Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi!
i hve been told one method of growing mealworms, but id like as many opinions as i can get, got a group now growing in wheat germ with carrot slices and some kale with TP and paper towel tubes for them to hide in, when i get to pupas i have another cage set aside for them, any ideas on how i can make this work the best that i can? i know they are feeeders but i would hate to have them die and not be of any use. i run a herp rescue and so i need them to reproduce quickly and cheap to make this worth doing VS just getting them in the mail.
thanks for any info!
Po

I over through over 1000 mealies a week so I have to breed them in bulk and the best way I've found to do this is actually to find a Feed store in your area... and buy Unmedicated Chicken Layena or Laying mash and use that as your substrate.. its usually cheap.. between $6 and $10 for 50lbs. I have 2 4 drawer racks I probably produce about 5000 medium to large mealies a month give or take 200 or so. The chicken laying mash I have found is an amazing substrate for these guys...as long as its unmedicated. Use an inch or two or two of that in each drawer.. add 500 large mealworms or pupated mealies into the substrate.. lay a moist paper towel over it and let em start breeding. I really don't bother seperating beetles and pupae out unless I need to start another drawer. You'll be overpopulated soon enough if you start with a group of 2000 in a little over 4 months you'll be producing about 2000 a month if you do things right. I started out with 1000 in January of last year and now I produce 5000 a month give or take like I said.. I could probably sell off half my colony if I could find someone around here to buy them from me *L*
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

Does the moist paper towel laid over the mash cause the chicken mash to mold or sprout?

I ask because i use chicken mash to raise my superworms and I had to start using dishes to put the veggies in because they would cause mold on the substrate or spouting, which in turn caused a massive explosion in the mites . I'm starting on mealworms now too and plan on using the "drawer" system of a plastic rolling bin with pull out drawers to raise them in and don't want ANY MORE MITES to show up, which is why I ask.
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Chantel a.k.a. sillygirl
"I came, I saw, I adopted"

1.3 green anoles (Stumpy (M)), and the rest remain nameless.
1.1 green tree frogs (Romeo & Juliet)
1.2 Firebelly toads
3.2.0 D. Tinctorius (Surinam Cobalt)
1.1.6 D. Azureus
0.0.2 D. Leucomelas
0.0.1 Clown Tree Frog
0.1 Anerythristic 'B' (Charcoal)corn snake (Popcorn)
0.1 Snow Corn (KandyKorn)
0.2 Amel Corns (KornSilk & KornMuffin)
0.1 Normal Corn (PepperKorn)
1.0 Creamsicle Corn (Kream)
0.0.1 Giant African Millipede
1.0 Betta (Sushi, Charlie)
2.4 Domestic house cats (Bad Boy (m), Bart(m),Sasha(F),Little Bit(F),Spirit(F)
1.0 Rottweiler (Jake)
2.7 Rats (Mouse, Socks, Flower, Squishy, Fox, Lucky, Snow & Tinker)
1.3 Mice (My step-daughter seems to think they are pets)
2.0 Betta (Sushi, Blue)
1.0 Husband (David, who loves all my critters too)

I've had neither a problem with mites nor with mold save for once when I allowed the paper towel to get too wet. Mold happened then but I've never had a mite problem.... the towel should't drip but should hold the amount of water...moist enough to give them a drink. I give veggies once a week or once every 10 days....and mix vitamin/calcium powder into the chicken mash... Works just fine for me...And just for a touch of addition.. one of my animals that eat them *L*

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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
3.5.3 Leopard geckos (2.0 Blizzards (Caine and Goliath), 0.1 Tangerine Albino (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short), 1.0 Rainwater Albino (Mycah), 0.4 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, Rain and Aris) and 2.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas, and Mystic))
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros)
13 rats
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
3 cats (Ashe, Sahara and Hercules)
6 Fish (4 Red Danios, 1 Cardinal Fish, and 1 Tiger Barb)
8 Ramshorn snails
"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree!"

I have had some little tiny grain beetles on occasion but they can be kept under control by crushing them when you do find them. I have even lightly misted the surface of the layer mash on occasion with no molding problems. I keep my colony in the 3 drawer cart and it is always in my reptile room which is usually 65-70% humidity. I have never had mold problems with apples, squash, greens, or carrots but have found that potatoes tend to mold quickly so I just don't use them!

I have even experimented with placing the liquid crystals for watering crickets on thin cardboard and found they ate that and the wet paper with no problems and no mold.
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

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