Easy feeders to culture?

[patrickfraser]

I just bought some mealworms and I am going to try to culture them. They seem to need minimal care and space. They seem pretty easy to culture after reading about them a little. I raise my own hydei fruitflies, BBs, and dubia and hisser roaches. I thought I'd add a "wormy" item into the mix. I don't do well with silkworms and have never tried hornworms, as they seem like too much work. Does anybody culture any other feeder that is easy?

 

[petoly]

doesn't get any easier than mealworms. you can pretty much forget to feed them for weeks and they just don't die, not saying you should but just know they are super tough. not sure if there's anything as easy if not easier than them. other than roaches. If you know what you're doing which you do, then most feeders are easier. Crickets are super easy. They just take separate bins and smell bad, not to mention the constant chirping. springtails and isopods maybe? same thing if you have them setup right they are super easy.

 

[Golden State Vivs]

I agree, it doesn't get much easier than mealworms.

Most species of roaches are very easy to culture, as are isopods, bean beetles, and springtails.

 

[drolkp84]

If ur looking for a cricket that's silent go for the camel cricket... they're pretty cool looking and I use to feed them to my scorpions.

 

[patrickfraser]

I just ordered some superworms and gonna give them a try.

 

[petoly]

I never did superworms because I don't like the idea of having a buttload of individual cups for each individual worm. Let me know how you do with them =)

 

[patrickfraser]

They only need to be separated when you want them to pupate to get beetles to breed more larva. They will not pupate, supposedly, when in a colony setting, so I think it will be easy. I'd say 25 individual cups would be plenty. Once pupated, you can keep all the pupae together to hatch into beetles. If I remove a pupae, I'll replace it with another worm. Should be simple. You'll know when I start selling my excess.

 

[Malakyoma]

I don't keep pupae together in case the first beetle to hatch decides the others look tasty. I have about 20 pupae right now, one just hatched today. The others should be hatching slowly over the month and I have more worms separated pupating every day.

As for isopods, I'm having a hard time finding a good place to order from. Bugs in cyberspace doesn't ship to canada and Double Ds doesn't sell substrate for them. No substrate and I cant raise the isopods. Anyone know what I should do? maybe give me a recipe to mix my own substrate? Maybe a good substrate from the pet store? how do I get the isopods? and whats the best way to gurantee alive arrival?

 

[Reptiliatus]

I don't keep pupae together in case the first beetle to hatch decides the others look tasty. I have about 20 pupae right now, one just hatched today. The others should be hatching slowly over the month and I have more worms separated pupating every day.

As for isopods, I'm having a hard time finding a good place to order from. Bugs in cyberspace doesn't ship to canada and Double Ds doesn't sell substrate for them. No substrate and I cant raise the isopods. Anyone know what I should do? maybe give me a recipe to mix my own substrate? Maybe a good substrate from the pet store? how do I get the isopods? and whats the best way to gurantee alive arrival?

I have isopods living in some of my enclosures. I just collected wild ones and they have been breeding and thriving in my planted enclosures, consuming waste and moist leaf litter and compost substrate.

 

[Malakyoma]

I have isopods living in some of my enclosures. I just collected wild ones and they have been breeding and thriving in my planted enclosures, consuming waste and moist leaf litter and compost substrate.

I was thinking of trying that too, but I was hoping on getting some metalyticus nymphs in the spring, and I dont think there would be enough time for them to start breeding in the culture If I started collecting when the snow melted. I wont be finding any right now lol. I was also going to order some different species, was looking at the Orange, Dwarf white, and large Spring tails.

 

[garin33]

Patrick have you tried waxworms? I have read that they are pretty easy to culture and they do turn into moths so you can also feed the moths. I have not tried them yet but plan to soon. I like the idea of culturing moths or butterflies.

I think Mime454 is breeding them? How's that going Mime?

I have grain moths that have been breeding in my Lateralis roach colony and I have been feeding them to my creos and ghosts and they seem to really like them. However, I'm not sure how long that is going to last.

 

[Mime454]

Patrick have you tried waxworms? I have read that they are pretty easy to culture and they do turn into moths so you can also feed the moths. I have not tried them yet but plan to soon. I like the idea of culturing moths or butterflies.

I think Mime454 is breeding them? How's that going Mime?

I have grain moths that have been breeding in my Lateralis roach colony and I have been feeding them to my creos and ghosts and they seem to really like them. However, I'm not sure how long that is going to last.

I fed them off at the first generation. They were puny and not worth the time. I don't even know how you go about breeding them. They weren't for me.

For the record, I'm pretty sure that mine were inferior stock. I got them from Petsmart and they were pretty lifeless. Had about a 1% pupation rate. I was very dissatisfied, but Rebecca or others might have better stock.

 

[garin33]

Hi Mime and thanks for the report.

It's too bad it didn't work out. I was hoping it would be easy but it doesn't sound that way. I'm hoping maybe there is another moth species that is easy to breed.

What do you think Rebecca? Do you have the same pupation issue with your stock?

Patrick, how's the superworms coming along?

 

[patrickfraser]

I think the superworms are still growing and not ready to pupate. I remove a group and they do nothing in a week, so I throw them back in the bin. They are still molting, as I find white ones in there. I just don't know how to tell when they are full grown and ready to pupate. One of the ones I had out to pupate actually molted, so I know it wasn't ready to pupate. I have only found one dead worm, so they are keeping well.

I have found another feeder that is also a helper. When I received my superworms there were a couple dermestid beetles and larva. I hucked them into my roach bin, as they are sold as "cleaning crews" and I thought, "Why not?". They have been cleaning up a storm. They have also been reproducing well and are becoming quite numerous. The larva are tiny to about 1/2" and perfect for smaller mantids.

 

[Mime454]

Hi Mime and thanks for the report.

It's too bad it didn't work out. I was hoping it would be easy but it doesn't sound that way. I'm hoping maybe there is another moth species that is easy to breed.

What do you think Rebecca? Do you have the same pupation issue with your stock?

Patrick, how's the superworms coming along?

I think that he issue was that they came from the refrigerator at the store. No telling how long they had been in there, I can't imagine they're very popular.

 

[Malakyoma]

I think the superworms are still growing and not ready to pupate. I remove a group and they do nothing in a week, so I throw them back in the bin. They are still molting, as I find white ones in there. I just don't know how to tell when they are full grown and ready to pupate. One of the ones I had out to pupate actually molted, so I know it wasn't ready to pupate. I have only found one dead worm, so they are keeping well.

I have found another feeder that is also a helper. When I received my superworms there were a couple dermestid beetles and larva. I hucked them into my roach bin, as they are sold as "cleaning crews" and I thought, "Why not?". They have been cleaning up a storm. They have also been reproducing well and are becoming quite numerous. The larva are tiny to about 1/2" and perfect for smaller mantids.

My superbeetles number at 7 unless more eclosed today. it takes a week or two for them to pupate, and I found worms that molted after I separated them would still pupate. Seems some of the worms I bought a month and a bit ago are dying off though, so that seems their lifespan.

 

[patrickfraser]

I picked out some of the largest dermestid larva to photograph. They are like little "fuzzy wuzzies"

My mealworms have also become beetles. Now I wait for baby worms.

 

[Malakyoma]

Just when I think I have no more mealworm pupa about to hatch, I pull open the drawer and there's maybe 200 beetles. Already transfered them once, waiting on worms too. I have about 13 Superworm beetles now too.

 

[patrickfraser]

I think mealworms may be too easy. I just wish they were bigger. I will take out some superworms to pupate and cross my fingers.