# Sticky  Mealworm Life Cycle



## freekygeeky

Well, so many people keep asking me, pm-ing and on this section, so i have taken the time to take some (not so brillaint) pics!!
Hope this helps..

I breed my own mealworms, they are kept in plastic contains with lids they allways escape!! (my kitten loves them!) They are fed on (tesco value) porridge oats, (tesco value) cornflakes, and (tesco value) rice crispies. And bannana skins (from my cresties!). They love all veg!

Right...

*A adult mealworm










A mealworm who has shed (this is an adult too)










''Alien'' Adult mealworms turn in to these, when i find these (in my breeding group) i take them out and put them in a seperate container (as they some times get eaten)










''Alien'' Dead. They will turn black and eventually go completely black, or completely brown.










''Alien'' Ready to turn in to a beetle. See the brown legs? They will start to wiggle more, then they will 'hatch'. This generally takes about a week.










New born beetle, when they hatch i leave them for a day or two to 'harden' up, otherwise i have noticed their wings get munched on in the large breeding group!



















New - ish beetles will be light brown, these are in with the mealworms.










Adult beetles, you will see these breeding! All they do is run, breed and eat!!










After a while you will see babies, they are TINY and i mean small, a few mm... i couldnt take a pic of them!! TOOO tiny, but here is a half a cm one...










**I just leave them too it... and yea... i hope that helps, thank you for looking, and any other questions, just ask!!


*


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## ferretlad

Do they need any form of heat to breed.


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## freekygeeky

they die if they get too hot, and go in some sort of hibernnation when cold, mine are at room temp and seem to do fine 


ferretlad said:


> Do they need any form of heat to breed.


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## Frilled13

wow,good ghart. i have a succesful, mealworm farm myself


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## chameleonpaul

How long does it take for the babies to get to adult roughly ?
I heard it takes aaaaaggggggggeeeeeeeesssssssss.
Thanks lol


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## freekygeeky

Frilled13 said:


> wow,good ghart. i have a succesful, mealworm farm myself






chameleonpaul said:


> How long does it take for the babies to get to adult roughly ?
> I heard it takes aaaaaggggggggeeeeeeeesssssssss.
> Thanks lol


i would guess at ages! but if you leave them too it give them food, then you will have a constant supply, once they have grown into an adutl... if that makes sense?


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## hermanlover

what do they eat if you dont mind me asking? may consider breeding these for my mice.

lee


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## freekygeeky

mine eat (they willl eat basically anything - inculding plastic bags...long story)

mine are fed on 

tesco value oats (for porridge)
tesco value rice crispies
tesco value corn flakes
bannana skins (from my cresties)
tesco value bagged salad 

good old tesco value eh?!


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## JPReptiles

What containers do you keep them in?
Can you post a pic so i can see what i will need?

John


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## freekygeeky

mine are in a plastic ontainer, like a lunch box, but i have a fish tank which i will be using soon, so i can do it on a hugeeeee scale  i used to make enough babies... now i dont ... lol...



Reptile world said:


> What containers do you keep them in?
> Can you post a pic so i can see what i will need?
> 
> John


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## Just_Nash

freekygeeky said:


> mine are in a plastic ontainer, like a lunch box, but i have a fish tank which i will be using soon, so i can do it on a hugeeeee scale  i used to make enough babies... now i dont ... lol...


Is it best to use the same substrate for the beetle as for the larvae or is there something better for laying/recovering eggs?


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## freekygeeky

the beetles lay there eggs in the poo/crumbs etc of the oats/coornfalkes etc.. 
i take th ealiens out and put them in to a tub, with nothing in it.. they dont need anything, they cannot move or eat etc etc


Just_Nash said:


> Is it best to use the same substrate for the beetle as for the larvae or is there something better for laying/recovering eggs?


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## lottus321

Im going to give this ago but have got slighlty confused.

I keep my mealworms in a continer with lid until they turn into the "alien" move this across to a seperate container and wait for the beatle.

Do i need to provide the beatles with any substrate or anything like that?


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## Just_Nash

lottus321 said:


> Im going to give this ago but have got slighlty confused.
> 
> I keep my mealworms in a continer with lid until they turn into the "alien" move this across to a seperate container and wait for the beatle.
> 
> Do i need to provide the beatles with any substrate or anything like that?


that was what i meant really, you wouldnt keep a beetle on cornflakes would you


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## lottus321

i dunno, if i were a beatle not sure what i would choose to live on. Best go with freeky and use nothing.


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## vetdebbie

I've got mine on the same substrate the worms are on - cos the baby worms really as tiny but need something to eat after they hatch - don't fancy trying to fish them out. Still on the first pass through the cycle, so not sure what i'm going to do as they get bigger i.e. to feeding size!


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## lottus321

when you say the same substrate as the worms are on. What are you keeping your worms on.

Also freeky has said that they lay there eggs in poo and stuff. How you you avoid throwing the egs away when you clean them out. Are the eggs obvious?


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## freekygeeky

you dont clean them out..

everythign lives on and in corn flakes, and oats..

thats what they live in, poo in, breed in, eat in, lay eggs in, etc etc..

everything lives in this including the beetles... but not the aliens.

they have no substrate...

they live in their food, the oats are the subsrate... mine is around 4 inches deep... they burrow in there... the babies, and eggs live in the bottom, the poo. the beetles live on the top and go to the bottom to lay eggs, and the mealworms live in the middle... trust me..


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## zippy4emma

Great thread!

im having a go at it myself but i leave the aliens and bettles with the mealworms, i read that the bettles need to hide so i put a couple of egg cartons in there.
i use crushed weetabix as substrate and feed them carrot and fish food.


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## freekygeeky

zippy4emma said:


> Great thread!
> 
> im having a go at it myself but i leave the aliens and bettles with the mealworms, i read that the bettles need to hide so i put a couple of egg cartons in there.
> i use crushed weetabix as substrate and feed them carrot and fish food.




mine all hide in the subsrate you see 
i leave the aliens in there is i cant find them, obvious ones i take out as i see them getting munched!!!! silly beetles!


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## zippy4emma

ive had no baby mealies yet. how long does it take for the bettles to breed lay eggs and then hatch?


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## freekygeeky

they take a month or so.. it will take a while to get goign liek everything, and you probably have bebies you just cannot see them.. the babies when born are white and about 1 - 2 mm.


zippy4emma said:


> ive had no baby mealies yet. how long does it take for the bettles to breed lay eggs and then hatch?


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## zippy4emma

freekygeeky said:


> they take a month or so.. it will take a while to get goign liek everything, and you probably have bebies you just cannot see them.. the babies when born are white and about 1 - 2 mm.


do the beetles die after breeding? how many mealies can you keep in a small plastic tank 12''x8''?


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## janiej

Ignorance is bliss, I been cleaning mine out every three days, i feed them to the hedgies. Dont they stink if you dont clean them?


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## freekygeeky

zippy4emma said:


> do the beetles die after breeding? how many mealies can you keep in a small plastic tank 12''x8''?


nop. they last quite a while. a few hundred could live in there 



janiej said:


> Ignorance is bliss, I been cleaning mine out every three days, i feed them to the hedgies. Dont they stink if you dont clean them?


lol. nop dont smell at all 
they are very unsmelly  (which is good!)


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## reptile_dude

today I've discovered hundreds of minute mealworms rumerging through the oats, I was so happy at the site of this they were in the beetle container which I gave up on breeding months ago, what I noticed long before I found the little guys was that there was about four adult mealworms resting on the top. I think they have been breeding the whole time because the beetles wouldn't of survived for that long, there were mealworms of every size in there. I was wandering does everyone just leave the colony be and only 'harvest' the adult mealworms or just seperate the babies from the beetles if so how do you do this?
thankyou


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## freekygeeky

i leave mine all togetehr, they seem to have their own areas...

beetles on top, adults just under the surface, and babies at the bottom 

i take out what i want and need when i need them 


reptile_dude said:


> today I've discovered hundreds of minute mealworms rumerging through the oats, I was so happy at the site of this they were in the beetle container which I gave up on breeding months ago, what I noticed long before I found the little guys was that there was about four adult mealworms resting on the top. I think they have been breeding the whole time because the beetles wouldn't of survived for that long, there were mealworms of every size in there. I was wandering does everyone just leave the colony be and only 'harvest' the adult mealworms or just seperate the babies from the beetles if so how do you do this?
> thankyou


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## Esfa

can the adult beetles be fed to adult leopard geckos? 

edit: nvm, apparently you shouldn't. 

i've just set mine up.. with almost all the cereal i could find. :lol2:


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## reptile_dude

Apparently they have a low nutritional value, hard shells too, making them difficult to digest. I wouldn't feed them to a leopard gecko, I don't know about larger lizards though.


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## platypus

*Ineresting*

In a nerdy way or coarse . I have been inspired to set up a mealworm farm ,as this last couple of weeks i cannot get enough mealies when i need them . So big thanks to freeky for an excellent thread . :2thumb:


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## Kev132

Good post,

we however do it on a larger scale... and have 5 containers with about an inch or 2 of bran in, once we see baby mealies we move the beetles on to thenext container, and by the time they get back round to the top one, all the mealies have been used.... thus giving us a constant easy to sort supply of the same size mealies...


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## freekygeeky

platypus said:


> In a nerdy way or coarse . I have been inspired to set up a mealworm farm ,as this last couple of weeks i cannot get enough mealies when i need them . So big thanks to freeky for an excellent thread . :2thumb:


hehe thankyou



Kev132 said:


> Good post,
> 
> we however do it on a larger scale... and have 5 containers with about an inch or 2 of bran in, once we see baby mealies we move the beetles on to thenext container, and by the time they get back round to the top one, all the mealies have been used.... thus giving us a constant easy to sort supply of the same size mealies...


cool 
we have only one container, as we dontt have enpugh room!! lol 
they now been moved up to a 1.5 x 1.5 ish ocontainer however.
i use the tiny mealworms for newts the next size up for baby leos, and middle ones for younger leos and adults for leos 
clever you seeeee lol


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## the-tick

my attempt at a cultre is resulting in a shed load (not really a shed) of beetles and sainsbury basic weetabix make a great sub by the way


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## Esfa

Woop! I have my first alien today! :lol2:


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## the-tick

I have loads if you want (grumbles) where are the damn babies


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## herp boy

i have about 100 in a cricket tub with oats as a substrate and a little egg box for them to go on, i also have a piece of bread for them to lay their eggs on. it's been 4 months now and i dont have any mealworms, what am i doing wrong?


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## freekygeeky

herp boy said:


> i have about 100 in a cricket tub with oats as a substrate and a little egg box for them to go on, i also have a piece of bread for them to lay their eggs on. it's been 4 months now and i dont have any mealworms, what am i doing wrong?


you must have!!!
they are there search i say serach!! but though, ina cricket tub, thats far to small, maybe gettign eaten?


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## herp boy

thanks i'll try putting them in a larger box


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## Rou

Freeky my boyfriend keeps asking if mealies will/can eat meat and if so do they not become malnourished if they need the meat.

I feed my mealies on oatibix, veggie peelings, fish flakes and pellets and anything else really but he got me doubting what I was doing as I don't really know the answer.

I keep thinking about this question as to me it seems silly but as mealies have a tendency to eat other mealies I just wanted to ask lol. 



Thankyouuuuuu x


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## freekygeeky

they can eat meat yea 
people use them like maggots to strip carcasses..

but i wouldnnt advise feeding them, if your breeding them


Rou said:


> Freeky my boyfriend keeps asking if mealies will/can eat meat and if so do they not become malnourished if they need the meat.
> 
> I feed my mealies on oatibix, veggie peelings, fish flakes and pellets and anything else really but he got me doubting what I was doing as I don't really know the answer.
> 
> I keep thinking about this question as to me it seems silly but as mealies have a tendency to eat other mealies I just wanted to ask lol.
> 
> 
> 
> Thankyouuuuuu x


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## Rou

freekygeeky said:


> they can eat meat yea
> people use them like maggots to strip carcasses..
> 
> but i wouldnnt advise feeding them, if your breeding them


Thank you for that :2thumb:

I don't breed my mealies as I only have two leos at the moment so one tub from my local herp shop serves them good for a very long time. Breeding i'm sure though is a much better method if you have a lot of reps though.

Anyone else find feeding mealies on fish food/pellets causes them to smell?


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## freekygeeky

Rou said:


> Thank you for that :2thumb:
> 
> I don't breed my mealies as I only have two leos at the moment so one tub from my local herp shop serves them good for a very long time. Breeding i'm sure though is a much better method if you have a lot of reps though.
> 
> Anyone else find feeding mealies on fish food/pellets causes them to smell?


im sure they would smell on fish food etc it reeeeeeks ! lol
my mix makes them smell nice lol!



p.s my mealies are now gettign the baby appels which are falling off the treeeeees


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## the-tick

I found 2 baby mealies YAY, I know it's only two but it's a start


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## freekygeeky

lol if you have two, you probably have 100! lol


the-tick said:


> I found 2 baby mealies YAY, I know it's only two but it's a start


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## the-tick

no only two as I was cleaning out the mealie tub to put fresh substrate in :-(


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## Esfa

i saw one alien, but still havnt seen a beetle


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## freekygeeky

keep the substrate! the substrate will have the eggs in, i dont ever clean mine out...


the-tick said:


> no only two as I was cleaning out the mealie tub to put fresh substrate in :-(


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## the-tick

freekygeeky said:


> keep the substrate! the substrate will have the eggs in, i dont ever clean mine out...


_DOH!

_I clean mine out every few weeks due to the smell_
_


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## freekygeeky

they dont smell!!
well i geuss it depends what you ffeeeed them...

the eggs are in the substrate you seeeeeeeeee
you probably chuckign them out!!!!##


the-tick said:


> _DOH!
> 
> _I clean mine out every few weeks due to the smell_
> _


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## GECKO62

This is ours the large tub contains standard and very large mealworms plus beetles and larver ,and the smaller tub has the beetles in until they lay eggs and mini mealies appear then we transfer bettle to another tub or back in with the big mealies its been like this for about 2 months started it up once we knew we was getting Gecko but was feeding them to our pond fish and a friend had them off us for his bd .We feed them on weetabix oats,potatoe,carrot,buggrub food ,bran ,orange .list goes on :lol2:we must be doing something right we are over run with them :lol2::lol2: 










BIG tub 








contents








mini mealies








contents


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## freekygeeky

GECKO62 said:


> This is ours the large tub contains standard and very large mealworms plus beetles and larver ,and the smaller tub has the beetles in until they lay eggs and mini mealies appear then we transfer bettle to another tub or back in with the big mealies its been like this for about 2 months started it up once we knew we was getting Gecko but was feeding them to our pond fish and a friend had them off us for his bd .We feed them on weetabix oats,potatoe,carrot,buggrub food ,bran ,orange .list goes on :lol2:we must be doing something right we are over run with them :lol2::lol2:
> 
> 
> 
> BIG tub
> 
> contents
> 
> mini mealies
> 
> contents


well done you!! i should take a pic of my lot really shouldnt i? lol


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## GECKO62

freekygeeky said:


> well done you!! i should take a pic of my lot really shouldnt i? lol


 Yes ,it would be interesting to know if you been doing the mealworm breeding for sometime ,if the beetle die do you leave them in or take out the shells etc and how do you seive them out with out the food you feed them ?? Also i have a few white meal worms which i haven't seen before are they lacking in something is this why they are white :lol2:.


