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.

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. However, it must be said that patience is essential as it takes four months or so before your mealworm culture starts to produce a steady and continuous supply of fully grown mealworms. Mealworms are not worms but the larval stage of a beetle. It is the larvae of the Yellow Mealworm Tenebrio molitor that are used widely as food for wild birds, as well as captive birds, reptiles and amphibians.

How to breed mealworms

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. When they are ready to pupate, they burrow into the substrate and form a cocoon. Inside the cocoon, the larvae transform into pupae, which are non-feeding and inactive. Finally, the pupae emerge as adult beetles, which mate and lay eggs to start the cycle again. Gather supplies: You can either build your own, for that you will need a container with a lid such as a plastic storage bin , a substrate such as bran or oats , and mealworms. Or you can buy one of our mealworms growing pods. Add the mealworms on top of the substrate. Add food: Mealworms will eat a variety of foods, including grains, fruits, and vegetables.

If you don't mind waiting a few months for new mealworms, you can start with as few as mealworms. Edit this Article. Can you tell me what this is please?

My chickens love mealworms. In fact, they gobble them up at such an alarming rate that a few years ago I decided it would be more economical for me to try to breed my own. So I found a guy who sold them in bulk and bought a huge box of live ones. I was so excited about this new venture. I opened the box, took one look at the mass of squirmy wrigglers inside, panicked, and tossed the entire box into the run with my chickens. In the blink of an eye, all 40, worms were gone! And my chickens went to bed very happy - with crops stuffed with mealworms.

Pet Keen is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. When you get mealworms from a pet shop, they are in a larval phase of life. They still have quite a metamorphosis ahead.

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. By making your own 3 tier mealworm breeding setup, the amount of work that you have to do is very minimal and it will provide you with a never ending supply of beetles, larva and pupa that you can feed to chickens, ducks, bearded dragons, geckos and many other reptiles and amphibians. You can get 3 drawer shelves for a good price on Amazon.

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Remove any rotted vegetable matter, dead insects, or clumps of mould from the substrate. Share this page. Around 25 degrees to 28 degrees is ideal, but they will grow in a reasonably wide range of temperatures. Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube. Another less common but similar species, the Dark Mealworm Tenebrio obscura is sometimes used, the larva being somewhat smaller in size. If you keep them all in the same container, the beetles will feed on the larvae. You will know they are getting close to hatching when they begin to darken in color. Separate the pupae as soon as you see them. Buy mealworms. Then line the bin with substrate, add some sliced apples or carrots to add moisture, and place your mealworms inside. I have a bearded dragon and this website is what I used to find out about him. This all depends on how warm your climate is. If you need to use the meal worms to start feeding the animals right away, aim for 5, or so to begin with. You must separate them from adults because they cannot defend themselves and run the risk of being eaten before they have a chance to hatch.

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

Beetles live for weeks. The pupae you have placed in the top drawer will eventually turn into beetles and lay their eggs. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. When they are ready to pupate, they burrow into the substrate and form a cocoon. Put your live mealworms larvae in the bottom drawer in in inch or so of a mixture of corn meal, flour, and oatmeal or other ground grains you have around the pantry. Checkout Checkout. Breeding mealworms is a lot of fun and much more cost-effective the purchasing dried mealworms. Previous Post Next Post. Any dead beetles should be removed, and you need to regularly check to ensure each base unit with worms in it has substrate as well as a moisture source carrot or similar too. Top rated products Inca Sulfa 3 Rated 5. After cleaning and drying it thoroughly, add a few inches of new substrate, then replace the worms in the bin to begin the process again.