If you have pet fish or reptiles to feed, raising mealworms at home is a great way to save some money and ensure your pets get proper nutrition. Mealworms are actually larval beetles, so breeding them also means breeding mature beetles in order for them to reproduce. You will need some capacious containers, a substrate on which the insects can feed and some worms to start the colony. Already after a few weeks you will have a lot of mealworms available!
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Prepare the Material
Step 1. Purchase suitable bins
You'll need deep, smooth-walled bins (both glass and plastic are fine) so the beetles won't be able to escape. 38-liter aquariums do very well, as are plastic shipping containers. The lids of the containers must have small holes (you can use a metal mesh as a closure or make holes in the lid), in order to ventilate the inside of the container without the worms being able to escape.
- Having at least two containers available (three, if you want a particularly large colony) is of fundamental importance, since, during the population process, it is necessary to separate the larvae from the adult specimens for a few weeks.
- Don't use wooden containers, as mealworms can eat it.
Step 2. Prepare the substrate
Mealworms feed on grains, and it is these products that the substrate must be formed. You can buy the grains at a pet food store or use a mixture of bran flakes, corn and other grains. The substrate should be ground to a powder in order to more conveniently pick up the worms and beetles when they need to be moved.
Depending on your pet's nutritional needs, you can add minced bone meal, insect food, or whatever else may be useful to vary their food profile to the food of the worms
Step 3. Buy mealworms
The number of worms to buy, at least initially, depends on how many pets you have to feed. If you need to start feeding your pet immediately, consider purchasing about 5,000 worms. It can take a few months for the worms to reproduce, so the number of these first 5,000 worms is destined, at least initially, to decrease.
If you can wait until the new specimens are born, you can start with around 150 worms
Step 4. Provide a suitable environment for worm growth
Mealworms reproduce optimally at a stable temperature of 21-23 degrees. Find an area in your home where the temperature can be kept constant. The area should be clean and away from chemicals that could contaminate the colony.
- A heated garage or basement is ideal places to keep a colony.
- You can buy an electric heater to keep the temperature constant near the container.
- If you keep the worms cold, they won't reproduce.
Part 2 of 2: Breeding the Worms
Step 1. Prepare the first bin
Place 5 to 7.5 cm of substrate on the bottom of the first bin. Put the worms in the bin. Slice an apple, a carrot or a potato and place the slices on top of the substrate, in order to provide the environment with the right level of humidity. Put the lid on. The worms will begin to eat the substrate and reproduce.
Step 2. Wait for the worms to reproduce
Mealworms, which are beetle larvae (of the Tenebronidae family, to be exact), will need 10 or more weeks to develop and reproduce. They will pass from the larval state to that of a pupa and then to that of a real beetle. The beetles will mate and lay their eggs in the substrate. After 1-4 weeks the eggs will begin to hatch. While you wait for the process to finish, check the bin and take care of the worms in the following ways:
- Change the slices of food if they look moldy to you.
- Keep the temperature around 21-23 degrees.
- Remove dead worms and beetles and discard them.
Step 3. Move the beetles when the eggs hatch
Once the eggs have hatched, you will need to move the beetles and pupae to a second container. If you keep the larvae together with the beetles, the latter will feed on the former. After being placed in the second container, the beetles will continue to lay eggs and reproduce. To move beetles and pupae do the following:
- Prepare the second container by depositing 5 to 7.5 cm of substrate inside.
- Move the beetles and pupae by hand and place them in the new container. Use gloves if you wish. Beetles do not bite and rarely fly.
- Place a few slices of carrot or potato in the second container, then close it.
Step 4. Feed the worms to your pets
When the larvae are large enough (before they become pupae) you can feed them to your pets. Remember that worms left in the container will mature into pupae. Keep moving the pupae and beetles to the second container as they grow.
You can store the worms in the freezer if you need to set them aside
Step 5. Sieve the substrate and repeat the process
Once the cycle in the first bin is complete, the substrate will inevitably shrink. Remove any remaining worms and place them in a clean bin while you disinfect the dirty one. After washing and drying the first container carefully, deposit a few centimeters of substrate on the bottom and then put the worms back into it to start the process again.
Advice
- The more space the worms have, the better!
- Occasionally you will need to clean the container to remove excrement and any leftover food.
- To make them grow faster, do not lock the worms in the closet, but keep them in the light.
