Breeding crickets

[Loren]

I also raise mealworms. They are a piece of cake to raise.

[tikichick]

What's the red stuff?

[Loren]

What's the red stuff?

The large red chunks are carrots. They get all of their moisture through carrots. I use oatmeal for the main food. I have them in a large 3 drawer sterilite storage set-up. In the drawer in the pic, I ground up the oatmeal in the blender- makes it easier to pick through. The 2nd drawer is also full of mealworms- didnt grind up the oatmeal in it(works fine either way). The 3rd drawer is where I am raising dubia roaches.
I just put a bunch of oatmeal, and put a few chunks of carrot in each week or so. I also lay a few paper towels on top, as they like to congregate under them. I never clean it- only top off the oatmeal occasionally(it lasts a really long time), and toss any carrots that get nasty. It just keeps itself going. Had it going for a few years now, and could probably feed all of my insect eaters out of it, but I like crickets as the main diet for some of my lizards.
All you need to do to start a farm is set up a container like that one(any sterilite type container will work,just so it has some ventilation), add a handfull of mealworms, and let them turn into beetles and they will mate and lay eggs in the oatmeal. Dont use the supersized mealworms- they have been given a hormone that keeps them from morphing into the beetles- thats why they get so big.

[tikichick]

Ahh, carrots, nice! Probably lasts longer than potatoes

Blending the oatmeal - great idea!!

[Loren]

Ahh, carrots, nice! Probably lasts longer than potatoes

Blending the oatmeal - great idea!!

Carrots stay decent for several days- even at 80 degrees. Not that I would eat them after that.
I use them as the main food and water source for my crickets and as the main water source for my roaches as well. I occasionally supplement scraps of collared greens or whatever other greens I feed my desert lizards.

[Lori P]

Hey, what kind of beetles do mealworms turn into??

[Stefan-A]

Mealworm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Lori P]

Thanks Stefan! They're the worms in tequila candy-- lol-- ewwww.

[tikichick]

LOL I didn't realize that! EW EW EW!!!

[adamanteus]

Anything for you!