How to Raise Mealworms? A Detailed Explanation of Breeding Methods and Technical Points

The mealworm is an insect with a wide nutritional profile. In China, it is currently mainly raised as feed, and anyone who needs to feed insects will generally consider mealworms first. It is an extremely easy species to raise, so how exactly should it be bred?

1. Breeding Environment

Mealworms are relatively small, with larvae only about 1-2 cm long, and it is mainly the larvae that are sold, so the environment should be modified mainly for the larvae. The environment should be kept in a relatively dark state, because mealworms do not like light. The indoor temperature needs to be a bit higher, controlled above 20°, as too low a temperature will affect their growth. Ventilation does not need to be too strong, so as not to disrupt the indoor temperature environment. The breeding site should be relatively quiet, because when the noise is loud, mealworms will be in a stimulated state. There must be no peculiar smells indoors, as mealworms are extremely sensitive to unusual odors, which are also quite harmful to them.

2. Building the Breeding Site

Mealworm breeding does not take up much space. Generally, wooden boxes are used for breeding, with a box size of about 80*40*12, and paper boxes and the like can also be used for breeding. After preparing the boxes, build suitable shelves according to the box size. The shelves should be fairly sturdy, with the height set according to your own needs, and then place the boxes on the shelves. The boxes should be easy to take out, because they will need to be moved frequently during later breeding management. The inner walls of the boxes need to be smooth, and at least 6-8 cm of height should be left empty, so that the mealworms will not easily crawl out.

3. Introducing the Larvae

Once the early preparations are done, it is time to introduce the larvae. Before introducing the larvae, some bran should first be placed at the bottom of the box, with a thickness of about 1-2 cm. Put the newly hatched mealworm larvae into it and stir, with a quantity of about 8000-10000. Be sure to spread them out evenly, so that the larvae do not pile up together, which is bad for their growth. Later on, you need to decide according to the situation whether to reduce the number of mealworms in a single box. During the period when the larvae are 1-2 cm long, keeping the mealworms in one box at about 3 jin in weight is the optimal living condition.

4. Feed and Feeding

At present, the mainstream food for feeding mealworms is wheat bran, mixed with some other items for breeding. In the box, wheat bran should be used to separate the mealworms and mix them evenly, with the bran thickness at more than 2 cm. To keep the nutrition sufficient, some cornmeal, soybean cake and the like can be added in the middle and stirred, with a ratio of about wheat bran 7 : corn 2 : soybean cake 1. Apart from the wheat bran proportion staying unchanged, the other items and proportions can be appropriately swapped. To meet the mealworms' moisture and nutritional requirements, vegetable leaves are also an essential daily food. Chop the leaves, then spread them evenly in the box, following the principle of small amounts and frequent feeding.

Mealworms need to have their frass cleaned regularly in daily care, so that they can have a hygienic environment. Secondly, mice, ants and similar insects also need to be guarded against, so as to avoid unnecessary losses. The above is the simple process for breeding mealworms. Those who are interested can learn from it!