Mealworm Life Cycle

[Shellhead]

Is there anything i need to do to keep my aliens alive? I have taken all of them out and put them in a seperate container. Do they need a substrait?

[kirsten]

i've got 15 Aliens now!!! only just spotted the first one yeserday i think it was!!! can't believe so many have changed in such a short time.

[Mischievous_Mark]

I found one alien today, how long does it take for them to turn into beetles ?

[kirsten]

whoohoo!! i've got my first beetle this morning, and looks like i'll have another before the end of the day.

[kirsten]

Originally Posted by funky1

Don`t forget to chuck all the uneaten mealies out of the vivs - into the breeding tubs. The heat from the viv seems to help speed up the process of turning them into beetles.

i've noticed that, being in the viv in the food bowl seems to turn them into aliens quicker, and i always have at least one alien in each bowl when i take the bowls out in the morning and only one or two in the mealies tub.

i think i might start rotatint the beetles, not sure though. i've got 8 adult leos and will be breeding this season, so need small size mealies too. well i suppose i'd rather have too many than not enough. i can always feed them to the birds.

i've got over 20 aliens right now, one brand new beetle, and one more just about to hatch into a beetle. i'm keeping all my mealies and soon the beetles in a cricket keeper as it was the only decdent size tub i had, and i don't keep crickets anymore.

[jampot]

I have had mealworms and crickets both breed in my beardies viv
But perhaps i should try and breed the mealworms properly

Thanks for the great advice!

[jampot]

After reading this thread i went outside to find the mealworms my Mum had thought were dead and put the box outside. But after a good 3 frosts some are still moving!

[Mischievous_Mark]

I found another alien today thats 2 in total, Im sure if i dig about a bit ill find more but i couldnt be borderd.

[spikemu]

how long will it take 4 aliens to turn to beetles

i got 16 mealies

i agree bout they turn 2 aliens faster in the viv in a bowl lol
thts were i find all mine never in the actual tub.
i only got the cricket tubs tho.
is that ok to start wiv ????
will they still breed in them ??

[Mattsetback]

I've had a go at this now as well. I have a tub full of cereal, with about 10 living beetles, about 20 dead beetles (my 'colony' started when I just threw the contents of my girlfriends two old mostly dead mealie tubs in a larger tub), about 20 aliens and about 40 mealies in it.
It looks ok, guess i'll just leave them to get on with it.....