http://www.reptilecity.co.za/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=148_152_29&products_id=125 - or is there a cheaper alternative? I wanna breed mealworms for my leopard gecko, how much worms will I need to start with? Just for 1 Leo
That type of kit would be ideal for feeder roaches or perhaps crickets. Mealworms require far less effort. All you really need to breed mealworms is a plastic container of some kind, a gutload/substrate, fruits/veggies for moisture, and the mealworms. Mealworms are pretty productive - to be on the safe side, I'd buy somewhere around 250-500. They should be relatively inexpensive, as in the US we can get such a quantity for less than $10.00 USD. This will provide an ample amount of mealworm larvae to feed to your leo while still allowing for plenty of excess that will go on to become beetles and start the process of reproduction. Each female beetle can lay somewhere in the ballpark of 250-500 eggs (need to check my sources on that figure, trying to recall from memory). It will take several months before you have a stable colony of feeder larvae of varying sizes and along with a constant supply of breeders, but once the colony is established it can essentially grow continuously forever. You'll likely have an excess of feeders at some point with only one leo, but in my opnion it is better to have more than not enough. You can always destroy/cull excess or use them for some other purpose (i.e. fishing or bird food). I'll go into some detail on breeding when I have the time - but honestly it is a walk in the park. Just raise the mealworms as you would normally until they become beetles. Then, you can either separate the beetles into their own breeding/laying container or keep them with the colony. Separating them will yield more offspring, as the eggs wont be eaten as easily by other worms or beetles...but honestly, for only one leo, keeping the entire colony in one bin at all times should still yield a very high number of mealworms in the colony. I had a single bin of mealworms that I neglected for over a year that continued to reproduce with minimal care...
Hmmm, I was thinking I'll use 3 containers Mealworms - small pupa container - beetles. Beetles will lay eggs in the beetle container once the new mealworms are big enough then I will move them to the mealworm container. Hmm... I saw a great idea yesterday! Mealworms - pupa, the pupa are inside egg cartons and when they hatch they crawl out as beetles to the bottom of the container. It sounds easier to me, I don't know Oh have you ever had grain mites or something?
That method will work great and will provide the greatest crop of mealworms because you won't have beetles and as many additional larvae in one container that might accidentally consume eggs. You'll be swimming in mealworms after a few months. Grain mites are an occasional pest to feeder colonies and hitch a ride in certain grain products that might be used for gutload/substrate. Grain mites flourish in higher humidity; so avoid high-moisture grain gutloads (i.e. dog food) and be sure to remove uneaten fruits/veggies after 24hrs. This is also a good practice to prevent mold and bacteria growth - you never want the substrate/gutload damp for long. In the event of a grain mite infestation you often have to throw out the entire colony. It is possible to pick through and place each larva into a new bin with fresh, dry substrate but if the infestation gets bad enough it is often necessary to eliminate the colony source. I would say the majority of keepers never encounter grain mite. But in the event an infestation starts, the result may be a loss of a colony to keep them under control.
