Mealworm Beetles - Male and Female

[Edwin]

I just started breeding mealworms, and I read that male beetles are smaller than female beetles. Does my pic show a male and a female beetle?

Thanks.

[Degu]

If you check them as pupa you can see two small bump on the males. They are where you would expect to see balls on males! Sorry to be graphic but that's where they are. Thats the best way to sex them.

[Edwin]

Thanks for the info, Degu!

[jadegrasse]

The beetles in the picture are a superworm beetle and a meal worm beetle.

Alain

[asphyxia]

Edwin...

I have about 6 beetles but no eggs and it been about a month?
what do you think my problem is?
and what should I feed the Beetles, so far fish flakes and carrots.

Thanks
Brian

[Pixie]

Brian,

You most likely have eggs and small worms but they are still too small to bee seen with the naked eye. It takes a few weeks before you can start to see them and depending what you keep them on, it can be even harder. Myself I use rolled oats and oat bran as a substrate that is supplemented with gutload recipe and vitamins. It's nearly impossible to see the little worms in that!

Also, 6 beetles isn't much to get a colony going. Let a few more mealworms pupate and turn into beetles. For each colony I get started, I use anywhere from 20 to 50 beetles to get a good production.

Pixie

[Clownfishie]

I was about to say the same thing Brian :) First, give it some time... sometimes it takes a while for them to start doing their thing. And secondly, if you really want to get a colony going, 6 beetles isn't really enough... I'd have at least 20 in there...
It's going to look like not much is happening, but after they've been in there a few weeks, stir them up a little bit and you'll probably notice some miniscule little mealies in there :) And I mean they are TINY... LOL :) You'll need a good eye to see them...

Oh, and I keep my beetles on an inch or so of bran, with fresh veggies added every so often for moisture (I use broccoli stalks, celery & carrots the most).

HTH :)

[asphyxia]

Thank you, Ladies

I hope you dont mind me piggie backing on your thread Edwin, I hope you can use the info too.

BTW Room Temperature for the beatles?

Best Regards
Brian

[reptilesalonica]

I breed crickets for 3 years succesfuly but i never could breed mealworms in bulk. I find it much more difficult. 1st of all they take so much time before mealworms reach their final length. Maybe the temp is lower and they grow so slow? Which is the correct temp to breed mealworms?
Thanks~Greg~

[Pixie]

They will grow more quickly with some added warmth, the best temps for optimal growth being in the mid 80's.

I keep mine near a heat source and they flourish!

Pixie

[Edwin]

Originally posted by asphyxia
Thank you, Ladies

I hope you dont mind me piggie backing on your thread Edwin, I hope you can use the info too.

BTW Room Temperature for the beatles?

Best Regards
Brian

Of course I dont mind, I am learning a lot from the experts too. :)

I have about 50+ beetles, but I think that I have some superworm beetles in there too, as some are humongous. I keep them on the Dr. Gecko formula, but without the bee pollen and all the other flakes (they are really expensive). I also toss in fish flakes and occasional pieces of carrot. Temps are just about 80 degrees F. I started with a colony of about 500 mealworms, and I have a fairly consistent supply now, more than enough for a single leopard gecko.

The Dr.Gecko guide:
http://www.drgecko.com/mealworms/housing.htm

Cheerio,
Edwin

[Edwin]

Originally posted by jadegrasse
The beetles in the picture are a superworm beetle and a meal worm beetle.

Alain

Thanks Alain, I suspected that when some of the beetles were almost double the size of the others. I have sifted through my colony and gotten rid of all the superworm beetles I could find, as they were eating the other mealworms.

[Pixie]

Edwin: Do you keep mealworms and superworms together?

I am wondering because if you don't, you may have thrown out many good beetles! I forgot to mention in earlier replies that there are different sizes of mealworm beetles, I can't say why, if it's sex related or something. In my colonies, some are significantly bigger than others and this has always been the case. I've never kept superworms and none have ever been produced so I know there isn't a mix of species.

It is a good idea however to remove the beetles from a mealworm colony that is producing as they will eat the worms and pupae. I just get a second container ready and transfer the beetles over. Once my first batch is almost done my second is just coming around.

Pixie

[Edwin]

When I bought the mealworms, there were a number of superworms in there. My leo won't touch them, so I just threw them out.

Honestly, I can't be sure if I accidentally threw out 'good' beetles, I just removed the ones that were almost double the size of the rest (like in the pic).

I plan to eventually start moving them into separate colonies like you suggested, thanks! I have been procrastinating on it...

Thanks for the input Pixie, I appreciate it.