Breeding mealworms for food...

[dmarcus]

Okay, so my try at breeding red wigglers didn't go so well, as they all escaped thru the air holes and either died or were eaten by the cats. So now I am trying small meal worms. I have had some success already as some of the mealworms I purchased went to the pupa stage and are now adults. I need any advice from those who have breed meals worms on how to keep it going without a bad outcome like my worms and any help with what I should feed them that will benefit the torts that will eventualy have them for dinner

a couple of photos of the adults that I got as meal worms

Thanks for any help with ideas...

 

[Tom]

I don't have any mealworm advice, but you'd be making your life a lot easier if you just bred some dubia roaches. Or some red runners if you need smaller ones.

Sorry. I'm no help...

 

[dmarcus]

I don't have any mealworm advice, but you'd be making your life a lot easier if you just bred some dubia roaches. Or some red runners if you need smaller ones.

Sorry. I'm no help...

I hade to look up red runners to see what they were ... My wife would go crazy if I tried that, she hates roaches with a passion.... They would be a very hard sell, she is still getting use to the bug portion of the mealworms..

 

[Tom]

Such good food though...

 

[dmarcus]

Maybe once we have a different place with an outside shed it maybe something to consider...

 

[dmmj]

I am also interested in breeding meal worms, I have the basics down thanks to our club's bug night,but the lady who was doing the speech on the meal worms, acted like she did not have the time to answer anyone's questions, I did a speech on EW and NC that night and must have spent close to 30 minutes answering everyone's questions, and I brought some starter kits that night in case anyone wanted to get started right away. ( sorry for venting) I am also interested in breeding roaches from what tom says they seem easier to breed. Right now I am looking for info on snail breeding (land) and of course some snails I depopulated the local snail population many years ago, along with the grasshoppers.

 

[Yvonne G]

Ask and you shall receive:

http://www.wormman.com/mealworm_breeding.cfm

 

[jaizei]

Have you thought about superworms? I think they're a little easier than meal worms and the methods are very similar. Can't hurt to have as many lines going as possible to see which one pays off best.

Did you give up on the red wigglers?, because imo they're infinitely easier than just about anything else to raise once established.

 

[dmarcus]

Ask and you shall receive:

http://www.wormman.com/mealworm_breeding.cfm

Thanks Yvonne that helps...

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Have you thought about superworms? I think they're a little easier than meal worms and the methods are very similar. Can't hurt to have as many lines going as possible to see which one pays off best.

Did you give up on the red wigglers?, because imo they're infinitely easier than just about anything else to raise once established.

Right now super worms are too big for my little guys, but maybe in the future I will try them...

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I am also interested in breeding meal worms, I have the basics down thanks to our club's bug night,but the lady who was doing the speech on the meal worms, acted like she did not have the time to answer anyone's questions, I did a speech on EW and NC that night and must have spent close to 30 minutes answering everyone's questions, and I brought some starter kits that night in case anyone wanted to get started right away. ( sorry for venting) I am also interested in breeding roaches from what tom says they seem easier to breed. Right now I am looking for info on snail breeding (land) and of course some snails I depopulated the local snail population many years ago, along with the grasshoppers.

No problem with the venting, I too have just the basics...

 

[Angi]

I tried breeding Meal Worms and failed. My red wigglers are doing great. I would think it is harder not to breed roached than to breed them. Just thinking about roaches can send me into a panic attack.

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Thanks Yvonne! I was missing a couple steps.

 

[dmarcus]

I tried breeding Meal Worms and failed. My red wigglers are doing great. I would think it is harder not to breed roached than to breed them. Just thinking about roaches can send me into a panic attack.

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Thanks Yvonne! I was missing a couple steps.

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I am happy with my meal worm progress, the red wigglers was a huge fail for me...

 

[fgately]

I bread Hissing Roaches for my classroom a couple of years ago. Very easy to breed in a ten gallon aquarium with a simple reptile heating pad underneath. You only use the medium and small roaches as feeders, and keep a population of breeding adults. I never fed an adult but I would imagine it being pretty nasty to see. Even though they are a very large insect, they climb glass very well. There are a few of the roach species that are great feeder insects, that also don't climb glass. The glass climbing issue is a real problem. I don't remeber them being very smelly so that is a good thing.

Breeding regular mealworms is supposed to be easy, although I have never tried it. There is a secret to breeding superworms. It is probably not much of secret anymore, but I once knew a reptile breeder that actually paid an employee at a worm farm for the "secret". The secret for turning superworms into adult beetles is to separate them from the other worms (larva actually). Apparently the larve will not change into the adult form unless they are separated from the others. There is some sort of pheromone or something that the worms emit while they are in large numbers that causes them to all stay in the larval stage. So if you take a big fat superworm, and place it in a completely separate container with wheat bran or whatever youre feeding at the time, they will start to change. They cannot breed unless they are in the adult phase obviously. They are great as feeders because they have definate size differences that are great for all insect eating critters. They are pretty soft as well, especially in the smaller phases. They also wiggle like crazy and this seems to stimulate the prey drive.

The only real problem with breeding superworms is that they stink! I mean really really stink! Crickets smell really bad in large numbers but superworms are just putrid.

 

[Kristina]

Be careful feeding large amounts of superworms or mealworms to small/hatchling turtles and tortoises. The chiton that covers their bodies in indigestible, and can cause impactions.

Not saying they are a bad food, but like everything else, moderation is key.

 

[dmarcus]

Be careful feeding large amounts of superworms or mealworms to small/hatchling turtles and tortoises. The chiton that covers their bodies in indigestible, and can cause impactions.

Not saying they are a bad food, but like everything else, moderation is key.

We are doing the meal worms to give some varity to their of food diet..

 

[Kristina]

Be careful feeding large amounts of superworms or mealworms to small/hatchling turtles and tortoises. The chiton that covers their bodies in indigestible, and can cause impactions.

Not saying they are a bad food, but like everything else, moderation is key.

We are doing the meal worms to give some varity to their of food diet..

I get that, but over 6,000 people read this forum, and some of them might not know that mealworms can be dangerous in large numbers

 

[dmarcus]

Be careful feeding large amounts of superworms or mealworms to small/hatchling turtles and tortoises. The chiton that covers their bodies in indigestible, and can cause impactions.

Not saying they are a bad food, but like everything else, moderation is key.

We are doing the meal worms to give some varity to their of food diet..

I get that, but over 6,000 people read this forum, and some of them might not know that mealworms can be dangerous in large numbers

Very understandable, should have said I am going to breed them to be part of a varied diet...

 

[Kristina]

 

[dmarcus]

The Mods are always two thoughs ahead on things, thats why I love this forum...

 

[Kristina]

Thanks Just as long as you know that I was not being condescending or doubting you in any way. I throw tidbits like that out there so that if someone who is less experienced stumbles along the thread, they don't get the wrong idea.

 

[dmarcus]

Thanks Just as long as you know that I was not being condescending or doubting you in any way. I throw tidbits like that out there so that if someone who is less experienced stumbles along the thread, they don't get the wrong idea.

I so get it, that is something I have to make sure I think about especially with all the younger and new owners who might read one of my threads and take something that I have written as fact due to the lack of information or why I am trying to do something. I definitely would hate to give a new owner the wrong idea about how to do something.