Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Alright, to breed mealworms you up the temps, wait for the worms to turn to larva, once a beetle you put in another container so the can lay eggs, then more worms come. My question is I found a colony of some type of black beetle outside and I was wondering if it is a good idea to take the 10-15 beetles, put them with some dried oatmeal and potatoes and see if they make worms? What kind of worms would the be if you had to guess? Anyway...I'm always looking for cheaper ways to fatten up my lizards....
Jeff

well might be ok or might not...

1) some insects are toxic. for example fire fly's will kill a bd.
2) may have parasites that could spread to your bd.

not sure how to deal with the latter.

but if you want to try out "wild bugs" then get a book like the peterson's feild guide serise and learn how to identify what kind of insect you have and then you can check with county ag. local zoos and such...

one other thing: pesticides that may be in them. as residue.

all-in-all i tend to say "no" but if you must then check things out. and you might even find identifying insects a good bit of training / hobby.
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