How to breed mealworms

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

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

How to breed mealworms

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

The mealworms will soon start reproducing, how to breed mealworms, which is typically a 10 week cycle. The pupae don't eat or drink, but you''ll need to give the beetles some lettuce to eat and put some pieces of cardboard and egg carton halves into the drawer. I have to say, since they were already set up in their container, and all I had to do was add more veggies if they ran out, it really was pretty easy and didn't gross me out very much.

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

Raising mealworms is fairly easy since they are prolific breeders and are hardy insects. It is also fairly inexpensive and can save you quite a bit of money if you use a lot of worms every month. Breeding will take a while to get started, but once there are plenty of beetles laying eggs you will have worms for as long as you need. You should start with at least one hundred mealworms, but can begin with many more. Then, all you need is a container, substrate, and a source of food and water. Container The container should have a large surface area and smooth sides. The sides of the container only need to be a couple inches higher the substrate in order to prevent the worms from escaping. An aquarium, terrarium, plastic box, or Sterilite container will make an excellent home. The container will also need a screened lid to prevent other insects and creatures from getting in and to allow airflow. Good ventilation is needed to prevent the container from getting to warm and to prevent the buildup of humidity and mold growth.

How to breed mealworms

Mealworms are a very tasty, nutritious treat for your pet, but can get very pricey buying at your local pet store. Instead, why not learn how to breed mealworms at home? Breeding your own mealworm farm is simple to do, inexpensive and can provide a never ending food supply for your pet. Feel free to jump ahead, by clicking any of the links below. It will take you right to the section that you are interested in learning more about. As a pet owner, we want to keep them happy and healthy. Some pets, such as geckos, bearded dragons and lizards require protein in their daily diet to survive. Others, such as chickens and ducks, need the increased protein found in mealworms during times of stress or just as an occasional treat.

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Many species of reptiles, such as lizards, turtles, and snakes, enjoy eating mealworms as a protein-rich treat. Beetles live for weeks. Once the mealworms grow large enough, you can feed them to your chickens, but be sure to leave enough worms to replenish the bottom drawer to let mature into pupae and eventually beetles, and therefore continue to life cycle. Share this page. Almost half of the households in the UK feed their garden birds. Skip to Content. The time it is left in depends on the temperature and number of beetles in the tray as this will have an effect on how quickly the base unit is populated. Beetles can survive any length of time up to a few months and will continue to lay eggs during this time. Log in Search. Remove dead mealworms or beetles and discard them. Thanks to the Ramirez family and my friend Brandon for their insights into raising mealworms and super worms. Step One: Mealworms You will need to source some live mealworms — most local pet shops have them. They will begin to feed on other pupae if they are not taken out quickly.

Mealworms are the larvae of mealworm beetles and are used as a food source for many different exotic pets. Reptiles , amphibians, sugar gliders , skunks, chickens, hedgehogs , and other animals consider various sizes of mealworms as part of their regular diet, but they don't always contain the nutritional components these pets need because they are often sitting in a store without food for extended periods of time.

Use a plastic fork periodically to sift through and find any pupae — which get moved to another drawer to hatch into beetles. For more details see the Privacy Policy and Affiliate Disclosure. Move the beetles after the eggs hatch. Check your mealworms daily if possible. It would just be easier to breed them at home than constantly going to the store. I am going to tell my classmates how much fun I had growing my mealworms using this website. The mealworms will soon start reproducing, which is typically a 10 week cycle. Follow Us. Thanks Helpful 23 Not Helpful 2. Co-authored by:. Top Drawer. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. The beetle tray keeps the pupae and beetles separate. Ramsey has extensive knowledge of symbiosis and specializes in insect disease spread, parasite behavior, mutualism development, biological control, invasive species ecology, pollinator health, and insect pest control.