Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with the big guy. I'm starting to feel bad for him. I'm afraid he is suffering, and even if he is "just" a beetle, I don't see a need for it to suffer. I've been thinking about giving him to my girls. Poor guy just hasn't made any progress.Some of the pupae do not form into full beetles. They seem to do as you described, but part of the body seems to stay in pupae form. Once when I was sorting the new beetles out odf the pupae bin, I saw one that seemed to be struggling to molt for a few days. I figured I'd just toss it in with the beetels and that it was just slow like some of those ones that lie on their backs and can't seem to flip over. I put it in the beetle bin and they swarmed it and ate it alive. I guess they recognized the deformity and cannacalized it. I felt kinda bad.
Now that I have my first beetles, I have a new set of questions. As far as the eggs and food go, do ya'll take out moist foods when they get old, or leave them for fear you beetles have laid eggs on them? I have a piece of potato in there that they have eaten some off of, but it's starting to get moldy on top (not where in lays in the bin). I want to take it out before my beetles are old enough to lay eggs on it. But what to do when they start laying? Thoughts, ideas, suggestions?
Oh, and my two cents on the upper respiratory problems, they have children raise mealworms in schools, and for school projects. I would assume if it was a very big risk they would pick something else for fear of being sued! I haven't researched the topic yet, but I can't see them letting kids do it if it is very dangerous.
