Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi --

So I'm trying to start breeding my own mealworms and am having some issues. I've tried google and everyone keeps saying how easy it is..

Once my larvae turn to pupai or whatever they don't seem to make it to the beetle stage..

They'll turn into a half beetle and just sit on their back until they die.

I'm using wheat bran bedding and putting the pupai in a seperate container..

I've been buying the mealworms from Ghanns... I read somewhere where some people spray the worms so they don't mutate correctly..

Any ideas?
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Seeking bigger cages for the family

I got this from wiki. I don't breed or feed mealies but i hope it helps. I do feed and breed crickets and that is very easy.Good Luck

Steps Get a bucket or tray about 8 to 10 inches deep (see list) and spread some sand and soil in the bottom. Lay down a square of burlap. Repeat until you're about five inches from the top of the bucket. Put a handful of your mealworms in each layer, or just on top.
Once this is done, soak a few paper towels in water and ring them out, then lay them around the edge of the bucket for moisture. Chop up some chunks of apple, carrot, etc and lay them on top.
Cover the top of the tray or bucket with the cheesecloth and make sure it's sealed so that they don't escape the tray. It will take a while for the larvae to become beetles, but these beetles are what will breed and make the worms! Just be patient and let the magic happen.

Tips Cut slits in the burlap to make it easier for the worms to get through.
The more surface area the better.
The larvae is what the mealworm actually is; you need to let the adult beetles breed.
You'll need to clean the bucket out every now and then to get the droppings and uneaten food out.
Keep the worms at room temperature (70º to 80ºF). When they are fully grown, refrigeration makes them live longer.
To make them age quicker, don't keep them in a closet, keep them in fair light.

Hmm my guess is temperature issue. I have had the same colony going for years. I use shoe box rubbermaid containers and keeps the worms in about 2" of wheat bedding.

Once they pupate i used to give the pupa they're own container but now i just throw them in with the beetles. So my setup it kind of like a hatchling gecko rack (its actually one i never finished )

I keep 5 tubs high by 4 tubs wide. Top level is beetles which i change they're bedding every 3-4 weeks. My system allows me to just move they bedding from the beetles to the next row and so on all the way down so i have fresh bedding with eggs and at the bottom i have my oldest worms that pupate. Keeping beetles alive mean keeping them hydrated. So water crystals for potatoes.giving the worms water is good but not as important as the beetles.

Good luck keep reading and check your temps. Mine stay around 80