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## freekygeeky

as they grow they shed, so they are white till they get their shell again 
i keep mine in it for months, in 1 year i have cleaned them out once, with a sieve the poo i kept in pots, and still have babies hatchign from it, a it was full of eggs!
















this is what i was talkign about layering people, bugs at teh top, mealies in the middle gettgin smaller and smaller, eggs and babies at the bottom sifting otu the pooooo


















dead things stay in there inlcuding beetles, and banna skins etc they turn them in to homes!


GECKO62 said:


> Yes ,it would be interesting to know if you been doing the mealworm breeding for sometime ,if the beetle die do you leave them in or take out the shells etc and how do you seive them out with out the food you feed them ?? Also i have a few white meal worms which i haven't seen before are they lacking in something is this why they are white :lol2:.


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## GECKO62

Fantastic post,thankyou .Hopefully mine will look like that soon might just keep babies in there too and not in a pot on their own .


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## freekygeeky

as long as there is food, they wont get eaten 


GECKO62 said:


> Fantastic post,thankyou .Hopefully mine will look like that soon might just keep babies in there too and not in a pot on their own .


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## GECKO62

freekygeeky said:


> as long as there is food, they wont get eaten


Thank you ,how far up the tub can i let them go etc will they die if they get too warm with so many in a tub ?? Sorry so many questions :whistling2:


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## chameleonpaul

How do you get babies out Gina ? lol
And what size is that tub please ??


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## freekygeeky

GECKO62 said:


> Thank you ,how far up the tub can i let them go etc will they die if they get too warm with so many in a tub ?? Sorry so many questions :whistling2:


they are fine.
mine are kept in my warm reptile room too, they have lots of space 
p.s once a week i fill it wilth oats/cornflake dog biscuits to the line on the box, in a week/ 2 weeks they eat half of it 


chameleonpaul said:


> How do you get babies out Gina ? lol
> And what size is that tub please ??


i dip in with a spoooon 
about 1.5x1.5 (foot) from lakeland


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## chameleonpaul

lol, I might give it a go.
How many adults did you start with ?
What size is the tub ?
Sorry for all the questions lol


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## freekygeeky

tub size above 
i top it up every now and then, get 500 grams, and go on from then, use them , and leave some, some will turn in to beetles some you can use and so on.


chameleonpaul said:


> lol, I might give it a go.
> How many adults did you start with ?
> What size is the tub ?
> Sorry for all the questions lol


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## chameleonpaul

freekygeeky said:


> tub size above
> i top it up every now and then, get 500 grams, and go on from then, use them , and leave some, some will turn in to beetles some you can use and so on.



I could of sworn it wssnt there before :lol2:


Thanks allot !


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## freekygeeky

chameleonpaul said:


> I could of sworn it wssnt there before :lol2:
> 
> 
> Thanks allot !


hehe *mwhahahaha*


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## Esfa

omg, i put an egg carton thingy in their for the adults..

and the worms are eating it!! :lol2::lol2:


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## freekygeeky

they will eat ANYTHING lol


Esfa said:


> omg, i put an egg carton thingy in their for the adults..
> 
> and the worms are eating it!! :lol2::lol2:


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## zippy4emma

Esfa said:


> omg, i put an egg carton thingy in their for the adults..
> 
> and the worms are eating it!! :lol2::lol2:


mine eat the egg cartons alswel i think im feeding them enough, i feed mine fresh carrot everyday and some fish food


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## R0NST3R

They love mice/rats  Well mine loved it when my snake was in shed lol


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## the-tick

do the eggs look like tiny rice grains ?



ohhh I have babies


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## Esfa

Woop, i dug out 12 aliens yesterday


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## Parky

Mines coming along i think, havent seen any aliens yet, but im sure ill see some soon.


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## the-tick

oh they grow sooooooo slowly :-(

I put quite large chuncks of veg and end up with mouldy bits of substrate (which I now carefully remove) shoud I chop it all a lot smaller ? and is dry cat food ok to add ?


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## freekygeeky

yea mine have dog and cat food buiscuits..
mine doesnt go mouldly as they eat it to fast~! lol
maybe less is more so to speak 


the-tick said:


> oh they grow sooooooo slowly :-(
> 
> I put quite large chuncks of veg and end up with mouldy bits of substrate (which I now carefully remove) shoud I chop it all a lot smaller ? and is dry cat food ok to add ?


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## Parky

the-tick said:


> oh they grow sooooooo slowly :-(
> 
> I put quite large chuncks of veg and end up with mouldy bits of substrate (which I now carefully remove) shoud I chop it all a lot smaller ? and is dry cat food ok to add ?


If the substrate is going mouldy because of the vegetables, place them on a small peice of cardboard.


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## zippy4emma

will they eat anything then? mine are on oats and i put sum shreddies in aswell lol.
still no babies yet and i have loads of beetles


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## the-tick

freekygeeky said:


> yea mine have dog and cat food buiscuits..
> mine doesnt go mouldly as they eat it to fast~! lol
> maybe less is more so to speak


smaller bits and less it is


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## crafty

would using muesli be ok?
just got a couple of tubs of mealies today and i only have 
muesli in at the moment.


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## freekygeeky

seriously they will eat anyyyything 



crafty said:


> would using muesli be ok?
> just got a couple of tubs of mealies today and i only have
> muesli in at the moment.


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## crafty

ok thanks freeky :2thumb:
muesli it is then


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## Parky

Here is my culture so far.









Got my first aliens yesterday! Most of them are under the substrate though.


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## Ellis

sweet pics there parky 

how many aliens you got now then?


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## Parky

got about 6 or 7 today and yesterday.


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## sandra

I have about 70 beetles and lots of baby mealworms now. They are on oats cornflakes weetabix.:no1:


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## zippy4emma

how long is it between getting beetles and having baby mealies.
Ive had beetles for about a month, now i have about 40 but no baby mealies yet.


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## the-tick

they take a real long time to grow and if you are using a brown substrate they are near impossible to bloody spot, then you see one, you get used to spotting then you see loads of them


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## Vitarajay

i too have started to try and breed mealworms so to speak since seeing this thread. i have tones of pupae but they really dont seem to be turning into beetles..its been about 14 days since i took my first lot of pupae out from the other mealworms....there not dead because i can tell which have decided to die on me....getting bored or waiting now.lol..


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## sandra

took about a month but you have to really look hard they are so small but bet you they are there.


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## shell2909

this is such a good thread!!!! i tried to breed locusts but they all kept their legs crossed :bash:
this sounds so much easier!!! ive just bought a tub but no aliens yet :lol2:


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## shell2909

ive just pinched my OH's cornflakes and they have gone mad eating it all :lol2:


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## Emma Gecko

I wondered what the alien thing were. I'm off to steal the hubbys breakfast and to save the aliens. 

What a fantasic thread many thanks


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## shell2909

steal it!!!!!!!!!! lol mine's just come in from work so i told him, didnt want him getting up tomorrow and wondering where his little varitey box of cornflakes had gone :lol2:


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## Emma Gecko

I've just checked on my aliens and one has wiggley legs.
I 've also starting breeding waxies and my 1st waxmoth has come out today. Feel a bit sorry for them now feeding them to my leo's. 
What a fantasic thread this is brilliant.


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## zippy4emma

i found my first baby mealworm today, omg they are really small, i kept losing it in my hand! 
all credit to freeky geeky for making this thread
how long does it take for the to reach adult size?

:2thumb:


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## Juzza12

I found my first baby mealie today i'm well chuffed, couldn't find any more though lol


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## repkid

What substrate do the aliens and beetles need to be kept on?


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## Parky

repkid said:


> What substrate do the aliens and beetles need to be kept on?


I keep them with some bran, because if the beetles are hungry they will go for the aliens so its best to have something else they can eat


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## Juzza12

I've got loads of babies now so i've moved the beetles on to another tub. How long does it take them to get to the size of regular mealies?


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## Parky

Juzza12 said:


> I've got loads of babies now so i've moved the beetles on to another tub. How long does it take them to get to the size of regular mealies?


how long after getting your first beetles did you start getting babies, cos atm ive just got my first load of beetles, ive got maybe 15-20 at the moment.


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## the-tick

you will have loads you can't see


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## Juzza12

About a month i think parky and i hate a similar number of beetles to you. As the tick said you've probably already got some. I only noticed them when i took the beetles out and saw the substrate moving


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## Parky

cool, so itll be a bit before i can physically see them then .
ill try and get some pics up of the beetles tonight, got them in a seperate enclosure to my old mealworms.


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## Juzza12

I keep the mealworms i'm waiting to pupate, the beetles and the aliens seperate. I'm starting to try to breed morios now too


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## freekygeeky

zippy4emma said:


> i found my first baby mealworm today, omg they are really small, i kept losing it in my hand!
> all credit to freeky geeky for making this thread
> how long does it take for the to reach adult size?
> 
> :2thumb:





Juzza12 said:


> I've got loads of babies now so i've moved the beetles on to another tub. How long does it take them to get to the size of regular mealies?



AGES AGES AGES lol
but once they start they dont stop so to speak 

i had a go at wax worm breeding, and failed!

good to know that from this thread so many peopel have started to breed thei own mealiies !!


----------



## Parky

freekygeeky said:


> i had a go at wax worm breeding, and failed!


whys that? i heard that they are quite hard to breed.


----------



## Juzza12

This thread really helped me, it's probably the most helpful sticky i've read


----------



## Parky

ive made a rather grizzly discovery as ive come back home, basically i have a plastic cup full of mealies that had died. Since the beetles started coming there have been a few that have not developed properly so ive had to unfortunatley crush their heads and put them with the dead mealies. But, i came back today, and there are still beetles with crushed heads twitching and moving around!! It really doesnt kill them! ive found numerous in this mealie graveyard, not to mention mealies I THOUGHT were dead which have now developed into beetles in a mass of mealworm corpses. Uhm so yeah, i feel slightly bad atm hehe. but apart from that, cultures going fine, the beetles love the bread ive put in there!


----------



## wacky69

we gonna give it a go me thinks with 11 leos and more coming will save us a fortune


----------



## Juzza12

Get going that wacky cos this is taking a looong time lol


----------



## wacky69

got a few alien things already :2thumb:


----------



## freekygeeky

hehe well done everyone!

just rememebr it does take AGES to get babies, and for the babies to grow in to good sized mealies..


----------



## repkid

freekygeeky said:


> AGES AGES AGES lol
> but once they start they dont stop so to speak
> 
> i had a go at wax worm breeding, and failed!
> 
> good to know that from this thread so many peopel have started to breed thei own mealiies !!


 Thanks you for this thread!


I have about 200 aliens atm but no beetles.


----------



## Parky

repkid said:


> Thanks you for this thread!
> 
> 
> I have about 200 aliens atm but no beetles.


youll find one beetle, then tonnes will start popping up out of nowhere. i love it .
how long have you had the aliens for??


----------



## repkid

They vary between 1 day and 1 week. How long does it take for them to turn in to beetles?


----------



## Parky

i found within the region of 2-3 weeks, cant really remember though, kind of lost track of time in the holiday .


----------



## sandra

Looked to day and my big box is swarming with baby mealworms cute little things :lol2:


----------



## repkid

Atm I have 4 aliens which look very promising.


----------



## Juzza12

I can tell when mine will beetleise as the legs go dark and they start wiggling a bit more


----------



## repkid

Juzza12 said:


> I can tell when mine will beetleise as the legs go dark and they start wiggling a bit more


 Yeah the ones that I think will suceed are brown and starting to change shape a little.


----------



## Juzza12

If they go dark all over it usually means they're going to die but keep them for 2 bit before you throw them just in case


----------



## Parky

Juzza12 said:


> If they go dark all over it usually means they're going to die but keep them for 2 bit before you throw them just in case


 basically dont make the mistake i made with that , live and normal beetles emerging from piles of dead mealworms... :whistling2:


----------



## crafty

iv got beetles 
does it take long to get some baby mealies?


----------



## Juzza12

It was a month after i had a few beetles that i noticed baby mealies


----------



## Vitarajay

My beetles are still alove so im guessing i have lots of babies i cant see. the only cleaning out i do is removing the dead aliens, i know these are dead because they are half eaten.LOL. no throwing them into the mealie graveyard unless they have bits missing for me. LOL.
Once i have mastered mealworms i need to master crickets..then im sorted


----------



## Juzza12

I didn't think i had any babies but then i saw one, started seeing loads. I cant be bothered with breeding crickets but i've got morio worms on the go


----------



## zippy4emma

Juzza12 said:


> It was a month after i had a few beetles that i noticed baby mealies


that sound about right for me but how long do they take to grow to adult size? 
i think i might end up with 50'000 mealworms coz i got over 100 beetles and the aliens just keep coming! 
i cant see the baby mealies very well but the substrate comes alive in my hand. i think if you find one you must have about 200.


----------



## zippy4emma

i think you got to have some sort of rotation to keep a constant supply of food. 
i got beetles in a 40ltr tub, aliens in another 40ltr tub, and mealies in a smaller plastic tank, 
i duno why im trying to breed large scale because i only got 10 leos im just gona see what happens


----------



## Juzza12

I was told they take a long time to get to feeder size. It's a long process but well worth it. As soon as i saw babies in one tub i moved the beetles to another one


----------



## zippy4emma

Juzza12 said:


> I was told they take a long time to get to feeder size. It's a long process but well worth it. As soon as i saw babies in one tub i moved the beetles to another one


yea thats sort of what im doing, i got babies in all the tubs and im just rotating the beetles


----------



## zippy4emma

its taken me so far about 3 months from buying small mealies to beetles to babies


----------



## Juzza12

I thought meal worm aliens were a bit freaky, then this morning i got my first morio alien, it's huge


----------



## plugger

I started about 2 months ago just picking aliens out of the tubs I bought from the shop, put them in a 12"x12" tub with cornflakes/weetabix and left them to it got about 50 beetles now and found my first baby this morning.:no1: Trying the same with Morio,s now only got 6 beetles so far.


