Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm breeding mealworms... or at least trying to. I bought 10 of them in late February. They're stored in a tupperware container with whole oats for substrate and they're fed carrots and potatos twice a week. In the 5 and a bit months that I've had them, they havn't changed. I've read that they should've been beetles after about 3 months max. They aren't dying, they're all healthy, but they havn't show any signs of changing. They've shed twice. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Any advice? Thanks.

you may not have normal mealworms.

let me explain...

Basically you could have Superworms... which won't morph unless separated from the other worms. These are the ones that die in the fridge.

You could also have "Giant Mealworms"... here is what NY Worms has to say "Giant mealworms are simply common mealworms that have been treated with an insect growth hormone to discourage them from morphing into beetles, thus they grow significantly larger. Some will morph into beetles, however they are sterile. Therefore, they grow twice the size and definitely much fatter than a standard common mealworm."

most people agree that giant mealworms are not a great feeder because they contain that hormone.

Regular plain mealworms should breed quite easily... but 10 might be too few for "quick" population growth. If you want to try again check you petstores... some should have "regular" and "giant" meaworms and superworms. Just check what each container says.
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Later,
WhisQuila