own use and wonder if I can put giant meal worms with regular sized meal worms. I am doing the most simple of techniques. A gentleman at the reptile show over the week end told me he has been doing it this way for years with no troubles and it is easy and cheap. I am simply putting the meal worms in a storage container with oatmeal in the bottom with the occasional carrot or potato for fluid. No levels, no screens, nothing. Just one container. He hasn't had a problem with poo or anything so I figure for my small brood, it should be okay. If I can get away with putting both sized worms together, that would even simplify things more but I don't want to screw it up. I put about 50 meal worms in and have since used some up so I bought 100 giant meal worms and 500 regular meal worms. I am anxious to put the regular size worms in with the others if I can.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Jenny

 

[thegeckoguy23]

no u should not because they are the same species but the giant was sprayed with a growth horamon to make it bigger and it well not turn into a beetle

 

[Tony C]

You won't be able to breed giant mealworms, as Jacob said they are treated with growth hormone. If they do morph into beetles they will breed normal mealworms.

 

[Anakan2]

thanks guys. I just fished out the 100 giant meal worms I put into a container to breed. Now I am worried that I shouldn't feed the giant meal worms to my geckos if they have been treated with hormones, will it hurt my geckos? Especially the ones that are mating?
Jenny

 

[STUTFL]

I imagine it would take a lot of them to have an effect, if there is any, on an adult leo. But if you can get other feeders just as easily, you could always switch over to one you're more comfortable giving your leos.

 

[Samantha]

i breed mealworms so if u have any questions feel free to write me

 

[Gregg M]

Actually they are not treated with a growth hormone... They are treated with a hormone that keeps them in their larval stage... It is the very same hormone used by parasitoid wasps... It keeps the larva from pupating so the larva continues to grow and developing wasps can eat it... This hormone is only effective on inverts in their larval stage and will not affect your leo in any way...