----------



## Juzza12

Godammit, i only have 6 morio aliens. I dread to think how long morio babies take to get to feeder size


----------



## FoxyMumma

Im just starting up a mealworm farm hopefully, is it best to start out with a bulk buy bag of mealies?? say 1kg or more? and does anyone bother buying bug grub and bug gel? the ones I buy in pre-pak tubs I feed veg, fruit and cereals sprinkled in nutrobal, is there anything else I can do?


----------



## freekygeeky

i buy a 500gram bag every month or so to top mine up so somehtign aroudn tat size would be great 



FoxyMumma said:


> Im just starting up a mealworm farm hopefully, is it best to start out with a bulk buy bag of mealies?? say 1kg or more? and does anyone bother buying bug grub and bug gel? the ones I buy in pre-pak tubs I feed veg, fruit and cereals sprinkled in nutrobal, is there anything else I can do?


----------



## FoxyMumma

freekygeeky said:


> i buy a 500gram bag every month or so to top mine up so somehtign aroudn tat size would be great


Okay great cheers hun  How do you provide yours with water? do you use bug gel or would something like cucumber be okay?


----------



## zippy4emma

FoxyMumma said:


> Okay great cheers hun  How do you provide yours with water? do you use bug gel or would something like cucumber be okay?


i was thinking of using bug gel instead of changing the veg all the time so i would like to know if anyone uses it aswell


----------



## FoxyMumma

zippy4emma said:


> i was thinking of using bug gel instead of changing the veg all the time so i would like to know if anyone uses it aswell


Yeah ive noticed that the veg starts going mouldy really quick? do you have that problem too? I was thinking soaking gauze or cotton wool in water...


----------



## zippy4emma

FoxyMumma said:


> Yeah ive noticed that the veg starts going mouldy really quick? do you have that problem too? I was thinking soaking gauze or cotton wool in water...


yea it does go mouldy very quick because mine are kept at 25c in the reptile room, i found the best to be a whole carrot cut in half.
ive kept mine going for about 3months and nearly all the adults have turned to aliens, ive got about 200 beetles and probably 2000 baby mealies, hopefully kept at 25c should speed up their growth to feeder size.


----------



## zippy4emma

il try and put pics up


----------



## FoxyMumma

zippy4emma said:


> il try and put pics up


cool its great to see all these pics of setups, 
well if heat helps them to breed faster I shall put mine on a low temp heatmat and stat ... I do have a pretty draughty house


----------



## zippy4emma

FoxyMumma said:


> cool its great to see all these pics of setups,
> well if heat helps them to breed faster I shall put mine on a low temp heatmat and stat ... I do have a pretty draughty house


i think most people keep them at room temp, i havnt got room to keep them anywhere else


----------



## Juzza12

I feed mine veg, mine never goes mouldy but i do change it every day. I keep mine at room temp but the aliens are kept on the warm spot on top of a viv


----------



## lil05

they smell .. anyway to stop that? without harming them or my leo


----------



## the-tick

cut the veg smaller


----------



## Elmodfz

Very useful thread, I wondered what my mealies were doing.

However, I had an "alien" in there and left it, and it did get munched but oh well. I don't want beetles running around the place lol.

I feed mine on lettuce every few weeks, I must admit I wasn't sure on what to feed them as Ive never looked in here before lol.

Why oats? I don't get that lol. May try it though, I think we have a box of porridge sumwhere lol.

Also I just bought Leopard Gecko Dust, how much should I put on the meal worms and how often??


----------



## FoxyMumma

wooooooooo! Ive had mealies for 4 weeks, had aliens 2 weeks ago and got my first beetle today!!! must be doing something right!!! :2thumb: :rotfl:


----------



## Amyboo

we bought 500g the other day, aswell as about 2 60g pots earlier that week, theyre kept in a exo terra faunarium, not the longest one, but the one below that, without the divide. since last week we've been taking out over 15 aliens a day and been keeping them in a livefood tub, we have so many you cant see the bottom of the tub, about 2cm deep of aliens, i have had only 2 die since taking them out, once i take them out they begin to brown up and get harder, hopefully come next week we will have some beetles, when that happens ill try and get the beetles out and put them in the exo terra with the mealworms to lay and eat.

you say it takes about 2 months from beetle to baby mealworms?

think ill have to buy another 500g bag before then, my hedgehog and leo's love them, the leo's went off crickets long before mealworms, now i dont have to feed them crickets just put a pot of mealworms in!

this has been really usefull thread, we used to get aliens long before we bred them (we only used to buy mini mealworms nd the leo's never bothered with them prob being too small) but we always chucked them as we didnt want beetles.


----------



## Parky

I got babies at last! Well, ive probably had them for a while, only looked in today and noticed the substrate was moving on its own accord :blush:.


----------



## Juzza12

I've got loads of babies in my first tub now. Some are nearly at feeder size. I've got two other tubs with beetles in so should be sorted for mealies now


----------



## funky1

Don`t forget to chuck all the uneaten mealies out of the vivs - into the breeding tubs. The heat from the viv seems to help speed up the process of turning them into beetles.


----------



## sam12345

funky1 said:


> Don`t forget to chuck all the uneaten mealies out of the vivs - into the breeding tubs. The heat from the viv seems to help speed up the process of turning them into beetles.


Personally i wouldnt do this and any livefood that isnt eaten but has been in an enclosure for any length of time gets thrown.
The livefood can easily eat the reptiles faeces and if the reptile has any diseases or illnesses it is passed on to the livefood, which then goes in the tub... spreads it through the other livefood back to your other reptiles and so on...


----------



## Parky

sam12345 said:


> Personally i wouldnt do this and any livefood that isnt eaten but has been in an enclosure for any length of time gets thrown.
> The livefood can easily eat the reptiles faeces and if the reptile has any diseases or illnesses it is passed on to the livefood, which then goes in the tub... spreads it through the other livefood back to your other reptiles and so on...


I dont mind leaving mealies in there, i however made the mistake of leaving a male and female cricket in there (didnt know at the time).
Im sure you can take a wild guess at what happens next.


----------



## Shellhead

How do they not smell? I dont get it. Im going to try it myself. On a small scale, for 4 leos.


----------



## Gavinsulley93

mines are turning into aliens rapidly which is good, but when i take the aliens out and put into a seperate container, they die, what am i doing rong?
thanks


----------



## Ellis

caths55 said:


> mines are turning into aliens rapidly which is good, but when i take the aliens out and put into a seperate container, they die, what am i doing rong?
> thanks


what do you put them in... ventialtion, subsrtate, temp?


----------



## Gavinsulley93

holes in the side for ventilation, weekabix and oats, and room temp


----------



## ecokid

Do the beetles fly? I was wondering if it's possibile to keep them in a tall, coverless container?


----------



## Grond

ecokid said:


> Do the beetles fly? I was wondering if it's possibile to keep them in a tall, coverless container?


In theory, all beetles can fly. In practice I keep mine in shallow containers without lids and have never seen one go anywhere!


----------



## jenren321

i would just like to say this is a amazing thread, i started off with aliens then after week or 2, i ended up with about 100 beetles, and put them on oats in a faunarium and added fresh veg daily, and left them all in there for about 6 weeks, then moved them into a rub, and checked this morning on the old faunarium and i have lots of little mealies :2thumb: yay im well happy.


----------



## Mischievous_Mark

Well because of this thread i went out and bought some today after college, I got a few white mealworms aswel which look ace!!

Will they become white bettles or go brown in colour ? 

Sorry total noob lol

*WAiting for pictures to upload onto photobucket*


----------



## the-tick

my colony/culture is still going great guns not had to top up in over a month and a half and it's feeding 1 leo and a cham and it's ALL FREE w00t


----------



## Mischievous_Mark

Here they are.


----------



## Shellhead

Is there anything i need to do to keep my aliens alive? I have taken all of them out and put them in a seperate container. Do they need a substrait?


----------



## kirsten

i've got 15 Aliens now!!! only just spotted the first one yeserday i think it was!!! can't believe so many have changed in such a short time.


----------



## Mischievous_Mark

I found one alien today, how long does it take for them to turn into beetles ?


----------



## kirsten

whoohoo!! i've got my first beetle this morning, and looks like i'll have another before the end of the day.


----------



## kirsten

funky1 said:


> Don`t forget to chuck all the uneaten mealies out of the vivs - into the breeding tubs. The heat from the viv seems to help speed up the process of turning them into beetles.


 
i've noticed that, being in the viv in the food bowl seems to turn them into aliens quicker, and i always have at least one alien in each bowl when i take the bowls out in the morning and only one or two in the mealies tub.

i think i might start rotatint the beetles, not sure though. i've got 8 adult leos and will be breeding this season, so need small size mealies too. well i suppose i'd rather have too many than not enough. i can always feed them to the birds.

i've got over 20 aliens right now, one brand new beetle, and one more just about to hatch into a beetle. i'm keeping all my mealies and soon the beetles in a cricket keeper as it was the only decdent size tub i had, and i don't keep crickets anymore.


----------



## jampot

I have had mealworms and crickets both breed in my beardies viv :lol2:
But perhaps i should try and breed the mealworms properly 

Thanks for the great advice!


----------



## jampot

After reading this thread i went outside to find the mealworms my Mum had thought were dead and put the box outside. But after a good 3 frosts some are still moving!


----------



## Mischievous_Mark

I found another alien today thats 2 in total, Im sure if i dig about a bit ill find more but i couldnt be borderd.


----------



## spikemu

how long will it take 4 aliens to turn to beetles 

i got 16 mealies  

i agree bout they turn 2 aliens faster in the viv in a bowl lol 
thts were i find all mine never in the actual tub.
i only got the cricket tubs tho. 
is that ok to start wiv ???? 
will they still breed in them ??


----------



## Mattsetback

I've had a go at this now as well. I have a tub full of cereal, with about 10 living beetles, about 20 dead beetles (my 'colony' started when I just threw the contents of my girlfriends two old mostly dead mealie tubs in a larger tub), about 20 aliens and about 40 mealies in it.
It looks ok, guess i'll just leave them to get on with it.....


----------



## snowyj99

This thread is great! and funny!


----------



## Mischievous_Mark

found mu 1st 3 beetles just now after leaving the alone for 4 days and im drunk so i lost one (drpoed it) bit its oki i foun d it in the end


----------



## Heaven Can Wait

Does this look ok? 1kg bran on bottom, with 750g of all bran on top and potatoes and carrots, I think the tub is like 2.5ft wide
I replaced the potato I put in yesterday (only started yesterday) should I replace it all the while to stop mould? or should it be ok?
all I have to do now is take the aliens out when I see them and put them back in a day after they become beatles? what If I cant find all the aliens? do they come to the top?
lots of questions I know 
Pics


----------



## Liam09

lookin' good! if you dont take the aleins out they will get eaten.


----------



## the-tick

My colony has everything in the same tub with not removing pupa beetles or worms and it's been going fine for a fair while now


----------



## casperclone

rofl i have 1 question 2 ask freeky!

, my m8 had been doin this for a while, he purchased about £30 of mealworms online before i noticed this thread and lol
well his dogged had knocked it off the side rofl
he didnt no till he got home from work lol,i p:censor:d myself laughin but how does he find em all :lol2:

also can u use this method for mario worms?


----------



## LoveForLizards

casperclone said:


> rofl i have 1 question 2 ask freeky!
> 
> , my m8 had been doin this for a while, he purchased about £30 of mealworms online before i noticed this thread and lol
> well his dogged had knocked it off the side rofl
> he didnt no till he got home from work lol,i p:censor:d myself laughin but how does he find em all :lol2:
> 
> also can u use this method for mario worms?


Hoover:whistling2:


----------



## Mischievous_Mark

Ive got loads of beetles now caught some at it earlier lol

also got millions of aliens................well not millions but over 20 lol


----------



## REDDEV1L

Whose clever idea was it to buy a box of mini mealies just when his toads were starting to hibernate !!! LOL 

Amazing just how many mealies you get (even in a small 55g mini-mealie tub) once they've grown.

Anyway thanks to all who've contributed to this thread...i've read it a few times over now

Wish I had more room tho coz I'm sick of pulling the aliens out the box (Found 18 in there this morning) If I had more room, I'd have a much bigger tub and let them do their thing without me interfering (apart from adding food of course)
I can imagine how many aliens some of you would have to pull out (Those of you 'topping up' your colony with a kilo at a time!!!!)


----------



## freekygeeky

lol hope everyone is still breeding them ok!!!
the last few months i have been trying to breed roaches too.. going well.. lost a few adults, but the babies are fine... i am gogin to keep them and breed them, asnd use their babies..

so i now breed and use...


Mealies
Snails
Cockroaches


and trying crickets again.

tired wax worms, and failed miserably.


----------



## Janine00

Ok... just because I'm a bit thick, and mentally blonde - I have only been getting mini mealies cos my frogs are babies. Bought some medium mealies the other day, and just found 7 aliens in there.

Do the mini mealies turn into aliens, or are they just baby mealies that need to grow on some and will not pupate until they are larger?

Cheers... J

PS... hope all goes well with your other breeding cultures freaky... and thanks for this thread... its fantasic!!

Oh yeah.. an' another thing... someone once told me that the pet shops spray their mealies and cricks so they don't breed.... is there any truth in this do you know??... cheers..:lol2:


----------



## REDDEV1L

mini-mealies are just the same as normal mealies just smaller ones. They will turn into aliens but not until they've grown...ALOT.










Mini mealworm next to one thats close to turning.

(Oddly enough i've had both mealies above the same amount of time, they came in the same box, one was kept outside and managed to hide away from the toads, the other was inside kept warm with plenty of food)


I also heard they either sprayed or fed certain foods to feeders to stop them being able to breed. (Or in the case of waxworms, to stop them pupating) but if they are...it doesn't work!!! lol


----------



## Gexter

Ive kept my beetles (about 50) on oatmeal and fed them potatoes for 2 months and still no eggs/mini mealies i was obviously doing somthing wrong so ive moved all beetles to a cornflake/ricecrispy and weatabix heaven :lol2: Thanks for starting this thread feekygeeky :2thumb:


----------



## Joe1507

Cool, I had some alien mealworms i was like WTF is that XD


----------



## LoveForLizards

Gexter said:


> Ive kept my beetles (about 50) on oatmeal and fed them potatoes for 2 months and still no eggs/mini mealies i was obviously doing somthing wrong so ive moved all beetles to a cornflake/ricecrispy and weatabix heaven :lol2: Thanks for starting this thread feekygeeky :2thumb:


You probably have 100's of meal worms under the substrate..hope you didnt throw the old stuff away!


