Pest or darkling beetles+mealworms?

[Patiocoturnix]

Ok I’m not sure but I just went to turn my soul in my quail cages I found some beetles that look kinda like darkling beetles and some larvae that look like tiny mealworms.
-I did throw a bunch of meal worms in there about a month ago I turn the soil every 2-5 days as needed and scoop and add soil as needed the soil is dry.
-are these darkling beetles or some sort of pest?
-should I worry about them or just let them be?
-they are about a 8th to a 4th of a centimeter in length(the larvae) the beetles are about 3/4ths of centimeter in length.
-in the picture it looks very light in color because my camera is not the best the bigger ones are about the color of a meal worm the pics are as zoomed in as possible on my phone.

 

[Nabiki]

Do keep an eye on your birds. Given the chance, they will over eat on them. If they are buried, it may take the quail enough effort to get them that they don't overeat, but that could change if the mealworm population gets big enough.

 

[007Sean]

Yeah but they had 0 food other than dry quail crumbles.

They are champions on feeding on whatever grain is available....including dry crumbles!
I use to raise mine on whole rolled oats and baby carrots for moisture.

 

[jpalmatier83]

Looks like a darkling beetle to me. Whether or not they’re pests or to worry is kinda on you. If the quail cage is outside, I’d leave them alone. Free protein

 

[007Sean]

Recently read somewhere, that mealworms eat anything and everything, surviving if the conditions are right. I've raised mealworms several times; sold several "farms" and dumped a couple in the coop/run when I got bored with them. When I read that article it concerned me ... Do they eat wood?

Started a smaller colony, in the past I'd feed the hens with a chopstick or a plastic dish. The other day I dumped a few in their enclosure, they went at for hours. Hope they got them all, it's warm & humid here but we do get alot of rain so may have been lucky in the past. From now on will use their feeding dish, it's plastic and hopefully none escape.

I don't think they eat wood? but I'm not 100% sure of that....it is a cellulose fiber but has little to none in the way of protein. If it was wet wood they would be getting the moisture but not eating it.

 

[Patiocoturnix]

Ok that’s what I was thinking I’m hoping they are mealworms because that is why I threw them in there I was hoping they would breed and it seems like they did and there is hundreds to thousands it seem of the little mealworm larvae.

My only worry is the quail will find them and over gorge themselves on them and become fat.

 

[jpalmatier83]

My only worry is the quail will find them and over Wo urge themselves on them and become fat.

That could be a concern.

I’m actually surprised the meal worms survived long enough to spawn and grow into beetles. They never would have lasted that long with my chickens…

Maybe your quail aren’t that interested and won’t overeat? This part is beyond my experience level

 

[Patiocoturnix]

Definitely mealworms I went and I found a bigger one close to the size of the beetles and you can tell they are mealworms.

I’m surprised by
#1 they didn’t get eaten in the first couple of days as I only put like 15 in a cage of 5
#2 they were able to survive and breed with no food source other than maybe quail feed and in such dry conditions as I live in Florida and the dirt is as dry as can be.

 

[Cool-breeze7]

I’m surprised by
#1 they didn’t get eaten in the first couple of days as I only put like 15 in a cage of 5
#2 they were able to survive and breed with no food source other than maybe quail feed and in such dry conditions as I live in Florida and the dirt is as dry as can be.

I agree with 1. But number 2 makes sense. Moisture encourages a lot of other bacteria and such that can harm them. They typically get their water from the food they eat.

My little mealworm farm is dry grains except the occasional piece of potato or carrot.

They are considered an invasive species in the US if memory serves.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I agree with 1. But number 2 makes sense. Moisture encourages a lot of other bacteria and such that can harm them. They typically get their water from the food they eat.

My little mealworm farm is dry grains except the occasional piece of potato or carrot.

They are considered an invasive species in the US if memory serves.

Recently read somewhere, that mealworms eat anything and everything, surviving if the conditions are right. I've raised mealworms several times; sold several "farms" and dumped a couple in the coop/run when I got bored with them. When I read that article it concerned me ... Do they eat wood?

Started a smaller colony, in the past I'd feed the hens with a chopstick or a plastic dish. The other day I dumped a few in their enclosure, they went at for hours. Hope they got them all, it's warm & humid here but we do get alot of rain so may have been lucky in the past. From now on will use their feeding dish, it's plastic and hopefully none escape.