How to Raise Mealworms

Mealworms are a favored food for small lizards, some snakes, toads, turtles and even cage birds. You can grow a steady supply of these larvae which mature into small black or brown beetles by the following methods.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Mealworm larvae (100)
• Plastic containers with lids (two to start)
• Corn meal, oat bran, ground oatmeal or graham flour
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Apple, carrot or potato (occasionally)

1. Choose a size for your mealworm breeding containers, depending on how many critters you have to feed. You can breed small batches in one-quart plastic containers, or use storage container sizes up to several gallons.
2. Punch holes in the lids of two plastic containers with a knife or other sharp tool. Don’t cut large holes in the container top, because you have to keep the humidity high inside the container.
3. Mix corn meal with one or more cereal bran, grains, graham flour or finely ground oatmeal. Add about 1 tsp. of confectioner’s sugar to each cup of cereal meal to increase nutrient content. Pour grain mixture to about 3 to 4 inch depth in small containers, or about two inches depth in large containers.
4. Add 50 to 100 mealworms to the first container to establish a culture. Add a slice or two of apple, potato or carrot to keep the humidity up and provide extra nutrition. Humidity can also be maintained with pieces of damp paper towel, which will attract mealworms and make them easier to remove from the container.
5. Remove mature beetles from the first container, which develop from the inert-looking waxy pupae after a couple of weeks, and place in the second container. After the beetles feed and breed for up to a week, they can be released outside. The second breeding container is now inoculated with lots of mealworm eggs.
6. Clean out first container when all mealworms and beetles have been used up or transferred, or when cereal mix becomes odorous or moldy. Larvae will mature to feeder size in about three months after eggs are laid. Keep additional breeder containers growing on a time-staggered basis if you need a larger continuous supply of mealworms.

Tips & Warnings

• Mealworm larvae will grow faster at higher temperatures, ideally at 80 degrees F. You can store full-size larvae at lower temperatures, around 38 degrees F in the refrigerator, to keep them from turning into pupae.
• Mealworms can be used as bait for panfish and for ice-fishing.