----------



## Mattsetback

Mattsetback said:


> I've had a go at this now as well. I have a tub full of cereal, with about 10 living beetles, about 20 dead beetles (my 'colony' started when I just threw the contents of my girlfriends two old mostly dead mealie tubs in a larger tub), about 20 aliens and about 40 mealies in it.
> It looks ok, guess i'll just leave them to get on with it.....


 
Right, I now have zero mealies and about 50 beetles. Still no babies, I hope they start showing up soon.


----------



## Gexter

LoveForLizards said:


> You probably have 100's of meal worms under the substrate..hope you didnt throw the old stuff away!


Nope i kept it and just added the new substrate :no1:


----------



## mad baboon

no heat is needed realy i dont have any but if its cold put them near to a radiator =]


----------



## Timr_05

Hi is anyone on here selling the beatles?

and should i just buy like a small tub of regular mealies to start it all off and just wait for some aliens 

cheers


----------



## LoveForLizards

Timr_05 said:


> Hi is anyone on here selling the beatles?
> 
> and should i just buy like a small tub of regular mealies to start it all off and just wait for some aliens
> 
> cheers


Try email/phone a few livefood suppliers that sell live mealworms and ask if they will send you some spare beetles, and its best to start with 500g-1kg of meal worms otherwise you will be waiting forever.


----------



## garlicpickle

:2thumb: found my first 4 aliens today when I was sifting through, I have taken them out and put them into a little pot so they don't get munched. But there are some BIG mealies in there and I'm sure they will pupate soon. I wasn't really intending to breed them, but my little PZB sling is too small for the crix I have which are getting BIIIIIIG! (not got as far as breeding those yet and the pinhead crix I ordered were almost all dead when they arrived). So I am feeding the PZB sling on mealies chopped in half. If I get overrun with mealies I can feed the extras to the birds in the garden cos buying tubs of dried ones for the robins and starlings costs me a fortune!


----------



## REDDEV1L

LoveForLizards said:


> and its best to start with 500g-1kg of meal worms otherwise you will be waiting forever.


My colony of beetles started off life as a 55g tub of mini mealies all the way back in September. Stupid @ss that I am bought em just as my toads were hibernating. Although until about mid Oct they were kept in the garage (AKA fridge lol) & werent kept on much substrate etc.
Still got approx. 150 aliens, 15 mealies and approx 200 beetles.
First beetles started emerging about 20th Dec and a few weeks ago I had to move em into a bigger tub (Now they're in a 55l underbed storage box from Tesco) kept quite rightly under my bed next to the radiator for warmth.




















No baby mealies yet tho. Keep checking the other tub that I vacated the beetles from but can't see anything moving although it'll prolly be a while be4 I can see much lol


----------



## garlicpickle

I now have 8 aliens. And I actually saw one moulting from a mealie into an alien - weird!


----------



## freekygeeky

garlicpickle said:


> I now have 8 aliens. And I actually saw one moulting from a mealie into an alien - weird!


lol!!


----------



## Lostcorn

Please forgive my ignorance.

But , what exactly is an "alien" ?

Is it a stage in the life cycle of a mealworm?

If so what?

John


----------



## REDDEV1L

It's the common name for the pupa of a mealworm/darkling beetle










Fresh pics taken minutes ago, top pic is a fresh alien too, hasn't fully come out of its 'shell' yet lol


----------



## Juzza12

Lostcorn said:


> Please forgive my ignorance.
> 
> But , what exactly is an "alien" ?
> 
> Is it a stage in the life cycle of a mealworm?
> 
> If so what?
> 
> John


If you look at the first page freekygeeky has put up pictures of the different stages


----------



## REDDEV1L

Been quite a few weeks since I moved my beetles into their big tub and have been keeping my eye on their old home for signs of movement for a few days now.

Finally got me some baby mealies !!!!!!

As a few have asked about the size of em when they're tiny, (And probably many more ppl have thrown em out thinking nothing was happening) I took a few photo's next to a needle to give some idea of size.
(Yeah yeah before anyone says anything I know my camera is crap, its a 10yr old videocam with a 640x480 max resolution but its got 15x Optical Zoom (Coupled with a 10x digi-zoom) which is why im still using it. The video bit is knackered so I can only take pics with it..but it does ok for its age)


----------



## spikemu

ive got a huge tub of them !!!! 
and no babys  

wat am i doin rong ???lol


----------



## freekygeeky

Juzza12 said:


> If you look at the first page freekygeeky has put up pictures of the different stages


thanky


----------



## garlicpickle

I had my first 3 beetles hatch today, so exactly 2 weeks from alien to beetle.


----------



## gecko101

im just wondering how long the tiny babies take to grow big?


----------



## Lostcorn

I have beetles:no1:


----------



## gecko101

gecko101 said:


> im just wondering how long the tiny babies take to grow big?


anyone?


----------



## puyopop

it takes months.. at the moment its been like 3 months, and i can now visibly see the mealworms but they are still fairly small..

maybe if i heat them up a little on a heatmat it might promote faster growth .


----------



## InternetReptile

It seems like just about everything about mealworm breeding has been discussed on this thread... my question though is how do you separate them from the substrate, especially small ones.

Is there a food substrate so fine that it the mealworms can be simply sieved out. If so will that work for tiny ones?

If a bran type substrate is used, i.e. one that can't be sieved as it is too large, is there an easy way to get lots out at any one time?


----------



## puyopop

GeckoMorphs , why woul you want to take out the tiny ones?

Its best to leave the habitat as it is, and if you see mealies big enough for your liking, just take them out by hand or tweezers.. its a long process but it works.


----------



## InternetReptile

puyopop said:


> GeckoMorphs , why woul you want to take out the tiny ones?
> 
> Its best to leave the habitat as it is, and if you see mealies big enough for your liking, just take them out by hand or tweezers.. its a long process but it works.


Don't need to take tiny ones out, but smallish (i.e. mini mealworm sized) ones for baby geckos, bigger ones for bigger geckos.

When you have many many mouths to feed picking out mealies by hand is very time consuming. I need to get a system set up that quickly and easily allows me to extract mealies of the sizes I need. The big livefood breeders obviously have some very effficient methods... if only I knew what they were.


----------



## LoveForLizards

Instant oats hun : victory:


----------



## InternetReptile

LoveForLizards said:


> Instant oats hun : victory:


I shall have a look into those. Thank you.


----------



## REDDEV1L

Supposedly they like to congregate under stuff, so you could chuck some egg crates etc in there and hope ? 
Also checking out mine today there were some right underneath their fresh veg so you could try using big bits of potato or something ?


----------



## LoveForLizards

GeckoMorphs said:


> I shall have a look into those. Thank you.


1 box at tescos, about 89p, lasts months with a colony of thousands..


----------



## InternetReptile

LoveForLizards said:


> 1 box at tescos, about 89p, lasts months with a colony of thousands..


So are they fine enough to seive, leaving just the mealworms?


----------



## LoveForLizards

GeckoMorphs said:


> So are they fine enough to seive, leaving just the mealworms?


Yup, use a flour sieve or a sand sieve like the ones sold in reptile shops.


----------



## InternetReptile

LoveForLizards said:


> Yup, use a flour sieve or a sand sieve like the ones sold in reptile shops.


Sound perfect then. :notworthy:

I will get some over the weekend.


----------



## shortiewba

Hey guys,
My mealworms arrived today! Woop :notworthy:
I got 55g, It looked alot when i poured them out anyway...
Ive done my setup can somebody please tell me if this looks ok?
Thanks guys
EDIT: I am using crushed Weetabix for substrate!



























Any comments welcome :2thumb:


----------



## LoveForLizards

Looks fine to me :2thumb:


----------



## shortiewba

Cheers,
I've got some HUGE ones, how long would you think they will take to become pupae? And also will the pupae be buried or on top?
Thanks


----------



## LoveForLizards

shortiewba said:


> Cheers,
> I've got some HUGE ones, how long would you think they will take to become pupae?


Difficult to say, they get to 23-27mm, then after about a week at that size they pupate. 



> And also will the pupae be buried or on top?
> Thanks


Where ever they are, they will pupate there. If they pupate in the subtrate it doesn't matter much as the beetles rarely burrow therefore wont eat the pupae but if they are on the top they usually get beetles eating them, so if you see them take them out and put in a seperate tub but dont go digging up substrate to get them : victory:


----------



## shortiewba

Thanks for the heads up! :2thumb:


----------



## LoveForLizards

: victory:: victory:


----------



## shortiewba

Oh, btw whoever hasnt noticed already, im currently doing a breeding project and im keeping everyone up to date with pics and comments, if you would like to follow my project here is the thread! 
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/feeder/260730-my-mealworm-project.html
Thanks guys! :2thumb:


----------



## REDDEV1L

Well i've always wondered what the eggs looked like....
and now I know (Or atleast I HOPE these are their eggs...if not i'm gonna be inundated with summit else...LOL)

Was banging their old veg on the side of the tub and then visually checking it for baby mealies before I chucked it in the bin (Didn't want it goin mouldy or messing up the wheatbran/oats mix) Spotted this litte white 'ball' in the folded up skin of an apple....After checking the rest of the bits of food I found loads of them...


----------



## RepoUK

I've been breeding my own mealworms like this for a few years now. As long as you don't take too many out then it's almost impossible to kill the colony off!

Mine are fed on kitchen scraps (potato, carrot, lettuce, etc), cereals people tried but didn't like and bisuits that have gone soft. I think I started with 1kg of worms and only had to add more (2 x 1kg) when we had hatched 14 leo geckos last year.

My colony is in a 46cm x 30cm x 17cm Exo Terra plastic tank I ended up with spare


----------



## CornishPixi

what a great thread :2thumb:

Im going to have ago  it looks fun lol .. Aint got nowt to eat them yet so plenty of time to get them established


----------



## CornishPixi

well I got me mealies farm set up :lol2: . mmmmm yummy shredded wheat and carrot

Only added 1 small tub of worms as didnt have any more change on me for more . Had a few dead beetles in with them and ooooo found an alien :2thumb: when I picked it up it wriggled and made me jump:blush:

Will add more to it each time I pass shop


----------



## spikemu

HUNDREDS of babies !!!!!!!!!!!
but hundreds of beetles !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

how many babies does a beetle hav b4 it dies ????


----------



## tattoobaz

Thanks for all the info will definately be givin this a go once i move.

nice one


----------



## Candyfuzz

Srry if this has been answered before but I'm so lazy...23pages @[email protected]
I buy mealies from my local pet store but don't plan to breed them. 
How long do they stay in the larvae stage at room temp in a small tub?


----------



## Mush

wooo found my first baby mealie today!

my god theyre tiny!!!


----------



## the-tick

can you do the same for super worms ???


----------



## olliesarea

*I breed mealworms and waxworms, am i doing it right?*

Hi,
I use crushed weetabix for my mealworm substrate, I have way over 100 aliens in a separate tub at the moment, how long do they remain aliens at room temperature, i think its 2 weeks but I'm not really sure. when they hatch out i will leave them for a day an then move them to another tub filled with weetabix, every 2 days i will then take out the weetabix (leave the beetles behind) and replace with fresh. the old weetabix (filled with eggs) will then go into another bigger tub, which will gradually fill up over 2 or 3 weeks. this will then become my main colony. 
Here is my vid: YouTube - How to breed Mealworms and Waxworms easily
I basically want to know if this method will work, and what you think on it?
many thanks,
Ollie


----------



## Mouki

olliesarea said:


> Hi,
> I use crushed weetabix for my mealworm substrate, I have way over 100 aliens in a separate tub at the moment, how long do they remain aliens at room temperature, i think its 2 weeks but I'm not really sure. when they hatch out i will leave them for a day an then move them to another tub filled with weetabix, every 2 days i will then take out the weetabix (leave the beetles behind) and replace with fresh. the old weetabix (filled with eggs) will then go into another bigger tub, which will gradually fill up over 2 or 3 weeks. this will then become my main colony.
> Here is my vid: YouTube - How to breed Mealworms and Waxworms easily
> I basically want to know if this method will work, and what you think on it?
> many thanks,
> Ollie


arghhh i tell you what, ive tried breeding mealies and they just stay as worms for ages and ages and they wont turn into aliens...grr...:devil:
how long does it take for a mealworm to turn into an alien. and how long from an alien to a bug, then how long from a bug to baby mealies :lol2: when i finally do get aliens, i will try this method! stoopid mealworms, when i want them to stay as worms so i can feed them to lizards they change and when i want them to become aliens they won't...typical :devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil:


----------



## REDDEV1L

As a rough estimate, it has taken my lot 5 months for a full cycle (ie Beetles started emerging end of december, baby mealies seen in early feb, and now aliens and beetles end of april into may)

Seing alot of my original beetles dying off now tho


----------



## Juzza12

the-tick said:


> can you do the same for super worms ???


Breeding morios is a little bit different but very easy. You have to seperate each worm or they won't turn into aliens


----------



## olliesarea

*Mealworms*



Mouki said:


> arghhh i tell you what, ive tried breeding mealies and they just stay as worms for ages and ages and they wont turn into aliens...grr...:devil:
> how long does it take for a mealworm to turn into an alien. and how long from an alien to a bug, then how long from a bug to baby mealies :lol2: when i finally do get aliens, i will try this method! stoopid mealworms, when i want them to stay as worms so i can feed them to lizards they change and when i want them to become aliens they won't...typical :devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil:


Not sure about how long they stay mealworms, probably 3-4 months. but if you buy an adult tub, they will take about 2-3 weeks to turn into aliens, then 2 weeks as aliens, then 2-3 weeks as beetles.


----------



## Nerve

So it begins... small scale mealworm colony woot :mf_dribble:


----------



## Esfa

aliens freak me out


----------



## amy101

this is a dead good thread 
i set my breeding colony up a few months ago.
but then i gave up on it, i came to fetch my tub down to throw them away the other day and i had a little rummage to see if there was any still alive to feed, an low an behold i found babies, and beetles still alive, so ive topped up the tub and im giving it another try


----------



## Mouki

olliesarea said:


> Not sure about how long they stay mealworms, probably 3-4 months. but if you buy an adult tub, they will take about 2-3 weeks to turn into aliens, then 2 weeks as aliens, then 2-3 weeks as beetles.


