How to Breed Mealworms

Breeding your own mealworms can save you money, and time, especially if you own several reptiles or birds. Mealworms are commonly bought at most local pet stores, and some bait shops. A container of 32 mealworms cost an average of $2.50. Adult or large mealworms are around 1.5" long. Both reptiles, and birds can consume several large mealworms at one feeding. Needless to say, buying your mealworms retail can be costly, especially if your buying them retail.

Breeding your own mealworms is rather simple to do. You will need the following items in order to successfully breed your mealworms:

Plastic sweater boxes with lids

An old or cheap screwdriver

Old candle and lighter

2 boxes of old fashion plain oatmeal or 10 boxes of plain oatmeal baby cereal.

1 box of plain (non sweetened) bran cereal.

At least 1,000 to 2,000 large mealworms (You can buy large amounts like this in bulk).

Fruit or veggies

8" X 8" Cut square newspaper

First you want to make air holes in your sweater box. To do so, take your screwdriver, candle, lighter, and box outside. Because drilling, or punching holes in your box can cause it to crack, you are going to melt holes in it. In a safe area, with water nearby, light the candle. Next place the screwdriver in the flame for a minute or so. Finally remove the screwdriver from the flame, and press it through the lid of your box. Your screwdriver should glide through with ease. Replete this step until you have no less then a dozen holes, or more depending on the size of your screwdriver. You want air flow, so don't be to shy with the holes.

Once you have your box ready you will need to add your mealworm bedding. Your mealworms bedding and food is going to be the oatmeal, and bran cereal. If your wanting mini mealworms for hatchlings you will need to use just baby oatmeal cereal. It is easier to find the baby mealworms in the finer oatmeal. Dump your oatmeal and bran into the box and mix it up together. Once you have your bedding mixed up add your 1,000 or more mealworms. You can buy mealworms by the thousands at bulk reptile feed supplies such as Ghann's or Lucky Lures Cricket Farm. After the mealworms are in the box add 2 thin slices of apple or potato to the top of the bedding. The mealworms will eat the fruit & veggies which gives them their water. Replace the fruit strips every 3 days. I also like to add a few small sheets of newspaper cut in 8"X 8" squares and stacked 3 sheets high to one end of the container. This adds a little hiding spot, and the like the paper. All that's left to do is snap on the lid, place them in a warm spot, and wait. As long as they are 75 degrees or hotter they will develop nicely. 45 degrees to 75 degrees slows their growth.

It will take 2 to 6 weeks depending on how old your mealworms were when you placed them in a box to start changing. You will see small white alien looking bugs that appear dead before long. This is the mealworm turning into a beetle. Once this happens you will see beetles with in 1 to 2 weeks. Beetles are ready to reproduce almost instantly, and within a week they are laying eggs. A beetle can lay 100 to 300 eggs. It will take around 3 months for these eggs to develop and become mini mealworms that you can see.

Yes, it will take you around 6 months to really have a nice amount of mealworms. However, when I started I feed my reptiles straight out of my mealworm breeding box from the original 1,500 I bought (1,000 large, 500 small). I never had to buy them from a pet store again, and I'm always supplied with them.