CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to breed mealworms

Recently, a friend asked: What should I do if the traffic is not enough? Many people may think of buying traffic at the first time, but this is only a temporary solution. Even if the cost-effectiveness is high, don't buy traffic! Today, Bian Xiao teaches you a super practical trick, which is to apply for another traffic card. Now mobile phones are dual-card dual standby, the main card is used for making calls, and the secondary card is used exclusively for Internet traffic! A friend asked: If I apply for another traffic card, plus the package of the main card, won't the monthly fee be more? It seems so, but why don't we reduce the package of the main card to the minimum? 1. China Mobile and China Unicom, the lowest package is 8 yuan a month. 2. China Telecom's lowest package is 5 yuan a month. In this way, we minimize the package of the main card, and then apply for a secondary card traffic card. The current mainstream online application channel is 29 yuan for 70G~100G national traffic, 29+5 a month, a total of 34 yuan! Isn't it more cost-effective than buying traffic all the time? 70-100G a month. It is estimated that 90% of people are completely enough! Here is how to deal with this package! 1. Click the link. It's very simple! Just click on the link to enter the tutorial: Regular Traffic Card Guide! 2. Choose the right package. There are China Unicom and China Telecom to choose from. If you move, it will not be on the shelves for the time being. Bian Xiao recommends that you choose the 29 yuan 103G China Unicom traffic card and the 29 yuan China Telecom 100G traffic card, which are really delicious! No routine! 3. Submit relevant information application. If you submit an application, the official will review your information. If there is no problem, it will be delivered to you within 2-3 days, and then you can activate the recharge according to the tutorial in the courier. 4. What if I don’t have enough mobile traffic? From now on, you don’t have to look for this answer anymore! Because only Bian Xiao is there, you will never worry about traffic!

Friends who have pets such as turtles, birds, fish, and insects at home often feed them some live food in order to make them grow better and enhance their affection and interaction. Among them, the most common live feed is mealworms, also known as breadworms. In taxonomy, mealworms are insects belonging to the order Coleoptera, the family Pseudopodidae, and the genus Pseudopodidae. Because they are rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements, they are very nutritious feed insects. Of course, even if they are eaten by humans, they are also very good high-protein nutritious foods.

Mealworms are common live feed insects for pets

We usually buy mealworms from pet stores, breeding farms or online stores. Some friends buy them as a one-time feed worm and buy more after feeding. There are also many friends who buy live worms once and then raise and breed them by themselves, so that they can be self-sufficient and do not need to buy again. In terms of breeding, the method of raising mealworms is simple, the breeding environment and conditions are not high, and the breeding cost is low. For small-scale family breeding, it is also very easy, the conditions are simple, and it does not take up too much space, and a dark corner is enough.

Mr. Turtle uses dry pancakes and vegetable leaves to raise mealworms

When it comes to mealworm feed, whether we consult pet stores, breeding farms or online sellers, almost everyone will unanimously recommend using wheat bran to feed mealworms. This makes many friends think that mealworms must be fed with wheat bran to be well fed. Is this really the case? In fact, this is not the case. This is due to a lack of sufficient understanding of the feeding habits of mealworms. Even without wheat bran, mealworms can still be well fed at home, and there are many feeds that can be used. Today we will talk about this issue for your reference.

1. Basic conditions for raising mealworms at home

Mealworms have been farmed for decades and are a very mature artificially bred insect. Although farms still need corresponding breeding sites and equipment, for home breeding, the conditions required are actually very simple, which can be simply summarized as the three basic conditions of "one box, one sieve, and one location". "One box" refers to the breeding container, "one sieve" refers to the sieve for separating feces, and "one location" refers to the place where the breeding container is placed. These three conditions are briefly explained as follows:

(1) Rearing container (one box)

Mealworms are pests in granaries. Since they live in grain all year round, both larvae and adults move by crawling. Especially in the horizontal direction, they crawl faster; on a rough vertical surface, they can also crawl a long distance. Therefore, the container for raising mealworms needs to be intact and have smooth walls to prevent the insects from escaping. Plastic storage boxes, plastic or stainless steel washbasins and other containers at home can be used to raise mealworms. Containers with rough surfaces such as cardboard boxes and foam boxes are not recommended.

