# breeding mealworms



## Rou (Dec 23, 2007)

How long will it take for meal beetles to start producing eggs? and for the eggs to turn into mealworms?
I currently have nearly a whole tub of black meal beetles and havent cleaned them out at all since putting them in the tub. They are kept on a substrate of cereal (oats, weetabix and cheerios) and are in my room where it is relatively warm asi have my leo vivs in there and the beetles get regular photoperiods as I have a big window.

But now baby mealies yet... am i doing something wrong?


Also, how do y'all provide moisture for your mealies/beetles?


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## sunnyskeg (Jul 3, 2008)

provide moisture by putting sliced apple, cucumber, carrot etc just laid on top of them:2thumb:


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## Rou (Dec 23, 2007)

cheers me deary. 
I gave them some fresh fresh broken up celery the day befor yesterday and they attacked it so I will deffo try providing more stuff like that as well as my cereal substrate from now on.


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## Grond (Jun 17, 2008)

Mealworm eggs and newly hatched mealworms are tiny. Usually takes a few weeks after starting a new colony, before you can actually see any mealworms. look in the bottom of your container, that's where they'll all hang out.

I always use clear containers so I can pick them up and inspect the underneath without disturbing anything!


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## Rou (Dec 23, 2007)

I currently have my colony of beetles in an old mealworm tub so I can easily see underneath and I can't spot any baby mealies just yet...
Im changing my gut loading methods so maybe they will mate more with different food as they dont feel like the conditions are right or something? 
Not that bugs are as conscious like mammals or reptiles when laying eggs/giving birth.


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## funky1 (Jun 18, 2008)

Rou said:


> I currently have my colony of beetles in an old mealworm tub so I can easily see underneath and I can't spot any baby mealies just yet...
> Im changing my gut loading methods so maybe they will mate more with different food as they dont feel like the conditions are right or something?
> Not that bugs are as conscious like mammals or reptiles when laying eggs/giving birth.


How long have they been in the tub? It`s irrespective what you feed them regarding breeding - they`ll be at it like rabbits anyway! There`s bound to be thousands of eggs and tiny mealworms in there depending on how long they`ve (the beetles) been in - but they can take months to notice!!!


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## Rou (Dec 23, 2007)

um. I cant actually remember whenI started as for a while I was just seperating the second stages from the mealworms, they then hatched into beetls so I kept them all in the same tub. Then I noticed the beetels have been eating the second stages so I took all of the second stages out of that tub and popped them into a tub of their own. It has definatly been over a month. 

Will the beetles be okay in the cricket tub forever or will I need to put them into a larger tub (ovbiously if I get loads then I will give them a larger tub but ya know.)


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Rou said:


> Will the beetles be okay in the cricket tub forever or will I need to put them into a larger tub (ovbiously if I get loads then I will give them a larger tub but ya know.)


Yup, they will be fine as long as you keep the living conditions right and you dont let it get over crowded, but one the meal worms grow up it will almost definitely be over crowded!


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## Rou (Dec 23, 2007)

As soon as the new mealies egt to a reasonable size i will move them into the main tub to avoid the over crowding.

Found about 10 hatched beeteles today in my 'aliens' tub.
:2thumb:


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

In answer to you first question 7-10 days after "hatching" from aliens the beetles should lay eggs.


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## mad baboon (Oct 2, 2008)

make sure its well ventilated, my first attempt at breeding mealworms went all mouldy and disgusting cause it only had a few holes drilled on the lid... and the only moisture was the potatos.

now i have some baby mealworms and they seep to be doing ok. 

i feed them potato every otherday, i have tights for a ventilated screen over the top of the container. 

i dont know if you have any baby mealworms yet but i didnt notice mine untill i was about totip them in the bin then i realised there were tiny micro scopic wormy things in there... there as small ad the fly lava you see in buckets of water. 

um yh tats about it, also it took about a month after my beetles went in ( roughly 300 and counting :lol2: ) then i started seeing the lil worms in there.


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## Rou (Dec 23, 2007)

All of the beetles and 'aliens' are kept in recycled cricket tubs and the adult mealies are kept in a box used mainly for transporting young leos in so that has plenty of ventilation too.


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