I would really like the convenience of having my own mealworm colony to feed my leo. I live in a dorm room, however, which is not that big and sometimes not that well ventilated. So my biggest concern is the smell. I've heard that superworms can stink it up pretty badly. Are mealworms the same? Thanks.
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breeding mealworms- How Bad is the Smell?
jollyfat
Sep 17, 2004 03:02 AM
Replies (6)
shadow4108
Sep 17, 2004 09:15 AM
I've heard that when kept clean and dry there is little to no smell.
Snarks
Sep 17, 2004 11:15 AM
haha they let you have reptiles and breeding insects in your dorm room? Man my old dorm woulda killed me.
Anyhue, mealworms are almost odourless and so are the beetles the smell depends on what you feed them. I use leafy greens like bac choi, brocoli and slices of carrot. One way to reduce the smell is to only place enough food for the mealie that they will eat in one night.
Anything that sits in there for a few days without being removed or eaten is the main cause of stink.
Also Bran smells, i use only oats.
Good luck
peachstategeckos
Sep 17, 2004 12:58 PM
Hi, I've been breeding mealworms for a while. I've never had a problem with smell. I think that if you make sure you take out the veggies every day and replace with new ones that you won't have a problem. They take up very little space and are super easy to breed/care for. Here's a page that tells you every thing you need to know about breeding them. Breeding Mealworms
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gothra
Sep 17, 2004 07:34 PM
I have both a mealworm colony and a superworm colony; yeah, change the fresh food daily or every second day at the most, and pick out all the dead worms and beetles when you see them. Dead beetles can smell bad.
devious_froggy
Sep 17, 2004 09:32 PM
I agree with everyone above! they dont smell bad if you change the food, and try to use eiher oatmeal or chicken feed as sub. I've documented some of my experence with Breeding these things! www.freewebs.com/stephsgeckos/projectselfsufficiency
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Sypha
Sep 18, 2004 07:22 AM
The only smells I have from the mealworms are the apples that I slice up in there. After a week, they give off a nice cidery smell. 