Plastic storage boxes are good containers for raising mealworms

Related studies have shown that mealworms have cannibalism, with larvae eating pupae, adults eating pupae, and adults cannibalizing each other, especially when the stocking density is high and food is scarce. The larvae have a low cannibalism rate, with a survival rate of more than 95%; adults also kill each other severely even when food is sufficient, with a survival rate of at most 80% (see references for data sources, the same below).

Therefore, in order to prevent mealworms from killing each other, the breeding container should not be too small, so as to avoid cannibalism and loss of mealworms due to excessive breeding density. So, what density is considered high? Mealworms are social insects. If the density is too low, it will directly affect the insect's activity and feeding; and if the density is too high, it will increase the cannibalism rate. Therefore, when raising mealworms, it is not good to have a density that is too small or too large. In actual operation, you can choose a container of appropriate size according to the number of larvae to be raised. According to relevant research recommendations, the appropriate breeding density for larvae is generally 2000-5000 larvae/square meter.

The density of mealworms should be appropriate, not too large or too small.

(2) Sieve the feces (one sieve)

In addition to containers, sieves are also necessary for raising mealworms. There are many types of sieves depending on their purpose, such as egg sieves for separating eggs, insect sieves for separating insects of different sizes, and feces sieves for separating insects and feces. When we raise mealworms at home, we usually only need a feces sieve to separate feces.

Feces sieve used for raising mealworms

The feces of mealworms are very small and look like fine sand, so they are also called sandy feces. The feces of mealworms are extremely dry and contain almost no water, but they are very easy to rot and deteriorate when exposed to water or moisture, breeding pathogens. Therefore, when raising mealworms, it is necessary to remove the feces in time, otherwise it is easy for the worms to get sick. At this time, a feces sieve with a mesh size of about 20 to 30 is needed. Every once in a while, you need to use a sieve to sift out the feces, which is the guarantee for raising mealworms well.

Mealworm feces sieved

Here, I want to make a special note that although it is feces, mealworm feces is a good thing. According to research, the total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium and organic matter content are far higher than ordinary garden soil. For example, the total nitrogen content exceeds 670% of garden soil, the total phosphorus exceeds 100% of garden soil, the total potassium exceeds 1228% of garden soil, and the organic matter exceeds 280% of garden soil. It is a veritable biological organic fertilizer. Therefore, if you have flowers, vegetables and other plants planted at home, it is recommended to use mealworm feces directly as organic fertilizer and do not waste it.

(3) Place of placement (one location)

Mealworms live in granaries for a long time in a dark and dry environment. The compound eyes of mealworm larvae are completely degenerated, with only 6 pairs of simple eyes. They are afraid of light and tend to move towards darkness, mainly guided by antennae and sensory organs. Both larvae and adults avoid strong light, and are most active in weak light and darkness, which is the most suitable for growth. Therefore, mealworms should be raised in a dark and dry place. Strong light and humidity are not conducive to the growth of mealworms.

In summary, unlike farms, raising mealworms at home is actually very simple. You only need a container of the right size to prevent the worms from escaping, a sieve to separate the worm feces, and a dark and dry place, and you can start raising mealworms. So, if we don't have wheat bran, what should we use to feed mealworms?

2. Without wheat bran, what food can be used to raise mealworms?

It is undeniable that wheat bran is indeed a good feed for raising mealworms. It can ensure the nutritional content, is relatively cheap and easy to buy, but this does not mean that mealworms cannot be raised without wheat bran. In fact, mealworms have a wide range of food habits. They can be fed with all kinds of grains, brans, chaff, vegetables and fruits, and even the leftover staple food (dry, without oil or salt). They are not picky eaters.

Wheat bran is a good food for mealworms

Take Mr. Thrush Turtle as an example. In the past, for the sake of convenience and trouble-free, he directly bought dried mealworms to feed birds and turtles. Until a while, after throwing away several bags of flour eaten by insects, he felt a little pity that people didn’t eat much, but the insects ate it. Speaking of insects, he suddenly thought of mealworms. Since people can’t eat it, why not use these waste materials to raise insects for pet birds or turtles? So he bought mealworms and started to raise them. Although the seller also said at the time that it was best to raise them with wheat bran. But common sense tells me that flour eaten by insects is also OK.

