How to breed mealworms

The problem for many people is the high cost of maintaining a continuous supply for their garden birds.

Last Updated: February 1, Fact Checked. This article was co-authored by Samuel Ramsey, PhD. Ramsey has extensive knowledge of symbiosis and specializes in insect disease spread, parasite behavior, mutualism development, biological control, invasive species ecology, pollinator health, and insect pest control. This article has been viewed , times. If you have hungry reptiles or fish to feed, breeding your own mealworms is an excellent way to save some cash and ensure your pets are getting proper nutrition. Mealworms are actually darkling beetles in the larval stage, so breeding them involves allowing the beetles to mature and reproduce.

How to breed mealworms

How to.. We highly recommend setting up a Bug Factory Mealworm Farm. You can purchase one here. Simply the best, easiest and cleanest way to breed mealworms. You will need to source some live mealworms — most local pet shops have them. Alternatively they can be ordered online and sent via the postal system. Put your live mealworms in a base unit provided with our Mealworm growing pods with some substrate — Supermeal is best, but you can use oats or pollard. Put a piece of vegetable or fruit in to provide moisture, but nothing with too much water that will rot. I prefer carrot, as it takes the longest to go off. Mealworms like a warm, dark environment. Around 25 degrees to 28 degrees is ideal, but they will grow in a reasonably wide range of temperatures.

We just remove the beetles from the substrate weekly.

This site has limited support for your browser. We recommend switching to Edge, Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Mealworms are a popular food for many pet reptiles and birds, and they are easy to raise at home Before we tell you how to farm mealworms here is a quick overview about their lifecycle. Mealworms, also known as Tenebrio molitor, are the larvae of the darkling beetle. They go through a complete metamorphosis, meaning they have four distinct stages in their life cycle: egg, larva mealworm , pupa, and adult We have written a in-depth blog, check it out for more info. The eggs hatch into larvae, which are small, white, worm-like creatures.

Mealworms are the larvae of mealworm beetles and are used as a food source for many different exotic pets. Reptiles , amphibians, sugar gliders , skunks, chickens, hedgehogs , and other animals consider various sizes of mealworms as part of their regular diet, but they don't always contain the nutritional components these pets need because they are often sitting in a store without food for extended periods of time. Additionally, the cost of regularly purchasing live food sources, such as mealworms, can become inconvenient and expensive to pet owners. Thankfully, raising your own mealworms is easy to do and can help you ensure your pet is receiving nutrient-dense food. In order to raise mealworms, you'll need a little bit of space dedicated to housing your mealworm colony. This space should never get too cold, so do not keep your mealworm colony in a garage or basement that will get cold in the winter. Next, supplies and the adult mealworms will need to be purchased, and a couple of months will need to go by before you can start feeding your pet your homegrown mealworms. This means that you will still need to purchase mealworms at the store for at least two months after you set up your mealworm breeding enclosure. You will need this amount of time for your mealworms to grow. This project won't take up much of your time to start, but once it is set up, you'll need to be patient.

How to breed mealworms

Mealworms are a very tasty, nutritious treat for your pet, but can get very pricey buying at your local pet store. Instead, why not learn how to breed mealworms at home? Breeding your own mealworm farm is simple to do, inexpensive and can provide a never ending food supply for your pet. Feel free to jump ahead, by clicking any of the links below.

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Colin Ryall Mealworm pupae. Larvae mealworms hatch and remain in this stage for weeks. Alternatively they can be ordered online and sent via the postal system. Subscribe to keep up-to-date. Add food: Mealworms will eat a variety of foods, including grains, fruits, and vegetables. Separate the pupae as soon as you see them. Hygiene Mealworms Fat-based foods. This all depends on how warm your climate is. The beetle tray should be left in place for around 2 weeks in the base unit. When the beetles lay eggs after a few weeks there are transparent things crawling all over the place. We just remove the beetles from the substrate weekly. Supermeal and carrot work well. Thanks Helpful 23 Not Helpful 2. Popular Categories. Blog Garden birds: to feed or not to feed?

Raising mealworms is fairly easy since they are prolific breeders and are hardy insects. It is also fairly inexpensive and can save you quite a bit of money if you use a lot of worms every month. Breeding will take a while to get started, but once there are plenty of beetles laying eggs you will have worms for as long as you need.

You can buy a heater to use near the containers to keep the temperature steady for your mealworms. Once the new larvae are big enough before they become pupae you may feed them to your pets. The pupae don't eat or drink, but you''ll need to give the beetles some lettuce to eat and put some pieces of cardboard and egg carton halves into the drawer. I'm sure the benefits would work for chickens as well. The pupae you have placed in the top drawer will eventually turn into beetles and lay their eggs. I never knew I was breeding mealworms incorrectly. Remove any rotted vegetable matter, dead insects, or clumps of mould from the oatmeal substrate. Search Search for:. You will need to source some live mealworms — most local pet shops have them and soon enough we will have kits! You can buy mealworm substrate from a feeder supply store, or you can make your own mixture from bran flakes, corn flakes, oatmeal and other cereals. Set up a stable growing environment. Place pieces of sacking, twisted corrugated cardboard, broken -up egg carton or slices of dry bread for the beetles to socialise on. Share yours!