Haha finalyy...i have some aliens and now they've turned into beetles....
my little mealworm farm is going good


----------



## LoveForLizards

Only had this colony a few months and I am already nearly over run with them considering I started off with all adult mealies. Most are now sub-adult and I am having to start giving them to the wild birdies - got the rats, barn owl and ferrets eating them on a nearly every day basis yet I still have WAY too many. :lol2:

I threw half of the aliens across the room aswell. I hate when you pick them up and they wiggle about like a hyper toddler in a sleeping bag. :blush:


----------



## freekygeeky

LoveForLizards said:


> I threw half of the aliens across the room aswell. I hate when you pick them up and they wiggle about like a hyper toddler in a sleeping bag. :blush:


lol!!!


----------



## Mouki

i have 100s of beetles and they've been in a pot with the bran stuff for about a month! i cant see any baby mealies. and i've got more aliens so im gonna set up another tub of them.

how long before the baby mealies can be seen? shall i move the beetles out and into a new pot??


----------



## Esfa

Mine wont bleddy breed!
I keep adding more adult mealworms in there from the pet shop, but they just transform into beetles after a few weeks and refuse to breed! i've got 1000s of beetles! :lol2:


----------



## LoveForLizards

Esfa said:


> Mine wont bleddy breed!
> I keep adding more adult mealworms in there from the pet shop, but they just transform into beetles after a few weeks and refuse to breed! i've got 1000s of beetles! :lol2:


You probably have thousands of babies and eggs you just can't see them, try put them by a warm radiator or on a low heat mat 
to help speed things up a bit.


----------



## Babycakes

Thanks everyone who has posted their experiances and observations. I have started a little colony of my own in probably the weirdest container yet - my daughter's old baby bottle steriliser. It holds 5 litres of water - hoping that will be big enough. I have mixed up porridge oats, crushed bran flakes, rice krispies, a grated apple, a grated potato and a good dusting of nutrobal. Dumped in the end of the old tub of mealies and a whole new one I got today. They are munching away in there - and I have a beetle already, it was in the old tub. 
Am off to hunt out the aliens and put them in a tub of their own - when they turn into beetles can I just pop them back in the big colony??


----------



## huwjun

how do you control the colany? like how many you feed and keep to breed?


----------



## louism

mine don,t move at all


----------



## Dom1991

Hey all, 1st post.
I've had a mealie RUB set up for nearly 2 months now, but I've got a few questions:

The first few beetles I put in the RUB went fine with no problems with a oats/bran substrate and a few pieces of carrot, they munched on that for a while but as more beetles hatched and I put them in, some of the older ones started to eat the younger ones; was this because of hunger or are they territorial?

Also the substrate itself is around 2 inches deep, is this deep enough for now as there's only around 10 beetles and maybe some tiny mealies?

Plus around 3 days ago, some of the beetles have started to die, so I was wondering what's a beetle's lifespan usually? Or if it's starvation as I change any food weekly as I thought they were fine eating the bran?

Sorry about the long post lol, just wanna make sure I don't end up killing off my colony before it's even started :lol2:


----------



## LoveForLizards

Comments in red/B...



Dom1991 said:


> Hey all, 1st post.
> I've had a mealie RUB set up for nearly 2 months now, but I've got a few questions:
> 
> The first few beetles I put in the RUB went fine with no problems with a oats/bran substrate and a few pieces of carrot, they munched on that for a while but as more beetles hatched and I put them in, some of the older ones started to eat the younger ones; was this because of hunger or are they territorial?
> 
> *Probably territorial, they will eat the substrate. When you put the beetles in are they still white or do you let them harden up and go brown/black first?*
> 
> Also the substrate itself is around 2 inches deep, is this deep enough for now as there's only around 10 beetles and maybe some tiny mealies?
> 
> *Plenty deep enough.*
> 
> Plus around 3 days ago, some of the beetles have started to die, so I was wondering what's a beetle's lifespan usually?
> 
> *IME, anywhere from 2 weeks to a few months. The beetles that got fed fresh veggies more often didn't live as long. *
> 
> Or if it's starvation as I change any food weekly as I thought they were fine eating the bran?
> 
> *Yep, fine eating the bran alone, they won't starve if they have a grain substrate.*
> 
> Sorry about the long post lol, just wanna make sure I don't end up killing off my colony before it's even started :lol2:


----------



## LoveForLizards

On a negative note, my mum threw away my last colony :bash:
Apparently they were all dead or dying, no, a few of the beetles were. Tbf they have been alive for about 4 months now.
And I even told her that some were dying so I had cleared them out and would do it again when I got home. Mums :devil:


----------



## Dom1991

LoveForLizards said:


> The first few beetles I put in the RUB went fine with no problems with a oats/bran substrate and a few pieces of carrot, they munched on that for a while but as more beetles hatched and I put them in, some of the older ones started to eat the younger ones; was this because of hunger or are they territorial?
> 
> *Probably territorial, they will eat the substrate. When you put the beetles in are they still white or do you let them harden up and go brown/black first?*


I left them in a separate tub for a day or 2 to harden so they were a reddy-brown colour, was this still too soon?



LoveForLizards said:


> Around 3 days ago, some of the beetles have started to die, so I was wondering what's a beetle's lifespan usually?
> 
> *IME, anywhere from 2 weeks to a few months. The beetles that got fed fresh veggies more often didn't live as long.*


 So in that case, like you said below should I just stick to the bran if veg means a shorter life?



LoveForLizards said:


> *Yep, fine eating the bran alone, they won't starve if they have a grain substrate.*




And finally, shall I just leave them to it now seeing as I've noticed the very bottom of the substrate is finer so there's probably eggs or babies?


----------



## Babycakes

Update - grated fruit/veg is a HUGE no-no. Went mouldy and killed my colony :bash:

Damn

Starting again at the weekend.


----------



## Joshh

should i use all-bran or oats? also i feed mine apples and grated carrot is that ok?


----------



## Esfa

Hay is awesome for them. :no1: Plus it smells nice.


----------



## mikemike118

*tesco!*

:lol2:if they like tesco, wonder if they like asda? :lol2:

also got 2 questions about the beetles

1. I noticed the beetles have wings, but can they fly?

2. Would you recommend the beetles for tarantulas? or are they too hard? if so i might try and breed them!


----------



## aceboidz

I have just made a trip to wilko, and bought a storage unit (stack)
I highly reccomend this stack, because if you are wanting to breed mealworms, tub 1 would be the mealworms, tub 2 for aliens (no substate needed)
tub 3 would be the beetles.
If your not looking to do it big scale, but then again you dont want to do it small scale, this is the way to go as they are reasonable sized tubs ( 6ltr )


----------



## Ailsa

How long will it take before you start seeing new worms?


----------



## aceboidz

About 3 months


----------



## turpin's corner

I'll have a go at setting this up at the weekend.... : victory:

I skimmed throught this thread so apologies if its already been mentioned, but is the setup the same for breeding morio's...??

I think I'll also try to breed waxworms... (seen a separate thread for that on here)... :hmm:


----------



## Yazyaz1

After reading every single page on this thread(how sad of me :lol2
i have decided to beg for beetles, would be great if you guys could send me some to start the colony, because i cant be bothered to do the whole life cycle :mf_dribble:. might be getting a breeding pair of leos, how much would they eat? probably been said on this website but ive never, EVER, had a lizard before and wanna have some leos(dey is well ard), apart from breeding meallies, could you guys give any first hand experience?


----------



## Liz Lover

Have been trying this myself...along side my mum.....no problems....except mum has just called and told me that she has had a tub of beetles and worms that were being "attacked" by what can only be described as microscopicaly small white bugs....
has anyone had any dealings with anything similar or advise on what this can be caused by??


----------



## fubar

Thanks for this thread, its been so useful, my mealies grew & grew and I now have a tub full of aliens (i was so happy when i found my first one!).

My daily routine of 'alien sifting' has become a habit now. 

Patience has now rewarded me with my first beetles and they are starting to turn dark brown.

My question is, can the beetles climb? I have them in plastic storage containers, but never bothered with lids, as this caused too much humidity, do i need a lid for my beetle tub?

I was planning on following someone elses advice with moving the beetles to a new fresh tub every few weeks to provide an ongoing supply, as i use more small mealies than large ones, and this would save me having to dig through for the right size.


----------



## smithyUK88

Put a load of aliens in a spare plastic tub a few weeks ago and checked them today and ive got 7 brown beetles running around :2thumb:


----------



## paulrob

chameleonpaul said:


> How long does it take for the babies to get to adult roughly ?
> I heard it takes aaaaaggggggggeeeeeeeesssssssss.
> Thanks lol


About 5 to 6 weeks it dependant on how much water they have the more water the faster they grown to much water and you get grain mites


----------



## paulrob

Liz Lover said:


> Have been trying this myself...along side my mum.....no problems....except mum has just called and told me that she has had a tub of beetles and worms that were being "attacked" by what can only be described as microscopicaly small white bugs....
> has anyone had any dealings with anything similar or advise on what this can be caused by??


Grain mites your giving them to much water
Grain mites are harmless They just crawl all over you and make you inch


----------



## Yazyaz1

i keep finding my mealworms dead, i have beetles, but alot of the meallies are dead or incredibly sluggish, any ideas?


----------



## red foot marg

do they need water, ?, if not how do they get moisture is it through feeding things like banana skins and greens????


----------



## Joh7n

red foot marg said:


> do they need water, ?, if not how do they get moisture is it through feeding things like banana skins and greens????


I've been keeping mealworms on and off since I was a teenager and I'm now about 180 :2thumb:.

Physiologically, the mealworm (_Tenebrio molitor_) has some very clever tricks. One is that it can survive, grow and reproduce in an entirely water free environment. It actually has the capability of living on metabolically produced water (ie the breaking down of the sugars that make up the cellulose in the mealworms diet produces water as a waste product. It's called glycolysis, if I remember my A level biology correctly). Mealworms occur 'naturally' as a pest in flourmills, where there is no water for them to consume, and yet they still manage to grow and breed. What tends to happen, though, is that as their population increases and they rubbing shoulder to shoulder with other mealworms they start eating each other during the skin shedding process (ecdysis). This is because the mealworms, pupae and beetles are damp following shedding until their new exoskeleton dries and hardens.

The problem with giving them wet food is it excourages mites, so there is a balance to made. I have never had a problem with mites and I would make the following recommendations. Never keep a tight lid on your container. This encourages both condensation and smell. I've always kept mine in a bucket with a lid made from a circle of curtain netting with elastic sown into the hem. The lid fits on rather like a shower cap! I also never give them food that is wet to the touch. This includes things like slices of apple. I give mine lettuce leaves and slices of bread broken into pieces. 

Another thing to remember is that mealworms shy away from the light. I've noticed that people have suggested putting in egg boxes for the beetle to hide under. In my experiene I have found that they fend much better if kept in the dark. That way there is no need for hiding places.

I am actually considering producing mealworms commercially, maybe in trays made from cut down IBCs (the big square 1,000 litre conainers that sit in a cage on a pallet that the chemical industry uses). I am presently researching the best ways to rear them so I will share the fruits of my research/experience on this thread.


----------



## lgscas0708

ha glad we found this page, we feed all our lizards mealies amongst greens and hoppers and crickets and weve had no end of aliens and beetles i used to get bored and spend half an hour sorting them all out into aliens mealies and beetles then still just feed them to the lizards at all stages of life we must buy around 5-10 small tubs of live food a week inc. mealies so the money we could have saved lol now started a colony with the 30+ aliens we have atm


----------



## CharlotteG

I cant believe it!! I started a colony and managed to get it damp from condensation so i gave up (as I hadn't found any aliens after a month or so) and just put all the mealies back into a tub then when i went to feed my dragons today I found 2 aliens!! lol... Might start my colony again :2thumb:


----------



## corny girl

Yes, i have mealie babies :2thumb:. They are only tiny, but so pleased i have got some. Took all the beetles out tonight & put them all together in another tub, so hopefully i'll have loads more in a few weeks : victory:.


----------



## taylorberge

*harvesting*

I was just curious whats the best way to seperate small and medium mealworms... It's easy with the large I just sift them out but the small and medium just fall throught the sifter and If I use a smaller mesh the bran won't go through... Any tips would be greatly appreciated


----------



## Will-2k9

Do you really need to seperate small and medium mealies? Wouldnt it be easier to just wait for them to grow then seperate them, its not as if the bigger ones are going to eat the smaller ones?

If you really want to split them though i think the only way is with your fingers, i did it the other day with 100 as i wanted to put the in a seperate container with some fresh substrate. Took me about 20 mins but i got there in the end.


----------



## MewPhus

Hello,

If i started breeding mealies, For one reptile(gargoyle gecko) who dosen't even need live but nice stimulus and treat. How many should i start off with? +... 1 tub like freeky, or several?

P.s. The reason for breeding is lack of money so don't want to keep having to buy like a tub of crix a week or so.

Thanks alot,
Mewphus.


----------



## Whosthedaddy

Its 1am in the morning I cant sleep so I've moved a dozen or more aliens into a spare feeder container as the Ackies seem to prefer them to the mealies? I think I may leave them to develop and try and get a little breeding group going.


----------



## OrigamiB

Found my first alien today ^_^ then an hour later saw a mealworm shed into his alien form, checked just now and I have 4 aliens sitting at the top now xD

I've only been keeping them on the oats for just over a week now and its all kicking off =P


----------



## koolkid

I have around 4 beetles and 30 pupae.not many mealies left like 12.


----------



## ScaledJoe

Hey guys.

I thought to myself today. Im going to make a mealworm farm, so i emptied the rest of my mealworm family ( naww, how cute ) into a large Icecream tub, I used Cornflakes and Oats at the bottem  I've counted whats in there and I have

8 Beatles
3 Mealworms
15 Aliens

Is this a good start off point? 
How long before I get me some babies 

Thanks alot 
-Joe


----------



## OrigamiB

From what i've seen on this thread you might already have some babies if you have Beatles in there


----------



## Whosthedaddy

The beetles do just appear and change colour over a few days dont they?


