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These are a great source of protein. You should see how baby chicks fight over these. They are funny. As I watched my chicks one had one end and another had the other end and it was like a tug of war. Too Funny! They are just waking up from being dormant all winter and I have brought them into a heated room. I will have them sorted in a couple Also if you want more than 100 for example if you want 200 mealworms just order 2 and I will send you an invoice for the amount you owe. Feel free to contact me with questions. Start a colony of meal worms the instructions are below, the cycle just continues over and over. I started out with a couple of colony's a few years ago and now I have enough for all my birds. Once a week I give each pen a few. The peafowl just love these as do all my other birds. Mealworms are the larval form of a species of the darkling beetle, Tenebrio molitor. Contrary to their name, they are not actually a worm. Mealworms are typically used as a food source for reptile and avian pets. They are also provided to wild birds in bird feeders, particularly during the nesting season when birds are raising their young and appreciate a ready food supply. Mealworms purchased in a pet store are typically sold in a container with bran bedding. Since mealworms are the larval stage of the darkling beetle, their natural tendency is to eat and grow, moving into the pupa stage and finally becoming adult beetles. To slow down metabolism and growing process, the mealworm larva may be stored in a refrigerator or other cool place. To provide moisture, a large piece of potato or apple or a paper towel soaked with water should be placed in their container. Mealworms may be fed crushed wheat cereal, and have a slight odor reminiscent of crickets. Mealworms are popular classroom observational insects. They are easy to obtain, and they undergo complete metamorphosis. The 4 stages of complete metamorphosis are egg, larva, pupa, and adult. It's easy to observe how mealworms grow and change form. Here's how: Start Your Own Colony !!! 1. Purchase a scoop of mealworms 3. and I put small holes in the lid. 4. Add a slice of apple, potato, or other moist fruit or vegetable to the jar for moisture (remove and replace it if it gets moldy or dries out) I have had good luck with bananna skins too. 1. The mealworms will begin to burrow into the bran or flour 2. The mealworms will grow. As they grow, they will shed their exoskeleton (hard outer covering). You will be able to see these used exoskeletons on the surface of the bran. You can even pour some of the bran from the jar onto a piece of paper and gently sort through it to see that the mealworms have grown and to find more of their shed exoskeletons. Each mealworm will shed its exoskeleton from 9 to 20- times depending upon environmental conditions such as temperature and moisture. They will stay in this larval stage for about 10 weeks. 3. The larva will turn into pupa more quickly if it is warm; it may take longer if temperatures are cooler. Mealworms can even overwinter in their larval form if it is very cold. The pupa of the beetle is a small and firm. It does not move or eat. Inside it, the larva is slowly changing form into an adult beetle. 4. In 2-3 weeks, the skin of the pupa will split open and the adult beetle will emerge. At first, the beetle will be lighter in color and soft. Within a few hours, its skin will darken and its exoskelton will harden. With enough room, you can keep the adults beetles which will mate and produce eggs. The eggs will hatch into mealworms (larvae) in about 2 weeks, and the cycle will continue. (please look at our rules and privacy policy) |
r-sears@machine--tools.com (Ronda Sears) for additional information. This email is used for forwarding to newsgroup user.
