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Mealworm Bucket 2018


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#1 Offline dermy - Posted March 26 2018 - 10:54 PM

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Just thought I'd start a Journal on this bucket setup I made for my Mealworm Colony.
 Mainly using it as an experiment bin but also to breed them up for feeders come spring/summer.

Here's a look at the screen ontop that helps with circulation so mold or condensation doesn't start:
XjWLj9E.jpg

The bucket itself is pretty large here's a typical "family" size Coffee Can [that I tore through in 25 days by myself]
kKasnYD.jpg

 

I know you don't see the typical bedding material that most people use. I don't do it the same way other people do it. It's been about 2 years
since I started keeping them this way and they seem to be doing well. In fact the mealworms I originally got were supposed to be hormone
treated so they wouldn't be able to mate in the first place.

(also it looks like I smooshed some but no I gently placed the can in there, with nothing inside the can, the Coffee Can is part of what I use to get
an overview of the setup during recording sessions etc.)

Here's a video I made on them during the first day they were inside the setup:


All of the carrots are pretty much gone and replaced with the cucumber from the above pictures.

I'll provide more updates and stuff when I do other things with them.


Edited by dermy, March 26 2018 - 10:56 PM.

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#2 Offline AntsAreUs - Posted March 27 2018 - 8:44 AM

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What does the bedding consist of, and do you separate the pupa?



#3 Offline dermy - Posted March 28 2018 - 8:34 PM

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I get out pupae once a day or so. As for the bedding it varies, right now it's old Christmas style Rice Crispies. I just feed them left over cereals and stuff. I don't make it too deep or they hide in the bedding and when I do my 4hrs of recording they just hide the whole time (unlike my dermestids)

 

I plan to keep feeding them various foods and esp. different types of food wastes.



#4 Offline Barristan - Posted March 29 2018 - 9:27 AM

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They also eat flesh, ,basically they eat almost everything ;)


Edited by Barristan, March 29 2018 - 9:27 AM.


#5 Offline dermy - Posted March 29 2018 - 4:21 PM

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They also eat flesh, ,basically they eat almost everything ;)

Yeah I've seen some people on forums compare them to Dermestids when it comes to skull cleaning. From what I've heard there is 2 problems;

1- The larvae do most of the eating and anyone who's started up a colony knows they seem to go in cycles thus not very reliable.

2- They damage fine bones unlike Dermestids do






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