Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I've seen numerous posts of people raising their own colony of mealworms. This sounds like it would be a great way to save money and a trip to the petstore. Could someone tell me how, or point me to a place that tells you how to build a colony?
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Here's a good site to raise your own colony. Mealworms are very hardy and easy to raise. They'll turn into pupas fast, and beetles will crawl out if you care for them well.

Keeping and Raising Mealworms

Tim

I’m going to assume you know a bit a bout mealworms, so I’ll keep to the ‘aliens’ and beetles.

Any time you notice a mealworm turn into an alien in your mealworm container, take it out and place it in a small container with other aliens. Within a week or two it will turn into a beetle, take them out and place them in a separate container.

Feed the beetles the same way you would mealworms. The beetles will breed any lay tiny eggs, which will soon hatch in to tiny mealworms.

They should be able to feed on the same food as their parents. You may want to move the beetles to a new container from time to time because the adults may eat the eggs and very young mealies.

Hope this helps, and let us know how it goes.

DaveCable

LOL...

"Any time you notice a mealworm turn into an alien in your mealworm container, take it out and place it in a small container with other aliens. "

I actually typed a reply to the original post last night when it first appeared, but my computer froze and my post never went up. I think it's funny cuz in my post I referred to the white things as Aliens too! Weird looking things aren't they?

I actually started my colony just cuz I didn't know what else to do with those little things. I have 11 Leos, each with it's own tank and food bowl, and I get about 6 Aliens a day.

I took a medium sized rubbermaid container, drilled some small airholes in it, filled it with oatmeal (not the instant kind) and just keep tossing in the Aliens.

I use the baby mealies for my smallest Leos. I sort through and use the biggest ones to feed the bigger Leos. If I have more worms than I need I toss the extras into another meal worm tub that I keep in the fridge. I don't keep the colony in the fridge, it's on top of it actually.

Good luck to the original poster on your colony (although it's so cheap to buy them online now it's not really worth it from just a financial standpoint, just a nice place to toss the Aliens though)

Lyns Lair

What do the 'aliens' look like? lol and i take it would not be refridgerating the mealworms?

Also, how many eggs will the beetles be laying? and how many mealworms can i expect to hatch?
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If you are feeding adult mealworms, and they sit in the bowl too long (can be as little as 24 hours) then some may morph into "aliens". You'll understand why we call them that when you see them. They are white and kind of curled. If you have them in your hand I advise not closing your hand. They don't like that and will start wiggling. They are kinda sharp and if you have a handful wiggling around it smarts a little. If you have your mealies in the fridge they won't morph into aliens. If you put the aliens in the fridge they won't morph into beetles. You do not want your actual colonoy to be in the fridge. I've never put mealie beetles in the fridge but doubt they'd like it. As for numbers, I've never counted. The feeder forum might be better able to answer that one.

"Bear" (my only reptile not interested in mealies)

Lyns Lair