How to breed mealworms

My chickens love mealworms.

This site has limited support for your browser. We recommend switching to Edge, Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. Mealworms are a popular food for many pet reptiles and birds, and they are easy to raise at home Before we tell you how to farm mealworms here is a quick overview about their lifecycle. Mealworms, also known as Tenebrio molitor, are the larvae of the darkling beetle. They go through a complete metamorphosis, meaning they have four distinct stages in their life cycle: egg, larva mealworm , pupa, and adult We have written a in-depth blog, check it out for more info.

How to breed mealworms

The problem for many people is the high cost of maintaining a continuous supply for their garden birds. I have been rearing my own mealworms for years, a real cost-saving practice. However, it must be said that patience is essential as it takes four months or so before your mealworm culture starts to produce a steady and continuous supply of fully grown mealworms. Mealworms are not worms but the larval stage of a beetle. It is the larvae of the Yellow Mealworm Tenebrio molitor that are used widely as food for wild birds, as well as captive birds, reptiles and amphibians. Another less common but similar species, the Dark Mealworm Tenebrio obscura is sometimes used, the larva being somewhat smaller in size. Both species are natives of Europe but have long been distributed worldwide, where they occur in undisturbed damp grain and other cereal products. Mealworms are, however, catholic in their tastes and will also tackle meat scraps and other carrion, feathers and the bodies of dead insects. These are:. Place pieces of sacking, twisted corrugated cardboard, broken -up egg carton or slices of dry bread for the beetles to socialise on. You will now have to wait for several weeks before the pupae are formed and, subsequently, the beetles.

The beetle tray keeps the pupae and beetles separate. My mealworms are now at the third stage! They need to have access to substrate and a moisture source at all times.

How to.. We highly recommend setting up a Bug Factory Mealworm Farm. You can purchase one here. Simply the best, easiest and cleanest way to breed mealworms. You will need to source some live mealworms — most local pet shops have them. Alternatively they can be ordered online and sent via the postal system.

Pet Keen is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more. When you get mealworms from a pet shop, they are in a larval phase of life. They still have quite a metamorphosis ahead. When you bring home your mealworms, you notice that they have six short legs upfront with long, tough exoskeletons. After two weeks, these larvae worms begin to switch to the next phase of life. As mealworms develop rapidly, they shed their exoskeleton several times during the process. After a few months, they begin to take on a shorter, softer appearance while switching to darkling beetle form.

How to breed mealworms

Raising mealworms is fairly easy since they are prolific breeders and are hardy insects. It is also fairly inexpensive and can save you quite a bit of money if you use a lot of worms every month. Breeding will take a while to get started, but once there are plenty of beetles laying eggs you will have worms for as long as you need.

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The time it is left in depends on the temperature and number of beetles in the tray as this will have an effect on how quickly the base unit is populated. The top drawer needs to have the plastic bottom cut out and replaced with a screen [to allow the beetle eggs to fall through into the middle drawer]. Mealworms are a healthy, nutritious snack that is full of protein, which helps your hens lay lots of eggs. Categories Pets and Animals Bugs Worms. You can add small pieces of these foods to the container to feed the mealworms. Newer post. Finally, the pupae emerge as adult beetles, which mate and lay eggs to start the cycle again. The mealworms, which are the larvae of the darkling beetle, will need 10 or more weeks to go through their life cycle and reproduce to make new mealworms. They can be put together after they pupate. Nederlands: Meelwormen kweken. This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy for details. More success stories Hide success stories.

Mealworms are a very tasty, nutritious treat for your pet, but can get very pricey buying at your local pet store. Instead, why not learn how to breed mealworms at home?

All Categories. May not be the right temperature or enough good food sources. Depending on the needs of the pet you are feeding, you can add bone meal, cricket chow or other ingredients to change the nutritional profile of the mealworms. You can add small pieces of these foods to the container to feed the mealworms. My mealworms are now at the third stage! Search Search for:. No account yet? Wait for the mealworms to reproduce. It is easy to grow your own mealworms. You will know they are getting close to hatching as they begin to darken in color. You can buy mealworm substrate from a feeder supply store, or you can make your own mixture from bran flakes, corn flakes, oatmeal and other cereals.