----------



## ScaledJoe

mine did


----------



## virginbudge

*1st setup*

dont know if you can see the pictures but they should be showing 3 pics of my first mealworm setup ive never posted photos before so havent got a clue :lol2:


----------



## virginbudge

yay just found 15 aliens on top when ive got in from work tonight so into a seperate tub


----------



## Simone1989

Wow this thread is really interesting! I've always bought my mealworms and freaked out and thrown away the alien ones haha! I'm going to have a crack at my own farm as I have an old tub of mealies with about 15 aliens and 6 beatles in! Woop Woop!!


----------



## virginbudge

check out this thread and make up your own mind i use value oats rice crispies and cornflakes from asda they love it


----------



## Mrs Meldrew

Thanks for this thread... the photos are really useful..

Now having a go at breeding my own mealworms... I've got about 8 aliens now... it's all very exciting...:lol2:


----------



## fionayee

I've got some mealworms and they've grown quite alot since I got them (2 days ago) the really small ones have grown into small ones and the small ones into medium ones.Also,can they get moisture from vegetable leaves or can they only get moisture from carrots and apples?Please PM me if possible,would be the best way...or else replying here would be okay too.
Thanks in advance


----------



## virginbudge

ive been feeding them the occasional shredded carrott and have now noticed a funny smell when ive gone and investigated there is mould as the corn flakes have got wet is this going to hurt do i need to sort out and throw the rubbish away


----------



## Blaze167

How Long Does It Take For the eggs to hatch.


----------



## redcherry

what a fantastic thread!!! im going to start breeding mealies now!:2thumb:


----------



## Paulown

*ahhhh help *

h guys and ladies!
i bought about 120g ish of mealworms, tought my leopard gecko would eat them .... but it seems he doesnt so i have all this mealworms and the problem is .... i tought they would grow more and that would give time for my leo to finish them and i would breed some but .... they are pupating ..... illl end up with millions of mealworms .... how can i get my gecko to eat them or is it worth it breeding to sell? :lol2:


----------



## Freakinfreak

I want to breed some!!
Is it worth breeding, posting and selling them even if you don't have a rep that will eat them?
Or do they need like the special posting which costs like £7?

I just like the thought of creating life... i want tooooo!!


----------



## koolkid

Mine have babies hundreds.


----------



## Gemstone Dragons

It doesnt take long for them to turn to aliens and then to beetles.

It takes about 3 months to get babies and about 3 months longer for them to be adults.

From then on you have a never ending supply of all sizes :2thumb:

Shown below baby mealie against a penny....


----------



## Paulown

*too many*

the problem is ... ill have about 200 beetles or more, soon 
if they all breed ill end up with millions lol
is it easy and worth to sell them?
i would like to breed them (found breeding of any animal fascinating)
as long as i can sell them and dont keep them all


----------



## connor 1213

yeah but you wont make a lot of money.....


----------



## Paulown

ye i know just to get rid of them and pay for the food would be good 
and im starting a website for livefood for people like me (too much production)
check the link on the signature and give me a opinion please, still under construction :blush:
thanks


----------



## Anna_x

Here's what I think...

Mealworms are MINGIN.
Is it sick that I love watching them get eaten?


----------



## Whosthedaddy

Apart from adding a little more cornflakes to mine, I haven't done anything else and theres loads of beetles and small worms.

Easy peasy.

Shame its only my male Ackie that likes them?


----------



## PeterPossum

*Moisture??*

What a greta post! :2thumb:

I bought 500g mealworms 'bout a month ago. Sorry guys, for the birds in the garden at work.

I'd like a gekko or something but I live alone and travel the world quite a lot.

I split the 500g into four lots and put them into old fat ball tubs with about an inch of otmeal and corn flakes.

I feed the birds from the first two tubs and put a small stick of celery in once a week. They love it 

Now I opened the two breeding tubs yeaterday and the atmosphere was wet! Soggy corn flakes the lot.

So I left the lids off to let them dry out.

A) where'd the water come from?

B) how wet before they die off?


----------



## animalialover

defo gonna have a go gr8 care sheet


----------



## fatbloke

im trying must have over a 100 beatles running about but not yet seen any babys in there


----------



## Theresa

Do you have to spray them at all with water?


----------



## fatbloke

Theresa said:


> Do you have to spray them at all with water?


 nope i think it kills them thay get what thay need from the odd bits of fruit and veg u put in there 





whoop just had a lil look in all the dust in the bottom and whoop sum tiny tiny tiny millworms did nit think thay would be that small :lol2:


----------



## OrigamiB

Finally got some mealworms now xD they are about 1cm in size now and are actually visible xD

Word of warning: new born mealworms are extremly hard to see..... If you think your mealworm farm has failed keep it for a few months anyway as you'd be surprised xD


----------



## PhillyDee

Woo! Got some Aliens! 

Just gotta wait for the face huggers!


----------



## iamcairnsy

*good info*

thanks for the info , ive just started to breed mealies. i have a load of them in cacoons and even more adult mealies crwling about. im going up to tesco to but some value oats lol cant go worng at 50p lol


----------



## Dee_Williams

have got aliens. they are mega freaky. scared the bleep out of me when it wiggled when i moved it. lol. :whistling2:

mealies are pretty amazing little buggy things. my skink and chickens love them!


----------



## Gentoo

I've empted a load of substate hopefully full of eggs into a tub of it's own. Do they need moisture?


----------



## Gentoo

I've empted all the substate into a seperate tub twice now to stop the eggs being eaten. Do I need to add fruit and veg? If I do what's the best , I feed the adult beetles tomatoes but thet go moldy to really quickly.


----------



## Dee_Williams

i used cucumber but they are too wet and encourage mites. use lettuce in small amounts and carrots now. seems to be ok.


----------



## aurora24

hi i thought id give breeding these a try as we have lots that eat them,
and cannot believe how happy i was to see my beetles going at it,:gasp::2thumb:


----------



## RhianB87

I have just properly checked my little colony for the first time in a while (apart from chucking some food in ) and there are loads of baby mealworms!!! Its only been going about a month! I am really chuffed but do I just leave the babies in with the adults?

Also I have quite alot of headless beetles? Do they bite heads off during fighting or do I just have some murderous ones?


----------



## Dee_Williams

i have started to find that. i think they die off after a few weeks?
i moved my beetles out when i saw babies. but i am totally new to this too so i don't know if i am being over cautious!


----------



## jamesbusby221

hey just wanted to say thanks very much for this post, it is really useful, im new to this but have a colony of beetles already, just waiting for them to do there thing and produce me some baby mealworms


----------



## turbo1869

I am going to try it myself is it ok to use oatibix bites as I brought them but don't like them lol?


----------



## connor 1213

turbo1869 said:


> I am going to try it myself is it ok to use oatibix bites as I brought them but don't like them lol?


yeah.....crush them up


----------



## mogidogi

my mealworms have started turrning into 'aliens' after the first week, is there any factors that affect how fast they do this? :?:


----------



## Ron Magpie

mogidogi said:


> my mealworms have started turrning into 'aliens' after the first week, is there any factors that affect how fast they do this? :?:


Within reason, they tend to develop faster at the higher end of the temp range.


----------



## jamesbusby221

hey there just wondering if anyone can help, i have had my beetles in a tub with about an inch and half of cereals i put food in daily for them and all of a sudden all of the beetles are becoming headless and there iis no sign of baby meal worms this is after about 2 months... anyone got any helpful information for me ? i also keep these warm inside a viv


----------



## deedee71

i had no luck breeding mealworms, i had them outside in a shed during the summer, and they just got too warm and had too much condensation then mites and had to be discarded.

recently, i have been keeping the tubs of mealworms when the tub of mealworms have become motionless and useless, and instead of binning them, i thought i would keep hold of them to see if i got lucky.

a few weeks ago, i found my first baby mealworm in one of the tubs. yes, i am well chuffed.:2thumb:

when i found the baby mealworms, i added bran, and that was 15th dec, and i still have lots of babies in there today, so the beetles that are still in there with the baby mealies must leave them alone? cos they have bran to eat.

i am thinking of putting them all in one big tub together...because they all seem to get along, even in a tiny tub that they've been sharing. but, if i keep them in little tubs, it maybe easier to keep them clean, because when they grow up into adults, and then start turning into aliens, i can put the aliens onto clean, new substrate and start each cycle afresh each time...


----------



## Phil3822

I've read the whole thread but I am wondering is it really needed to seperate the aliens? If there is food and substrate why would anything want to eat them? Does everyone remove the aliens or does anyone just leave them in the tub to get on with it?


----------



## MIMousery

Phil3822 said:


> I've read the whole thread but I am wondering is it really needed to seperate the aliens? If there is food and substrate why would anything want to eat them? Does everyone remove the aliens or does anyone just leave them in the tub to get on with it?


Probably because the mealies and beetles don't distinguish between food and not food? If it's there they'll probably eat it. I;ve noticed my aliens being munched on, so I've started separating them.



Mega chuffed though, I now have about 20 beetles and about 30 more aliens on top of that, many looking like they're about to turn into beetles  Does anyone know how many mealies will be laid by one beetle?


----------



## aurora24

MIMousery said:


> Mega chuffed though, I now have about 20 beetles and about 30 more aliens on top of that, many looking like they're about to turn into beetles  Does anyone know how many mealies will be laid by one beetle?


 
if my beetles are anything to go by they will las hundreds i started bout 5 months ago and had aroung 30 beetles and now i have thousande of mealies its cool to have the whole cycle, and watch it develope:2thumb:


----------



## aurora24

jamesbusby221 said:


> hey there just wondering if anyone can help, i have had my beetles in a tub with about an inch and half of cereals i put food in daily for them and all of a sudden all of the beetles are becoming headless and there iis no sign of baby meal worms this is after about 2 months... anyone got any helpful information for me ? i also keep these warm inside a viv


 
its posible that u are keeping them too warm i keep mine on to of a viv so there is only a little heat coming through to them, also its really hard to see the babies when they first in there they are minute
:2thumb:


----------



## MIMousery

aurora24 said:


> if my beetles are anything to go by they will las hundreds i started bout 5 months ago and had aroung 30 beetles and now i have thousande of mealies its cool to have the whole cycle, and watch it develope:2thumb:


Awesome, I'll have some very happy baby rats then!

I started a separate thread on this, but figured it might be worth asking here, is there any way to kill and dry out mealies to preserve them? I want some dried ones to put in my food mix for any young rats I have and for my multimammates. I know I'll probably have them fresh whenever I need them in a few months time, but I'd like them dried too for in the mean time


----------



## aurora24

Gentoo said:


> I've empted all the substate into a seperate tub twice now to stop the eggs being eaten. Do I need to add fruit and veg? If I do what's the best , I feed the adult beetles tomatoes but thet go moldy to really quickly.


 
the only thing they eat is the aliens not the babies, vegetable peelings is great cos they dont go mushy mine usually havepotato or carrot peelings a few times a week


----------



## shazratuk

So do you put the beetles back in the mealworm container once they are hardened or do you have to keep them seporate from both the mealworms and the aliens?


----------



## MIMousery

Back in with the mealworms  I just separate the aliens so they don't get munched.


----------



## annscave

*Huff*

Well I am in the huff I have had beetles for about 3 months now and not one worm huff. Is it the beetles or I might be going blind.


----------



## aurora24

annscave said:


> Well I am in the huff I have had beetles for about 3 months now and not one worm huff. Is it the beetles or I might be going blind.


dont give up... they really will be tiny and in the very bottom of the substrate, my boyfriend didnt believe me when i said id seen my first worm in there and its inly when i had a spoon full of the dusty stuff at the bottom and it was moving with these tiny white things that it convinced him :lol2:


----------



## shazratuk

I didnt think there was anything but beetles but then the oats looked like they were moving and when I had a closer look there are hundreds of tiny, baby ones..... dont think that my beardies or my rats would be impressed with having to wear glasses to find their lunch though. Anyone know how long it takes for them to grow up??


----------



## aurora24

mine have gone full circle of the cycle in about 8 months )


----------



## freekygeeky

cannot believe this thread is still going!!!


----------



## SnakeGeezer

do the warms need water or what do you give them for it in it place


----------



## aurora24

no the worms do not need water, you can give them potato peelings and the worms and beetles love them


----------



## spikemu

will morios eat mealies ???? 
all my mealioies died somehow and i refilled with two tubs of morios and none of mine seem happy with the switch ... ive fed the majority of the morios off ... but i fear 1 or 2 stiull remain ... do i need to go sifting ... or will it be ok to throw a tonne of mealies in ????


----------



## BeenzandCarlos

Hi all,

Just a quick post to say that we've started my mealie colony too, picked up some from PAH, gonna get a decent sized box etc this weekend and see how we get on, want to get started before we get our beardy in a few weeks time

Put some potato in the standard tubs last night and it was gone by this morning, can't wait to get home and see what they've been up to


----------



## BeenzandCarlos

got our first five aliens last night, and 2 more in the morning - exciting, need to pick up some more meal worms to replace them, is 500g a lot of mealworms?

We're hoping to get a baby beardy in the next couple of months, so want to make sure we have enough going through the system as it were :2thumb:


----------



## Dee_Williams

beardies, esp babies, can only eat the freshly moulted white mealies.


----------



## BeenzandCarlos

got my first couple of beetles last night, should have some more soon.

I cheated a little and went to PAH and bought a box for a £1 that was almost all pupae already :whistling2:


----------



## Sparco_Tom

I have just recently started my own mealworm farm. I have decided to start on a small scale and see if i follow it through


----------



## pyromaniac

Hi there just wondering if i need some kind of substrate for the meal worm beetles and babies to be on and also do i need to put air holes in the tubs ??

Thanks
Lee


----------



## Stephen17

pyromaniac said:


> Hi there just wondering if i need some kind of substrate for the meal worm beetles and babies to be on and also do i need to put air holes in the tubs ??
> 
> Thanks
> Lee


Go to Tesco and buy some 

Tesco value porridge oats - 75p
Tesco value Bran flakes - 75p
And if you want Wheatabix 

Other than a layer of this throw in a carrot about twice a week and the mealies should be fine :2thumb: the beetles use the exact same substrate except not as much, people recommend putting a stale piece of bread in for them to lay eggs.. I just let mine lay them anywhere : victory:

And yes they need air holes, or just leave the lid off they wont be able to escape  well mine don't :lol2:


----------



## pyromaniac

Brilliant thanx mate... i need to put lids on them beacuse i have a cat who plays a very keen interest in my beardies dinner as it is lol

Thanks for the advice mate very much appreciated... will be setting this mealie farm up today..

