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How to Breed Mealies and Superworms #20431
05/04/04 02:57 PM
05/04/04 02:57 PM

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Mealworms:
First of all equipment:
1 rubbermaid sweater box with lid
Bran for bedding (this can be hard to find, I get mine special ordered from a pet store nearby, called Feeder's Supply. You might be able to get it from a feed store. It's animal grade wheat bran and costs me less than $20 for 50 lbs, which lasts forever.)
Potatoes for moisture
Soldering iron (or something else) to poke holes in box

Next to get the box ready:
Use the soldering iron to poke small holes around the top edge of the box or lid. I stack my boxes so my holes are in the sides. Fill with about 2-3 inches bran. Toss in a few potato slices.

Next add worms.
To start I bought 1000 mealies from wormman.com for about $12 shipped.
They can live in the container being fed potato once or twice a week for a month or two before the bran needs to be changed. You don't need to do anything to make them reproduce, they are quite efficient at that on their own.
But warm temps help, they are sluggish in the cold.

I use a screen to sift the worms when necessary. When the bran looks used up you'll know. Just sift through the bran letting the frass (used bran, dusty stuff) fall through, thereby keeping worms and beetles.
Yes you lose some small worms this way. You can either cut your losses and go on, or keep the refuse and give it potatoes until the worms are big enough to sift again.

Anyway, that's how I do it. I think you it would probably be easier to stick with giving gliders large mealworms, but if you prefer to give them more because it's so fun and they love you for it, then twice as many smaller worms would work.

Superworms:
Supplies:
Same as mealies, plus film canisters and an extra rubbermaid box. In order to collect a large number of canisters quickly, go to you local Wal-mart or other photo developing shop, and beg politely for them to save them for you. When people drop off thier film they often leave the canisters behind.

Set your superworms up just like the mealies, they eat the same stuff,but may need to be checked on and given fresh potato more often. The trick will be in convincing them to pupate.

When your worms reach full size, between 1.5 to 2 inches put them into separate film canisters with bran. Check on these once a week. It usually takes about two weeks to pupate. If your worms were big enough most of them should pupate, if they weren't ready they will die. Once they have pupated put the pupae in the extra box with bran and potatoes. Within a week or so they will have become bettles. Once you have beetles you can be assured they will reproduce. When your first box is empty of worms as they've all pupated or been eaten, you can use it to hold your new pupae and beetles, continuing the cycle.

Personally I prefer mealies because they are less work, but it's satisfying to see your animals munch on those large tasty worms!

If anything in my instructions is unclear let me know, I'll try to clarify.

Otter

Married nine years, mother of two daughters, a ten year old dog, a loving cat, two ferrets, a bearded dragon, multiple snakes.
And soon to add two gliders to the equation.

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20432
05/04/04 05:12 PM
05/04/04 05:12 PM

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Well you sure know your mealies. Are there any places online that you know of that has bran? We don't have feed stores here so I'm having problems getting that.

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20433
05/04/04 05:57 PM
05/04/04 05:57 PM

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I have heard that you can use oatmeal as well. Is this true?
I am starting to breed meal worms as well. The lady who sold me the worms gave me a little bran to fill my container with and all.

My husband laughs at me when I go to feed the gliders because I hate bugs and I am such a girl about it. lol

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20434
05/04/04 06:02 PM
05/04/04 06:02 PM

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I know there's a mixture of ingredients also, but I don't know if bran is a must. Is it or can rolled oats or something be used? I'm not much of a bug lover, but for some reason I don't mind touching the mealies. I do mind popping them if the glider has never had a live one before.

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20435
05/04/04 06:06 PM
05/04/04 06:06 PM

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I have thought about doing this several times, but I have a few questions:
How do I get the giant mealies? I don't like the regular ones, they are way too small. Are giant mealies just large mealworms or are they a special variation?
What do you do with the beetles? Don't they want to fly away?
How much work is it really? One minute I think it sounds easy and the next time I think it's really difficult.
Thanks for your advice!

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20436
05/04/04 06:15 PM
05/04/04 06:15 PM

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I just started mine so I don't have beetles, but one way I've seen in some places is that once they turn into beetles you can either leave them in the same container or move them separately by themselves in another container. I don't believe the beetles can fly. I have pieces of screen covering my containers. Grubco sells small, medium, and large mealies. Giants are bigger than the larger mealworms and they take longer to turn into beetles.

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20437
05/04/04 06:23 PM
05/04/04 06:23 PM

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well i now know what the beetles look like my son just brought his school project home <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yelclap.gif" alt="" /> and there is 1 beetle so far and some cacoons

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20438
05/04/04 06:23 PM
05/04/04 06:23 PM

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well i now know what the beetles look like my son just brought his school project home <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yelclap.gif" alt="" /> and there is 1 beetle so far and some cacoons

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20439
05/04/04 06:58 PM
05/04/04 06:58 PM

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I'll try to answer all the questions at once.
First of all Bran, and substitutes. It's more expensive but you can order Bran from this site: Barry Farm You probably want to find something animal grade, peoples food is much more expensive.
Rolled oats won't work (tried that) Poultry mash works, but is much heavier (tried that too). Oatmeal is fine, and one of the less expensive people foods to try. Some people mix things but I don't see a need, no reason to get complicated.

Giant mealies: either you mean the hormone fed, which are not good for pets so stay away, or superworms, which have already been addressed. The beetles never fly, and can't climb well. I use a top for my containers to make them stackable and keep stuff out of them.
I leave my beetles in the container, less work that way.
It really takes only ten minutes, or less, per week to care for them, with the added twenty minutes per month or two to clean the boxes.

Otter

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20440
05/04/04 08:14 PM
05/04/04 08:14 PM
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 5,363
Ok
Sheila Offline
Serious Glideritis
Sheila  Offline
Serious Glideritis

Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 5,363
Ok
Bran is not very expensive, but I am not sure whether to use Wheat, Rice or Oat. I think Rice, or oat, but will find out. My store here charges about $2.00-3 for a large bag. If anyone wants any, maybe I can get them some.


ToandFro Gliders

http://www.toandfrogliders.com

USDA Licensed breeder for 12 years and counting!

WE SELL THE STEALTH WHEEL
Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20441
05/05/04 10:57 AM
05/05/04 10:57 AM

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I use wheat, I've never heard of using rice bran, but I have seen oat used. I think they would all work equally well.

Otter

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20442
05/05/04 09:08 PM
05/05/04 09:08 PM

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how long should it take for bettles to start appearing, or for them to turn into the pupae (or however you spell it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif" alt="" />) I have had mine in a bin with oatmeal for like two weeks now and it doesn't look like anything has changed. I'm starting to get a little frustrated. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crying.gif" alt="" />

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20443
05/06/04 06:37 PM
05/06/04 06:37 PM

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Keep them between 70 and 80 degrees, and give it another two weeks or so,
You should be fine. Sometimes it seems like it takes forever for them to get started, but once they are it never stops.

Otter

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20444
05/07/04 09:40 PM
05/07/04 09:40 PM

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You need to poke holes in the film canisters, yes/no?

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20445
05/08/04 09:31 AM
05/08/04 09:31 AM

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as long as you open them once a week to peek, you don't need to bother poking holes.

Otter

Re: How to Breed Mealies and Superworms [Re: ] #20446
05/12/04 08:07 PM
05/12/04 08:07 PM

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YEAH!!!! I finally got a bettle! Plus I have lots of the little white guys! Thanks so much for the help on starting my own mealie farm! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yelclap.gif" alt="" />


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