Has anyone tried breeding minimealworms?

[INCA]

has anyone tried. i heard they are a great variety instead of using crix everytime for baby beardies.. are they good for babies beardies to?

 

[INCA]

anybody???????

 

[Aries08]

I don't know about breeding them but my lil guy eats the hell out of them and he goes to the bathroom on a daily basis so I've no problem with impaction.

 

[INCA]

thats good to know! they arre pretty cheap to

 

[patrickb]

I'd still be leary of feeding them because they are closely related to regular mealworms. Somethings are just better safe than sorry IMHO. If you did feed em, try to only feed freshly molted ones and I wouldn't use them as the exclusive staple. I think they would be better suited to a twice a week treat for the young beardies and then should be weaned off of them after about 4-5months tops.

Also, if you buy them, make sure you are getting true mini-mealworms (Tenebrio obscurus) and not regular mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). I noticed quite a few websites market mini-mealworms then turn around and state they are just regular mealworms harvested at a smaller size. Just a heads up there.

 

[INCA]

well there website is http://www.minimealworms.com . does anybody know how to breed these?

 

[patrickb]

Yeah, those are the right worms. I have seen references before that suggest they are bred the in the same manner as regular mealworms, but one thing I noted was that getting them to either pupate or finish the pupation into beetles seemed to be a big holdup in some references. I suspect you possibly have to treat them like superworms in this aspect and seperate the larvae at a certain point to force the pupation.

They are cheap enough, experiment around with them. Might take some time to hit on the formula for success.

 

[INCA]

well i guess ill buy some and seperate them,,

Thanks patrick

 

[fresnowitte]

well there website is http://www.minimealworms.com . does anybody know how to breed these?

They are easy to breed you do not need to seperate the aliens or the beetles from the worms.
Just put your worms in a substrate like you would supers. When the worms turn to beetles put a paper towel roll in for them to hide in and make sure you keep them hydrated with a carrot or potato slice. Don't allow the substrate to mold. An I suggest you keep a screen on them so that no pest like grain moths infest the colony. They take some time to grow, but they are easy.

Not all of the bugs I breed are for beardie consumption some are for bait. :mrgreen:

 

[patrickb]

well there website is http://www.minimealworms.com . does anybody know how to breed these?

They are easy to breed you do not need to seperate the aliens or the beetles from the worms.
Just put your worms in a substrate like you would supers. When the worms turn to beetles put a paper towel roll in for them to hide in and make sure you keep them hydrated with a carrot or potato slice. Don't allow the substrate to mold. An I suggest you keep a screen on them so that no pest like grain moths infest the colony. They take some time to grow, but they are easy.

I just want to clarify, is that specifically for the TRUE minimealworms (Tenebrio obscurus) and not regular mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) which are sometimes harvested at smaller sizes and marketed as "minimealworms?" Two distinctive species and I haven't seen anyone that has bred the minis post specific instructions on the methods. What you described above does work for regular mealworms, but again references seem to differ on whether it actually works with the minis. I am just curious, because I have thought of trying out the minis here lately for the heck of it.

Not all of the bugs I breed are for beardie consumption some are for bait. :mrgreen:

Mealworms are great for bait (I love trout fishing) and I also like feeding the birdies in the backyards too.

 

[fresnowitte]

Patrick I want to reply to your last post but I'm going to have to wait. I'm watching my 9 monyh old grandson right now. He is fussy due to cutting teeth so is only happy if you want to call it that if I hold him. It is really hard to type one handed with the help of 2 extra little hands banging on my keyboard. :lol: So check back later for my reply. :wink:

hyfvuyfkycd tu5sde d u6 cdhtfg,frttrkgtjuuytt hgjhvjk c Says Aiden. :lol:

 

[fresnowitte]

Hey Patrick thanks for clearing up the minimealworms scam......... :lol:
Your right I looked up tenebrio molitor after checking out the pic's in the link that INCA posted.
An I'll be you know what..........! I bought tenebrio molitor with the cup lid marked as minimealworms. I'm glad that they are not for feeding beardies. I noticed that the Tenebrio obscurus looks more like a baby super worm, darker in color than a mealworm and the ones I have are not dark in color.

Patrick is this why they sell them in cups and tell you to keep them refrigerated so they do not grow very fast? I know that they won't morph in the frig.


So I guess INCA you can void out my reply where I stated I'd breed minimealworms.

And thanks Patrick for the education. I appreciate it. :wink:

 

[patrickb]

Thanks for getting back to me Barbara, but I was hoping you would say it was the real minimealworms you bred before. Now I am going to have to order a few batches this summer and experiment, as if I don't have enough projects. lol

I can't really attest to why they market them the way they do. I know that minimealworms supposedly require a different setup to breed, and maybe these other companies are just trying to compete by offering small mealworms. I have only seen about two or three sites selling them, and they all stated they were either small regular mealworms, or true mealworms so no true misdirection if you read the fine print.

It could be these companies are just trying to compete and have no clue that these minimealworms are a different species from what they sell. Some companies may be thinking the other companies are selling the same species they are, just at a smaller harvested size. Dunno. It's going to be interesting figuring out how they breed, since the literature I have read so far doesn't seem very conclusive. heh

 

[fresnowitte]

Thanks for getting back to me Barbara, but I was hoping you would say it was the real minimealworms you bred before. Now I am going to have to order a few batches this summer and experiment, as if I don't have enough projects. lol

I know what you mean now I'm on a mission myself to locate the real mini's and conquer. :lol:
The bug addiction/fasination has gotten bad for me. :laughing6: :help:
Do you have any links off hand that carry the real deal?

 

[INCA]

here are the real minis http://www.minimealworms.com