Lee


----------



## Stephen17

pyromaniac said:


> Brilliant thanx mate... i need to put lids on them beacuse i have a cat who plays a very keen interest in my beardies dinner as it is lol
> 
> Thanks for the advice mate very much appreciated... will be setting this mealie farm up today..
> 
> Lee


No problem mate, hope all goes well


----------



## BeenzandCarlos

pyromaniac said:


> Brilliant thanx mate... i need to put lids on them beacuse i have a cat who plays a very keen interest in my beardies dinner as it is lol
> 
> Thanks for the advice mate very much appreciated... will be setting this mealie farm up today..
> 
> Lee


Just be careful not to let condensation buildup


----------



## pyromaniac

BeenzandCarlos said:


> Just be careful not to let condensation buildup


Cheers for the advice.. i will keep a close eye on them,, bought a box of them yesturday so just waiting for them to turn to pupae which im hoping doesnt take to long.. Quite sad but im a little excited about it lol


----------



## Antw23uk

Having been bored covering reception recently i was sad enouge to read this post from the start and have decided to give it a go as well. My plan is to just leave them all in together, no fussing about with seperating etc, plenty of food as substrate and just let them do there thing :2thumb:


----------



## pyromaniac

Can someone answer a little quirey i have please... i bought a box of mealworms yesturday and just wondering how long it will be before i see any pupae...

Thanks


----------



## Stephen17

pyromaniac said:


> Can someone answer a little quirey i have please... i bought a box of mealworms yesturday and just wondering how long it will be before i see any pupae...
> 
> Thanks


Could be today, could be tomorrow could be next week :2thumb: you wont know how long they have been in the box, add a little extra heat to hurry things along : victory:


----------



## pyromaniac

Stephen17 said:


> Could be today, could be tomorrow could be next week :2thumb: you wont know how long they have been in the box, add a little extra heat to hurry things along : victory:


Nice one,, ill try placing them on top of my viv above the heat buld maybe see if that hurrys things up a bit.. was just curious as never done this before : victory:


----------



## Stephen17

pyromaniac said:


> Nice one,, ill try placing them on top of my viv above the heat buld maybe see if that hurrys things up a bit.. was just curious as never done this before : victory:


You shouldn't be waiting too long :2thumb:


----------



## pyromaniac

Hey got another question lol sorry for so many..

Can you tell if a meal worm is going to turn to pupae or will i just find them in there ??

Wondering if i can spot it early so i can move them before they turn..

Thanks

Lee


----------



## Stephen17

pyromaniac said:


> Hey got another question lol sorry for so many..
> 
> Can you tell if a meal worm is going to turn to pupae or will i just find them in there ??
> 
> Wondering if i can spot it early so i can move them before they turn..
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Lee


Just check through in the morning then night :2thumb: they are pretty obvious and stick out but you cant really tell that they are changing until they have


----------



## pyromaniac

Stephen17 said:


> Just check through in the morning then night :2thumb: they are pretty obvious and stick out but you cant really tell that they are changing until they have


Cheers,, I'll keep checking. Thanks again Stephen :2thumb:


----------



## BeenzandCarlos

Ok, want to set up a stack for our mealworms, where can we buy insect mesh that's suitable to let the babies and fras drop through?


----------



## Antw23uk

I have babies :2thumb:

Started my colony a couple of months ago now and basically they are all in together getting on with it and its working a treat :no1:


----------



## spideysare

Just starting my Mealie colony..They are in an empty 18 litre water cooler water bottle!!.
I have put oats and corn flakes in there and they seem to be wriggling about fine.

Its very dry though...Would a carrot or two make the oats and corn flakes too moist??Or woudl it be ok??

And just checking only the very white..looking mealies are the best to feed to cresties??

Thanks everyone. :2thumb:


----------



## Antw23uk

You can add a thick slice or two of potato/ carrot etc 2-3 times a week. They are on them straight away so they done really get a chance to make the substrat wet as long as you dont have a lid to keep the ventilation good.

To be honest there are better foods for cresties and in an ideal world you would feed them the freshly shed mealies but you wont find that many like it on a regular basis (I dont anyway)


----------



## spideysare

Oh ok...I will try that...If cresties dont eat them a great deal I may very well just hve to breed them for the birdies then!!!

Thanks for the info


----------



## JoeR

I've had mine for a month nearly now and I'm starting to see babies!! :2thumb:
Easiest things in the world to keep


----------



## leopardgecko27045

Okay I've had mealies in a tub for a good month now, I give them apple and stuff every so often, but I've never got any aliens?
I've had black small things but they're just dead worms I think? I did get them as micro mealworms so they probably will take longer, do the aliens only appear on the surface or may there be some buried?

If anyone can help itll be great!


----------



## pyromaniac

leopardgecko27045 said:


> Okay I've had mealies in a tub for a good month now, I give them apple and stuff every so often, but I've never got any aliens?
> I've had black small things but they're just dead worms I think? I did get them as micro mealworms so they probably will take longer, do the aliens only appear on the surface or may there be some buried?
> 
> If anyone can help itll be great!


Hi there if you bought them from micro mealies do expect them to take aaaaaages cause buying the normal sized mealworms takes a long time.. You will see aliens on top of the substrate but they will also be burying them self under it... you WILL see some at some point so just hang in there... the meal worms need to be fully grown befor they will want to turn to pupea (aliens)

Good luck and bare with it if you can  ive had mine going for months now and ive only just started seeing tiny baby mealworms is frustrating but once they appear there every where lol


----------



## annscave

*Worms*

It will take a few months for minnies to turn mate as they are younger
the pupa lay on the top i keep a heatmat under my boxes this helps speed things up in the colder months. but even when you have beatels it taks a few months before you start to get worms

I do my own mealworms/Morioworms and Dubia Roaches as now breed Bearded Dragons and Lepoard Geckos And baby Dragons can eat trust me

Hope this helps you out but I found HEAT was the secret to it all.

any other probs just mesage me I am here to help


----------



## leopardgecko27045

Ah yeah I thought so, alright, thanks guys!


----------



## Doodlebug

Im thinking of giving this a go myself but will i need to use Bug grub with the mix so i can feed them to my Gecko?


----------



## leopardgecko27045

Doodlebug said:


> Im thinking of giving this a go myself but will i need to use Bug grub with the mix so i can feed them to my Gecko?


no you don't need to, i've just got mine in oats with apple or potato and i feed them to my two baby leos'. I had my first aliens etc just waiting for them to turn to beetles now!!


----------



## Doodlebug

leopardgecko27045 said:


> no you don't need to, i've just got mine in oats with apple or potato and i feed them to my two baby leos'. I had my first aliens etc just waiting for them to turn to beetles now!!


Ah right nice one, I've started mine today so a month or two and things should be all good then.


----------



## LFG

Doodlebug said:


> Im thinking of giving this a go myself but will i need to use Bug grub with the mix so i can feed them to my Gecko?


It isn't necessary to feed them bug grub throughout, but might be worth putting them in with some bug grub a few days before feeding them to your gecko, as a means of gutloading. You could also put them with some fresh fruit or veg for the same reasons.


----------



## Oxide

I must have 100 aliens now in a chinese takeaway box.

Going to have to move them to bigger box as the mealies in my bigger/deeper box are turning hourley,pulling out about 20 during the day....:2thumb:


----------



## leopardgecko27045

Hey guys I've got my first 2 beetles! I've got them in there own tray with a egg crate thing you'd get in a cricket pack from a shop as a hidey climb thing, there on about 2 cm of oats as a substrate, however they seem to bury alot? Is this normal? If not what can i do to stop it? If it is normal, happy days 

Thanks alot!!


----------



## JoeR

It's completely normal, I have toilet roll things in with mine, they push all the oats in and bury under it and others bury under the actual roll! I hardly see them until I put in some potato for moisture and they all come out.


----------



## leopardgecko27045

JoeR said:


> It's completely normal, I have toilet roll things in with mine, they push all the oats in and bury under it and others bury under the actual roll! I hardly see them until I put in some potato for moisture and they all come out.


Thats good then, however neither of them appear to be all over the potato? either that or they're not bothered about it at the moment


----------



## JoeR

Prolly not thirsty then haha


----------



## Oxide

I got my first 5 brown beetles.:2thumb:


Question...how long does a beetle live?


----------



## simon31uk

hey guys
nice thread
do you guys leave ur mealies in the tub u buy them in and when u see an alien just take it out

I got a 1ft by 1ft fish tank I don't use do I just put the alien in the tank and leave it or should I put some oats and weetabix down then sit the aliens on top of the substrate

thanks
simon


----------



## Oxide

simon31uk said:


> hey guys
> nice thread
> do you guys leave ur mealies in the tub u buy them in and when u see an alien just take it out
> 
> I got a 1ft by 1ft fish tank I don't use do I just put the alien in the tank and leave it or should I put some oats and weetabix down then sit the aliens on top of the substrate
> 
> thanks
> simon


When i got my first tub they were in bran,i bought a plastic box with clips from poundland and put about an inch or so of oats and tipped the mealies in.

i fed them with fish flakes,and occasional veggies,when i seen the aliens i put them in another container with about an inch of oats,mixed with some weetabix and fish flakes and let them get on with it.:2thumb:


----------



## simon31uk

thanks for that
I not seen any aliens so when I do just put them In the tank and feed em carrot Peel and potato Peel when they turned into beetles while there in oats and weetabix as well.
just want to make sure I'm doing it right
simon


----------



## simon31uk

will it speed up the process of getting aliens
if u put mealworm tub in viv


----------



## JoeR

simon31uk said:


> thanks for that
> I not seen any aliens so when I do just put them In the tank and feed em carrot Peel and potato Peel when they turned into beetles while there in oats and weetabix as well.
> just want to make sure I'm doing it right
> simon


Heya, what I did was I got 2 tubs (of mealworms), one to feed my leo and the other for the culture.
I got a big tub and poured in about 2 inches of porridge oats and broke up some bread in it too then poured in the worms and added some potato, 2 or 3 weeks later I had some aliens, then some beetles and about a month after I could see teeny baby worms!! If you do it like that you'll be grand, keep adding worms and take out the dead!


----------



## simon31uk

if I put my tub of mealies in viv would that turn some into aliens quicker there high above hot end on a shelf so still getting warmth


----------



## JoeR

Yeah do! It'll help them along! You might wanna put them in a cooler area once you have them, I find it helps but I've only got the one leopard gecko so he doesn't eat much and I'm letting this one come on naturally.


----------



## simon31uk

yeah I only got 1 Leo
so if I get alot of mealies ill use then till I used em all
just experimenting as I never tried b4


----------



## Oxide

OH NOES :gasp:

Just found mites in my mealies,so i binned them all.

Luck actually as i have shed loads of aliens and beetles now .

My missis just off out to get me some honey so i can start my waxworm colony :2thumb:


----------



## geckoguy2000

*: victory:do the beetles eat the same as mealworms? or do they eat something different?: victory: *


----------



## JoeR

geckoguy2000 said:


> *: victory:do the beetles eat the same as mealworms? or do they eat something different?: victory: *


pretty sure they all eat the same stuff!


----------



## geckoguy2000

JoeR said:


> pretty sure they all eat the same stuff!


*:2thumb::2thumb:ahh right! ill try it now and see if they eat it:2thumb::2thumb:*


----------



## Oxide

i have my beetles now and they are in oats/weetabix and dried fish flakes.

For moisture i only use lettuce now as it don't go mouldy and just dries up.:2thumb:


----------



## simon31uk

hey guys
back again
gf not too happy about beetles as she found a few in bedroom lol the mealies must escape through the vents in the viv
I didn't think mealies could climb wood though lol
anyway I've thrown my morios in with mealies and got about 4 beetles in there now woop woop
mealies and beetles can't climb glass can they as there in my 2ft by 1ft glass tank. 
gonna try breed mealies without her knowing lol
and if she takes em out hopefully the beetles will have bred all ready lmao.


----------



## Aidanevans

i just baught some mealworms today. how long will it take for them to lay eggs? im feeding them a whole bannanana


----------



## simon31uk

absolutly ages. i started in march and still my mealies are tiny. 
im thinking it might be easier just buying them as there only 2,50 for quite a few


----------



## Aidanevans

So when i have the beetles do i put them back in with the mealworms? But what happens to the baby mealworms from the beetles. do they get eaten?. 

and ive found a mealie today with a black think coming out from the bottom of its body? is that turning into an alien?


----------



## Aidanevans

When i put the beetles into a diff tub how long do i wait until i have to take them out for mealies to grow


----------



## Ron Magpie

So long as you have them in a big enough container the beetles are no threat to the worms- a small piece of carrot or potato to provide water helps, too. The best way to speed up the life cycle is to keep them warm- it can be as short as a month at decent temps. An old-fashioned airing cupbourd is one of the best places to culture them.


----------



## Aidanevans

ive had my mealies since friday and one of them has shred there skin, is that fast? and how long does it take for them to form into aliens


----------



## Paul112

Aidanevans said:


> ive had my mealies since friday and one of them has shred there skin, is that fast? and how long does it take for them to form into aliens


They shed their skin multiple times as they grow. If you bought regular sized mealworms (not mini mealworms) then they should pupate within a month if given food and kept warm.

Best,
Paul


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## gruffey

Is it worthwhile putting some bug gel in a little container with the beetles or will just carrot/potato bits do for their liquid needs?


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## warrensark

I breed my own mealworms and keep th in a 4 drawer unit - top houses the 'aliens', 2nd drawer holds the adult mealworms, 3rd drawer holds the beetles and the bottom drawer stores the contents of the beetles drawer when i clean cos that is where the eggs and teeny tiny babies live.
They happily munch on fruit and veg, and for a treat, a little bit of cake now and then!


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## freekygeeky

Wow this thread is still going???

I had to get rid of my 5 year old mealworm family and cockroach family at the begging of this year. 

But two weeks ago I started up another , Cor I forgot how long it takes!!

I got hold of 5 kg of mealies and in two weeks have a cricket tub full of aliens!  And some baby roaches!


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## NickBenger

Read the whole thread I want to breed them now. Only issue is..... I have nothing that eats them, I keep snakes LOL. I just want to breed them for fun, can't really though because I'd just end up with millions.


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## SwampK

how do they compare nutritionally to crickets/locusts? i've started breeding my own, so is it feasible to completely replace the crickets and locusts for my geckos and beardie to these?


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## NickBenger

I have began!I bought two boxes of mealworms and they had loads of aliens in, perhaps living in a small town the local pet shop doesn't sell them as fast and they develop. So I'm quite happy with that!


