how to breed mealworms

How to breed mealworms

The problem for many people is the high cost of maintaining a continuous supply for their garden birds. I have been rearing my own mealworms for years, a real cost-saving practice.

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.

How to breed mealworms

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. You'll need a few large containers, mealworm substrate, and a collection of mealworms in order to start your own colony. After a few weeks of waiting in anticipation, you should have a healthy batch of mealworms at the ready! When breeding mealworms, you will need shallow plastic or glass bins and lids with venting or air holes. Then line the bin with substrate, add some sliced apples or carrots to add moisture, and place your mealworms inside. The mealworms will soon start reproducing, which is typically a 10 week cycle.

Over time, you will see small mealworms start developing below the beetle tray.

My chickens love mealworms. In fact, they gobble them up at such an alarming rate that a few years ago I decided it would be more economical for me to try to breed my own. So I found a guy who sold them in bulk and bought a huge box of live ones. I was so excited about this new venture. I opened the box, took one look at the mass of squirmy wrigglers inside, panicked, and tossed the entire box into the run with my chickens.

Pet Keen is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. When you get mealworms from a pet shop, they are in a larval phase of life. They still have quite a metamorphosis ahead. When you bring home your mealworms, you notice that they have six short legs upfront with long, tough exoskeletons. After two weeks, these larvae worms begin to switch to the next phase of life.

How to breed mealworms

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.

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If you keep them all in the same container, the beetles will feed on the larvae. All Categories. Thanks Helpful 23 Not Helpful 2. Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games. Popular Categories. Leave the bedding in the original stock culture as this will contain eggs, and top up with fresh bran when necessary. We recommend switching to Edge, Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. You will now have to wait for several weeks before the pupae are formed and, subsequently, the beetles. Purchase suitable bins. I've been feeding the wildlife in my garden for years, and after a recent visit to my local vet with an injured magpie, I was told that magpies thrive on mealworms.

Mealworms are the larvae of mealworm beetles and are used as a food source for many different exotic pets.

You can get a humidity meter online to help maintain a good balance. Share this page. Can you tell me what this is please? Tips and Warnings. Thanks Helpful 69 Not Helpful The beetles will copulate and lay eggs in the substrate, which hatch 1 to 4 weeks later. Set up a stable growing environment. Use a plastic fork periodically to sift through and find any pupae - which get moved to the top drawer to hatch into beetles. The time it is left in depends on the temperature and number of beetles in the tray as this will have an effect on how quickly the base unit is populated. They need to have access to substrate and a moisture source at all times. Categories Pets and Animals Bugs Worms. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times.

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