Post by ClementeDragons on Nov 11, 2004 15:01:24 GMT -5
Breeding Mealworms
Breeding mealworms is very easy but can be time consuming.
1. Two housing containers: You can house them in little critter keepers or kitty litter pans. One container is for the beetles and one is for the baby worms.
2. Hiding places for the beetles: You can use toilet paper rolls or some clean rocks.
3. Water source for your beetles and worms: I take a paper towel and fold it up so it is only about one to two inches wide. Then you wet the paper towel just enough that it is not dripping. Place the paper towel in the tank.
4. Feeding: Feed your beetles and worms dark greens, apple, carrots, fish food or any vegetables.
5. Bedding: I use paper towels for bedding but you can also use sand, rolled oats, oat bran, and crushed bran flakes cereal. For the worms use sand, rolled oats, oat bran, and crushed bran flakes cereal.
6. Egg laying box: A small bowl filled with damp soil or bed-a-beast would work. Make sure there is a way for the beetles to get into the bowl. Switch the egg-laying box with a new one about every two weeks. When the eggs have hatched keep them in the soil but provide food for them. If you want to use the egg laying bowl again after the babies hatch dump everything (mealworms and substrate) into another container.
7. Get your colony: It takes a few months for the worms to pupate depending on how old they are. The pupa is the stage where the worm is turning into a beetle. The pupa takes about 2 weeks to turn into a beetle. Once you have a few beetles they will start breeding. The eggs will take about a week to hatch; you will start to see very small mealworms in the soil.
These worms will achieve optimal growth rates when kept between 75 and 80F.
These females can typically lay up to 500 eggs throughout their lifetime.
The female beetles tend to be significantly larger than male beetles.
By: Derek Johnson
Breeding mealworms is very easy but can be time consuming.
1. Two housing containers: You can house them in little critter keepers or kitty litter pans. One container is for the beetles and one is for the baby worms.
2. Hiding places for the beetles: You can use toilet paper rolls or some clean rocks.
3. Water source for your beetles and worms: I take a paper towel and fold it up so it is only about one to two inches wide. Then you wet the paper towel just enough that it is not dripping. Place the paper towel in the tank.
4. Feeding: Feed your beetles and worms dark greens, apple, carrots, fish food or any vegetables.
5. Bedding: I use paper towels for bedding but you can also use sand, rolled oats, oat bran, and crushed bran flakes cereal. For the worms use sand, rolled oats, oat bran, and crushed bran flakes cereal.
6. Egg laying box: A small bowl filled with damp soil or bed-a-beast would work. Make sure there is a way for the beetles to get into the bowl. Switch the egg-laying box with a new one about every two weeks. When the eggs have hatched keep them in the soil but provide food for them. If you want to use the egg laying bowl again after the babies hatch dump everything (mealworms and substrate) into another container.
7. Get your colony: It takes a few months for the worms to pupate depending on how old they are. The pupa is the stage where the worm is turning into a beetle. The pupa takes about 2 weeks to turn into a beetle. Once you have a few beetles they will start breeding. The eggs will take about a week to hatch; you will start to see very small mealworms in the soil.
These worms will achieve optimal growth rates when kept between 75 and 80F.
These females can typically lay up to 500 eggs throughout their lifetime.
The female beetles tend to be significantly larger than male beetles.
By: Derek Johnson
I'm going to go ahead and pin it up so its easily available fore use in the future. Again thanks for volunteering to write this up 
sorry about that.