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## Spreebok

Popped into [email protected] today, as my Grandma needed Dogfood, and grabbed a box of mealies. Bloody pathetic looking things, skinny as hell for adult mealies, but they came with theeessse:









Lotsa Aliens! If I had more money on my at the time, I would have bought a few more boxes!


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## NickBenger

I have about 50 aliens now, how long do they usually take to turn into beatles?


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## Beardy Boy97

They normally take about a week to turn into beetles, and then it will be quite a few weeks before you get baby mealies. You will know you have baby mealies when the beetles start dying


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## Spreebok

Yay! Had my first Alien hatch into a MealieBeetle, they're really quite quite! Moved it across into a separate tub with some oats, weetabix and a sprig of parsley lol. Hopefully have more soon!

Also, when the Aliens heads start to go black, that means they're dead yah? It was the 'dead' in quotes that threw me in the op's post xD


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## warrensark

put some broccoli in and watch it get totally covered in beetles!


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## NickBenger

I have about 130ish beatles now. The vast majority of aliens seem to have all turned into beatles within about 10 days, the last 3 days I've had around the 25 mark. 



warrensark said:


> put some broccoli in and watch it get totally covered in beetles!


You're right they do love broccoli


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## freekygeeky

Hows everyone doing?


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## NickBenger

freekygeeky said:


> Hows everyone doing?


Doing good. I have pretty much no mealworms now, all beatles. That's because I bought them all at the same lifestage though so they're all advancing at a similar pace. I will have to wait for some baby mealies now.


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## warrensark

I have a nice steady supply and all at various stages, growth has somewhat slowed (which is not a bad thing) as I have moved them to a cooler area - happy to supply in exchange for veg etc


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## jaaykidd

Decided to give this a crack. 
Got a few pupae and one beetle. Had two but I don't know where he went... 
Got them on a bed of stale frosties, porridge oats and rice crispies. That stuff builds up in my house. 

I'm also going to try my luck with a Dubia roach and wax worm colony. 

I may be going over kill considering I only have a baby beardie to feed. My King snake won't eat any of that.


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## NickBenger

Anyone else find cooked brocolli goes a bit... ewwy?


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## smiling paul

i decided that i would enjoy doing this and i had everything i needed to begin with. i knew i was getting a leopard gecko soon so the food supply would be good for them and my turtles.

the only problem is i ordered them off ebay when i was drunk ... i only went an ordered 1kg worth dint i!!!!!!! far to many, and the receptionist at my work didnt like receiving a package with LIVE FOOD splashed all over it :whistling2:

got them all in a 2ft fish tank, my turtle love me and my new 3mth gecko is starting to like me :2thumb:


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## warrensark

there's a lesson to be learnt here :whistling2:


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## jaaykidd

smiling paul said:


> i decided that i would enjoy doing this and i had everything i needed to begin with. i knew i was getting a leopard gecko soon so the food supply would be good for them and my turtles.
> 
> the only problem is i ordered them off ebay when i was drunk ... i only went an ordered 1kg worth dint i!!!!!!! far to many, and the receptionist at my work didnt like receiving a package with LIVE FOOD splashed all over it :whistling2:
> 
> got them all in a 2ft fish tank, my turtle love me and my new 3mth gecko is starting to like me :2thumb:



This is beyond funny.


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## BrianB

I started off a colony a few weeks back and have now got about 16 beatles and still a few aliens awating to change. Got them all in a big plastic tub with oats in it. Beatles are just starting to darken down so how long before they start to breed?

Do i need to put any other food in with the beatles or is the oats enough? Cant wait to see what happens next:2thumb:

Brian


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## vukic

BrianB said:


> I started off a colony a few weeks back and have now got about 16 beatles and still a few aliens awating to change. Got them all in a big plastic tub with oats in it. Beatles are just starting to darken down so how long before they start to breed?
> 
> Do i need to put any other food in with the beatles or is the oats enough? Cant wait to see what happens next:2thumb:
> 
> Brian


I started multiple cultures... Have needed to buy any in 3 years!! Lol.. Though I did buy a batch to mix up the gene pool this year.....
You need to add fruit n veg for moisture so they don't go cannibalistic.. I find potatoes best, and carrots apple's good too... But the wetter foods need watching... As they can go moldy and if moisture is too high you can get mites... I lost most of my cultures because of that this year... 

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2


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## smiling paul

warrensark said:


> there's a lesson to be learnt here :whistling2:


the lesson is ... never operate a computer when under the influence ... sod that im off for a beer :lol2:



jaaykidd said:


> This is beyond funny.


it was for me, i laughed it off but my work mate (who brought the box through to me) advised me to avoid the receptionist for a good few days ... still aint said hello to her :lol2:


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## smiling paul

:2thumb:

just seen my first beetle!!! it was quite brown so im guessing i dint see it for a few days. then ...

i saw another one! this time it was really really pale so im guessing just went from alien to beetle!


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## BrianB

I've now got loads of beetles and they are all bonking like crazy BUT cant see any eggs or worms yet even under a magnifying glass.


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## BrianB

Still no sign of eggs or baby worms?? There bonking like crazy as well :whistling2:


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## NickBenger

BrianB said:


> Still no sign of eggs or baby worms?? There bonking like crazy as well :whistling2:


Anyone got any suggestions for what to do if you want rid of them? I've kind of had the fun and want to stop now :lol2: I don't want to just kill them, I hate killing stuff.


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## BrianB

Sell them as a thriving colony or whatever you call a collection of mealworms lol.

I would have thought a sucssesful breeding setup would be worth a few quid to someone who cant wait to get things going as it does take a bit time to kick of a usefull setup.


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## smiling paul

NickBenger said:


> Anyone got any suggestions for what to do if you want rid of them? I've kind of had the fun and want to stop now :lol2: I don't want to just kill them, I hate killing stuff.


either as BrianB just said or find somewhere that has birds ( local breeders, my local parks have bird houses, zoo's, etc), they will use them as food for the birds and it will give you the chance to have a look round their place


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## vukic

Or you could send them to me... 

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## Emma30

Yeah and me :lol2::lol2:


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## BrianB

YAAAAAAAAAAA First baby worms :flrt::no1::2thumb:

God they are small, only found a handfull but eyes arnt that sharp anymore lol


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## NickBenger

Who ever PM's me their address, and some kind of instructions as to how to send Inverts via post first can have these beatles I have. Roughly a few hundred (I suck at guessing) all fully grown, just a bit fed up of them.


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## vukic

NickBenger said:


> Who ever PM's me their address, and some kind of instructions as to how to send Inverts via post first can have these beatles I have. Roughly a few hundred (I suck at guessing) all fully grown, just a bit fed up of them.


Pm'd

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2


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## gecko lady

how do you guys clean out the beetles and not get the eggs? might be a really stupid question sorry


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## Beardy Boy97

What I do is use a sieve and let all the frasse ( I hope it's spelt right ) fall into a bucket. All the eggs will fall through with the frasse and then all of the stuff fallen through into the bucket I just put it into another tub and leave it for a few months to make sure all of the eggs have hatched


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## HowseR21

JPReptiles said:


> What containers do you keep them in?
> Can you post a pic so i can see what i will need?
> 
> John


I keep mine in these 3L boxes and they stack perfectly without blocking the air holes:
Braplast Boxes

Cheap and practical, I also use Carrot for mine as I find it doesn't rot as fast. Its quite amazing to see how much a couple hundred mealworms can eat in a night oo:


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## gecko lady

Beardy Boy97 said:


> What I do is use a sieve and let all the frasse ( I hope it's spelt right ) fall into a bucket. All the eggs will fall through with the frasse and then all of the stuff fallen through into the bucket I just put it into another tub and leave it for a few months to make sure all of the eggs have hatched


 thank you! i will do that!


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## Artisan

Think i will try this too...am already doing the wax worm breeding attempts this week 

A question though...are standard mealworms the same type as the giant mealworms only smaller...or are the giant ones a different kind of beetle? If so....does the same method work for these...as its giant ones i want : victory:


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## Beardy Boy97

Artisan said:


> Think i will try this too...am already doing the wax worm breeding attempts this week
> 
> A question though...are standard mealworms the same type as the giant mealworms only smaller...or are the giant ones a different kind of beetle? If so....does the same method work for these...as its giant ones i want : victory:


Giant mealworms are mealworms that have been like power fed. Morioworms are a different beetle


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## Artisan

Beardy Boy97 said:


> Giant mealworms are mealworms that have been like power fed. Morioworms are a different beetle


Yes it's the giant mealworms I'm on about not Morio. Well how do you power feed a mealworm? Just give it loads of extra food or give it extra supplements? 
Also seeing as we're talking about Morios.....can these be raised in the same way and set up as mealies?

Sorry for all the questions :blush:


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## Beardy Boy97

Power feed by just giving lots of food frequently. Morioworms have to be stressed out to turn in to beetles, that is the on,y different


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## Artisan

Beardy Boy97 said:


> Power feed by just giving lots of food frequently. Morioworms have to be stressed out to turn in to beetles, that is the on,y different


Thanks for that : victory:

So giant mealies are just normal sized mealies that have eating disorders? I'm gonna give this a try maybe.....I already have successful dubia and Turk roach colonies from early last year and I'm waiting on a large plastic sweet jar to arrive from ebay to make my wax worm enclosure.....so may try the mealies at some point. My geckos aren't that fussed on the standard mealies but do like the large ones : victory:


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## chrisalty

Can mealworms be bred purely to feed to Dubia Roaches due to their high protein content?


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## Mikroberts

Do they need a form of hydration? I've bred before and offered them water but they always drown in a drop or two, vegatables hydrate them but get moldy quick, is hydration even needed?


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## Beardy Boy97

Moisture is neede or they will die. Keep them in a tub with no lid and give them a sice of potato very two weeks or so


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## Artisan

Ive decided to try this myself. Have a load of mealies turning into aliens at the moment so am going to sort them out tonight when I get in from work. Think I will use slices of potato and carrot as my hydration method. Thanks for the thread...it will save me having to buy any livefood at all for my geckos as I already have an established dubia and turk colony and am waiting for waxworms to appear :2thumb:


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## WelshBeardie

Just had my first few beetles. About half a dozen so far but still have 30+ aliens sat in a plastic tub and quite a few seem to be almost at the beetle stage. 

Cheers for the guide, if this works I'm onto wax worms and Dubias next 

Sent from my LT30p using Tapatalk 2


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## vukic

WelshBeardie said:


> Just had my first few beetles. About half a dozen so far but still have 30+ aliens sat in a plastic tub and quite a few seem to be almost at the beetle stage.
> 
> Cheers for the guide, if this works I'm onto wax worms and Dubias next
> 
> Sent from my LT30p using Tapatalk 2


Wax worms take nothing at all once you've made up the medium.. You just have to remember you done them!! Lok. 

Tiger

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2


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## warrensark

WelshBeardie said:


> Just had my first few beetles. About half a dozen so far but still have 30+ aliens sat in a plastic tub and quite a few seem to be almost at the beetle stage.
> 
> Cheers for the guide, if this works I'm onto wax worms and Dubias next
> 
> Sent from my LT30p using Tapatalk 2


If, you want to 'speed' up the process, make their habitat slightly warmer


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## WelshBeardie

Put them on top of viv above heat lamp. Now getting beetles like there's no tomorrow. Also lot more aliens forming. Can't comment on the babies as can't see any, but then again they are tiny aren't they!!


Sent from my LT30p using Tapatalk 2


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## warrensark

If and when you clean the beetles out, don't be tempted to throw the old substrate out, as it will be full of eggs and teeny tiny baby mealworms!


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## tropicaljoey

do mealworm beetles have to turn black before they start breeding or can they start breeding as soon as they turn into beetles?


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## WelshBeardie

Got loads of beetles now. Seem to be more interested in mating with each other's heads at the moment so may have to wait a while for babies at this rate.

Two died the other day but were gobbled up by the others by the time I changed the spider and got round to taking them out!

1.0.0 Bearded Dragon
0.1.0 Paraphysa parvula


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## freekygeeky

I really didnt think, when i made this, that...

75,000 PEOPLE would look at it! (well view it!)


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## vukic

And 453 com.... 454 comments.. Lol.. 

Tiger

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## Naomi23jayne

thought these pictures of some babies might be useful.. i just keep all my beetles in a cricket tub as i only need them small scale.


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## Naomi23jayne

Artisan said:


> Yes it's the giant mealworms I'm on about not Morio. Well how do you power feed a mealworm? Just give it loads of extra food or give it extra supplements?
> Also seeing as we're talking about Morios.....can these be raised in the same way and set up as mealies?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions :blush:


aren't giant mealworms given some type of hormone or something to keep them in the worm stage longer so they keep growing?


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## Googlefluff

So I, uh, knocked about 20-30 mealworms on the floor by accident :blush:
Is this going to be a problem?


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## warrensark

Won't do any harm at all, although you might find a few escapees turn up at a later point !


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## Googlefluff

Phew

Infestation=bad lol


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## pyromaniac

I've been told with Mario's you have to isolate them for them to turn into pupae, been told that old film cases from cameras (the black little cylinder) are good to isolate them I'd just put a little pinch if oats or something in with them so they have a little food before turning 


Please check out my website - www.pimpmyviv.com


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## vukic

pyromaniac said:


> I've been told with Mario's you have to isolate them for them to turn into pupae, been told that old film cases from cameras (the black little cylinder) are good to isolate them I'd just put a little pinch if oats or something in with them so they have a little food before turning
> 
> 
> Please check out my website - www.pimpmyviv.com


Ya website doesn't work?? 

Tiger

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## pyromaniac

It's down for maintenance unroll Tuesday pal and it'll be back up, can find it on Facebook till then just search pump my Viv 


Please check out my website - www.pimpmyviv.com


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## pyromaniac

Pimp my Viv dam phone lol


Please check out my website - www.pimpmyviv.com


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## Mollie100

Thanks for the information here. It's been really useful. Just popped my first mealworms into their tub today with lots of goodies for them - my 'foundation stock'! 

They certainly love their apple!

I actually think they're kind of cute and enjoy watching them.... :blush:


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## goodwin1234

This must be the longest running thread on RFUK. The OP must be due some kind of reward, surely?


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## caen

pyromaniac said:


> Pimp my Viv dam phone lol
> 
> 
> Please check out my website - www.pimpmyviv.com


starvation promotes the change to an alien, so don't feed them when you separate.


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## caen

has anyone set up a self cleaning rack i.e.. 4 plastic draws with mesh in the bottom?


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