pdneff
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- The Scode, Wisconsin
I am looking to start my own colony so that I do not have to keep buying them. What are the best techniques to keep them healthy and reproducing?
Starting a mealworm colony..
- Thread starter pdneff
- Start date
Get a 3 or 5 drawer compartment by sterilite, one tub is for the mealworms, second for beetles, third for babies. after the beetles have been in one slot for two weeks switch them into the other so then the eggs will hatch and not get eaten. It is very easy after you have a colony set up!
pdneff
New Member
- Messages
- 4
- Location
- The Scode, Wisconsin
And what about separating them out? What is the easiest way to do that, rather than to pick each one out individually?
I've been breeding mealworms for about a year and a half now, so I'll tell you some of the things I do.
Every night I remove the pupa one by one with tongs from the mealworm container into a separate container of their own. In the separate pupa container I put a very thin layer of wheat bran with a small slice of carrot so that if a beetle emerges it doesn't eat the others before I can remove it. I noticed that the pupa that are very close to or touching the carrot tended to die, so be wary of that. Not exactly sure if it was coincidence or not.
To sift the worm container and beetle container I use this sand-sieve pooper scooper bought from a pet store. Depending on the size of the container, and amount of mealworms, I put a layer of wheat bran that's about 1-2 inches deep. Beware of overcrowding, I just had a mass die-out a few months ago because a container got waaay too crowded and my entire colony died because of it. If your container starts to look sweaty, you'll want to fix it immediately because of mold and death issues.
Make sure your container sides aren't textured, because then the bugs will escape. If your bedding starts to clump together and there are silky webs, then those are moth cocoons and you'll want to change your bedding immediately if you want to avoid moths flying around. I've started to sterilize the wheat bran or oats by microwaving them for 2 minutes to prevent pest issues, and then storing it in an air tight container until needed. Then all the containers for the colony have sealed lids with a large hole in the lid with screen attached to it to keep things in and out.
I remove dead insects daily (if there are any), and switch out old carrots or potatoes for fresh ones every other day. If you use wheat bran for your beetles, they seem to have trouble with falling over and not being able to get back up. If you don't flip them back over, they'll die of strain.
Also you can buy wheat bran from feed stores for very very cheap if you decide to use that bedding.
These are just some things I do for my very small colony. Hopefully by telling you about some of my mistakes and obstacles it will help you avoid them. Good luck and welcome to the way of the beetle buddies, haha.
Every night I remove the pupa one by one with tongs from the mealworm container into a separate container of their own. In the separate pupa container I put a very thin layer of wheat bran with a small slice of carrot so that if a beetle emerges it doesn't eat the others before I can remove it. I noticed that the pupa that are very close to or touching the carrot tended to die, so be wary of that. Not exactly sure if it was coincidence or not.
To sift the worm container and beetle container I use this sand-sieve pooper scooper bought from a pet store. Depending on the size of the container, and amount of mealworms, I put a layer of wheat bran that's about 1-2 inches deep. Beware of overcrowding, I just had a mass die-out a few months ago because a container got waaay too crowded and my entire colony died because of it. If your container starts to look sweaty, you'll want to fix it immediately because of mold and death issues.
Make sure your container sides aren't textured, because then the bugs will escape. If your bedding starts to clump together and there are silky webs, then those are moth cocoons and you'll want to change your bedding immediately if you want to avoid moths flying around. I've started to sterilize the wheat bran or oats by microwaving them for 2 minutes to prevent pest issues, and then storing it in an air tight container until needed. Then all the containers for the colony have sealed lids with a large hole in the lid with screen attached to it to keep things in and out.
I remove dead insects daily (if there are any), and switch out old carrots or potatoes for fresh ones every other day. If you use wheat bran for your beetles, they seem to have trouble with falling over and not being able to get back up. If you don't flip them back over, they'll die of strain.
Also you can buy wheat bran from feed stores for very very cheap if you decide to use that bedding.
These are just some things I do for my very small colony. Hopefully by telling you about some of my mistakes and obstacles it will help you avoid them. Good luck and welcome to the way of the beetle buddies, haha.
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