mealworm breeding help...

[wonder_chunky]

hi,

a bunch of my mealies turned into beetles so i put em into a seperate container to lay eggs...i had some the of the oat stuff in there and some potatoes for em to eat, then...a few weeks later the beetles started to die and this greenish stuff appered all over the cage (i figured it was mold) but it was only growing on the dead beetles and the stuff around them...not on the food or anything, and it doesnt look like any mold i've ever seen....the "mold" was a bunch of little dots ( so i thought eggs).
but then all my mealied died so i figured it was just mold again!
but i checked today to empty it out and there were a bunch of baby mealies! so was that green crap the eggs or is it mold and i should take out the baby mealies...somehow


thanks,
Ryan

[snakedude_03]

uh huh.. well ryan.. that didnt happen to me.. i have my mealies in one container.. when they turn into the lil alien like things.. i put them in another.. and when they turn into beetles.. i put them into a 10 gal tank.. and some do die but not till a while and they dont mold.. but i use shreedies not oatmeal... lol.. but they still produce.. i can see lots of lil baby mealies and some have grown up to almost become those alien thingies... i dunno if it's mold or whatever..but that doesnt happen to mine..

[little one]

That's never happened to me either. I have my beetles and aliens in a small 3 drawer plastic chest thing and then I put the mealies into a large 3 drawer plastic chest thing. I have holes drilled for air, I use the Ultimate Feeder Diet for substrate, and I move my beetles every 2-3 weeks. I don't have any problems and have more mealies than my gex can handle.

[snakedude_03]

hmm.. yeah.. i think i should change containers or tank every once in a while.. so the adult beetles wont like eat the eggs or the baby mealies...

[little one]

It's a good idea to move them and give them all clean substrate and containers and stuff to keep down the possibility of parasites joining the ranks.

[snakedude_03]

yeah.. well.. i just starting breeding myself..

[PetCrazy]

Hmm,, I've never seen that green stuff either. And I've had the same colony for ...2 years now? (dumped the one before that by accident...argh..)

I'd clean out that container, and get yourself a new batch of mealies to work with.

[North]

Never seen mold or anything growing either but you need adequate ventilation in the containers and don't put in to many potato or carrot (whatever) slices at one time... might be to humid in there

[lance]

i agree with north
ive had the mold you got to lose everything or it will just transport the mold to youre next batch
and trust me on this one dont try to wash a mealie it dont work
clean cage and start over
lance