Over run with beetles. What to do with so many ?
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Over run with beetles. What to do with so many ?
That means you're going to have a ton of eggs in the future, just let them die a natural death, they only live for about two months.Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle 1
Lots of dried up worms in 3 of my buckets . putting sliced apple or potato every other week . 1st attempt(last year ) I lost them due to mold so very little water mist used now (a ringed out paper towel . )any thoughts ? Maybe ice cream buckets are to small but friend has his in coffee cans (plastic ).
I use this guy's method of raising meal worms, and it has worked perfectly for the past 6 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c82fInUdLJ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HndiMpFVM5U
I got that problem also, when I first started to raise them, I live in a humid environment and was using a lid. I got rid of the lid and went to a bigger container in a area with more air circulation and it was no longer an issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle 1
Just give them enough food so that it gets completely devoured in less than a day, and do this a couple times a week.You can always supplement their water with a spray bottle.Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle 1
Beetles mean eggs. Leave the beetles in a bin for a month keeping them fed on bran or egg laying mash and "watered" with fresh carrots or potato slices. Then sift them out, toss the dead ones, and put them in another bin to keep laying eggs. This batch of beetles will last about 3 months, depending on the exact species of darkling beetle you have (there are hundreds in North America alone).Quote:
Originally Posted by eagle 1
The beetles are just your egg layers. Keep them away from the tiny mealworms because they are cannibalistic in some conditions. You will get way more worms by keeping the beetles separate.
Each months bin will have LOTS of eggs and they will hatch and develop into your bait size mealworms.
As the bait size mealworms reach maturity, they will start to pupate. You will notice that some of your large mealworms are getting lethargic and slow moving,. They are getting ready to pupate and in an ideal situation, should be moved to a separate bin. They have stopped eating and are preparing to turn into pupae... little white "aliens".
Both the worm and the beetle stage will feed on these pupae in some conditions so its best to move them. As they turn into beetles, move the beetles to another "egg laying" bin and keep the cycle going.
Tom
Well, even if they are cannibalistic it's not a problem for me,because I just need some to go fishing with once a week, so I never separate any of the mealworm stages.If you are only using them to go fishing with there's no reason to produce huge numbers mealworms.Quote:
Originally Posted by T_om
But, what you say might be a good idea, if you only started out with a small number of mealworms and need to build a substantial colony. I started out with 2000 mealworms 6 years ago and have never separated anything, and I always have more than enough bait.
I'm in a group that's helped a lot.
eagle1, pm sent.
Will do . Thanks .Quote:
Originally Posted by canebreaker
We kept them in a 30 gallon cardboard drum. Kept them dry in our storm cellar.
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