the giants large and small mealworms. Yes same drawer. Theyre all the same bug just different sizes. The superworms are like their larger cousin and will eat them. They are the same in raising besides getting them to turn to beetles is a pain. Please let me know if you want info on that. I raise them as well. The waxworms are unknown to me on how to raise or breed.
ok ill get started on the bug math. 22pounds of dried meal worm is approximately 50pounds of live mealies. You use them over four months. To have a supply of that amount you need 7 drawers or tubs. One for beetles and six for different stages of larvae. Each needs to be about 3 sqare feet of floor space inside. And at least five inches tall. 1500 large size mealworms will get you to the numbers you need. That will produce about nine pounds of mealworms every two weeks. Buying the large mealworms will save you a lot on your initial costs as the beetles can go for up to a dollar each for some dumb reason. You will need to get a second batch of worms after two months of having the rst as beetles because at twelve weeks of being beetles they start to die off. Heres a list of stuff you need
humidity plus the low temps were probably causing the die off. Good plan moving them next to a hot appliance. Also the higher in the room they are in is better. The little moths are grain moths. They are not harmful to any stage of mealworms. The little beetles are weevils. Also grain eaters and not harmful. Oh yeah the pupaes dying before turning to beetles is normal at lower temps as well. In colder weather they burn through their fat stores too fast. Depending on where you keep them they can be better insulated by putting two layers of plastic around them with an air gap between the layers. It traps the warm air inside better. Hope this will help.
the beetles can take up to two weeks to start breeding. Then they start laying eggs daily. The eggs take up to two weeks to hatch. They are dam near microscopic. It may take like 3 weeks after hatching until you can see them. Flatten all the grain down in the tub that you have had beetles in for a long time and run two fingers through it to make a kinda wide canyon. Look at the edges of the canyon for grain falling. It is easiest way to find them early. Look real close they will be an eighth inch or so long and almost the same color as the grain. So in total thats after seven weeks of having beetles you should start being able to barely see the little buggers. And if you have had cooler weather that will be a longer time span. Hope this helped.
