Growing mealworms...

Hello there.
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I have been breeding mealworms for years and these are easiest feeder out there today for both birds and reptiles. All you need to do really is to throw some vegetable in for moisture every few days and they will do the rest. Personally I like to seperate beetles from the bran because it gives me a hobby, but many people do not. Once you have about 200 beetles, you will soon have thousands and thousands of baby mealworms. At first they are the size of the head of a needle and white, but will soon start becoming darker and bigger.

The beetles do not fly and can not climb soft surfaces. If you use a rough surfaced tote or something of similar nature I am guessing the beetles could attempt to climb.

As redhen has stated, if you let them do the work all you have to do is sit back and watch. Within months you will have thousands and thousands of mealworms and not have any clue what to do with them.

The only downside in my opinion to mealworms is they do not have a lot of protein. They also have a high amount of chitin. I don't think this is bad for birds but for lizards they are frowned upon because they depend highly on nutrients which can be obtained via many other feeders.

Anyways, thought I'd throw in my two cents.. personally I don't think mealworms should be bought more than once seeing as how they are so easily bred by the thousands. Buy a few, create thousands.

tea
 
My chicklucks are deprived. They've never had meal worms, unless they found some somewhere while scratching under bushes, in the leaves, etc. I keep meaning to stop and buy some, but figured I'd end up with the kind that don't multiply well.
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believe me NotTheMomma, you almost can't get ones that multiply well! These little mealies are one of nature's natural feed bugs, so they multiply like crazy.

By the way, anyone working on the giant mealworms? My large's are doing well, but the giants don't seem to be making any moves towards becoming little aliens, which is what we call them when they pupate into their crysalis'(sp?). My kid found the first alien in the large's tank and threw it across the room exclaiming "EWW!!" at the top of her voice! I think she thought that she found the first of an alien invasion since we didn't have a cover on the large's tank.

For anyone who wants a quick tutorial on raising mealworms, google The Wormman, he has some great stuff on raising them, as well as raising crickets.
 
If I am going to start to breed my own meal worms in one of the plastic shoe size containers how many meal worms do I start with?

What temperature room should the box be kept in?

Sooo I just take layer crumbles and put them on the bottom of the box then put the meal worms on top and add a carrot?

Making sure there are holes on the sides and top for ventilation?

Am I on the right track???

I can't wait to try this!!
 
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I think a few hundred will work to start..i dont think i even had that many to start mine.
 

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