Trouble raising meal worms

[farmerbrowne]

Three months ago, I bought approximately 50 jumbo meal worms from the local pet shop. I set up my container with bran meal I believe, and have been feeding them with potatoes. They turned into beetles but still have not layed eggs and have not seen any new worms. What is going on!?!?!? Am I doing something wrong???

 

[lazy gardener]

Patience. The eggs and newly hatched larvae are pretty close to invisible.

 

[farmerbrowne]

I would have thought there would be some visible worms by now, two months and nothing

 

[theuglychick]

I've always been told not to get super or jumbo mealworms for farming because they're sterile.

Here's a quote that I found followed by the link.

"do not buy "giant" mealworm for breeding, as they may have been treated with an insect growth hormone to discourage them from morphing into beetles, so they will grow larger. If giant mealworms do morph into beetles, they will be sterile."

http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm

I hope this helps you trouble-shoot! Best of luck.

I got my starter colony from a lady who has a FB page called southern mealworm farming

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=483697485147466&ref=content_filter

The person to contact is Shavon Ellison if you're interested. She's great and very supportive and my bugs are thriving.

 

[lazy gardener]

I wondered about that! Thanks for trouble shooting this problem!!!

 

[theuglychick]

I wondered about that! Thanks for trouble shooting this problem!!!

My pleasure!

 

[Chickassan]

Don't do superworms either, they are a pain in the butt to raise. You got to put every single worm in an individual cup to get them to make a beetle. My back porch looks like a really crappy party went on.

 

[farmerbrowne]

Thanks been thinking they were sterile
Dumb jumbo meal worms haven't done anything I over 2 months after Turning into beetles

 

[theuglychick]

Don't do superworms either, they are a pain in the butt to raise. You got to put every single worm in an individual cup to get them to make a beetle. My back porch looks like a really crappy party went on.

 

[Chickassan]

Nope superworms aren't sterile just weird and picky.Got to put everybody in their own cup and you can't feed them they won't beetle if you feed them isn't that awful? So once you separate they either beetle or starve! Once they beetle you put them together and they are magically normal. ..like I said pains in the butt.

Thanks been thinking they were sterile
Dumb jumbo meal worms haven't done anything I over 2 months after Turning into beetles