Mr. Turtle uses pancakes and vegetable leaves to raise mealworms

After I bought this batch of worms home, I started to feed them with flour eaten by worms; later, I used starch (cornstarch) used for cooking. The food in the breeding box is currently vegetable leaves and dry pancakes that were not eaten before the New Year. Sometimes I also give them a small amount of cooked rice. In fact, the wide range of mealworms' diet is far beyond our imagination. To summarize, the following foods in our lives can be used to feed mealworms:

(1) Food and its products

Wheat, corn, sorghum, rice, soybeans and other types of grains that people eat, as well as their products, as long as they are oil-free and salt-free, can be used to feed mealworms. Taking wheat as an example, wheat, wheat bran, flour, oatmeal, etc. can be fed directly; steamed buns, bread, toast, pancakes and other foods made from flour, after drying and making into small particles, can also be used as food for mealworms. Other grains and cereals are basically similar, as long as they are available, they can be used to feed. In fact, in our home life, we always encounter a lot of grains that are infested by insects. As long as they are not moldy and deteriorated, and are dry, oil-free and salt-free, they are all foods that mealworms love to eat.

Uneaten cereal can be fed to insects

(2) Various types of vegetable waste

When we usually cook, there are always a lot of discarded vegetable leaves and peeled radishes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, etc., which are usually thrown directly into the trash can. But it is different after raising mealworms. These can be used to feed the worms. Basically, our common vegetable waste, as long as there is no rotten part and it is not wet or too wet, can be used as food for mealworms. Of course, there is no problem with directly feeding with various vegetables.

Feeding vegetable leaves from time to time can replenish water (when the water content is high, it can be dried in the sun)

Whether it is vegetable waste or vegetables, the general principle is that they cannot rot, have less water, and cannot be fed directly after washing (they can be left unwashed or the surface water can be dried after washing). Vegetables with high water content should be fed less (such as winter melon, cucumber, cabbage stalks, tomatoes, etc.). So, what is considered high water content? Studies have shown that feed with a higher water content in the range of 5%-18% is more beneficial to the growth and development of mealworms. After exceeding 18%, the growth and development of mealworm larvae slows down significantly, and even becomes sick and dies. In actual operation, of course, we cannot measure the water content of vegetables every time. Here is a simple standard. Refer to the water content of carrots. If it is higher than this, it means that the water content is too high and it is not advisable to feed more.

(3) Various types of fruit waste

When we eat fruits, we also produce a lot of waste, such as fruit peels and cores, which used to be garbage, but can now be used to feed mealworms. Apple peels, banana peels, mango peels, orange peels, watermelon peels, sugarcane bagasse... basically anything you can think of can be used as feed. Of course, you can also feed directly with fruits instead of waste. However, like vegetables and waste, they cannot be rotten or have too much water.

Apple peels and other fruit waste can be fed to mealworms

(4) Various small animal carcasses

For those of us who raise turtles and ornamental fish, it is inevitable that we may make mistakes and kill a few turtles or fish. In the past, the carcasses of these small animals were usually thrown away or buried. Now they have a greater use, which is to feed mealworms. Yes, mealworms can also eat meat. As we said above, one characteristic of mealworms is that they are prone to killing each other. Isn't that eating meat? For example, when the turtles raised by many turtle lovers die, they use mealworms to extract the tortoise shells. In fact, as long as the carcasses of various small animals such as fish, turtles, and insects are not rotten and have little moisture, there is no problem in feeding mealworms.

Unrotten small animals can be used as mealworm food

(5) Various pet foods

People who keep pets at home will have some pet food, such as dog food, cat food, bird food, turtle food, fish food, etc. Sometimes, a pet dies due to illness or is given away, and the stored pet food is no longer used. In the past, it was probably thrown away directly, but after raising mealworms, these should not be wasted and can be directly fed to the worms.

Leaves, weeds, etc. can also be used to feed mealworms

In a word, there are so many things that mealworms can eat. If you don't have any of the above, that's OK. You can even go outside and pull up some leaves and weeds to feed mealworms! Yes, they can eat these, and mulberry leaves, elm leaves, and legume leaves are the best. Mealworms are really not picky eaters and are very easy to keep.

3. Conclusion

Mealworms are high-protein insects with high nutritional value. They are live feed insects that we often use when raising pets such as turtles, birds, fish, and insects. The method of raising mealworms is simple. For home breeding, you can start raising mealworms by adding a container and a sieve in a dark and dry place. Wheat bran is usually used as the main ingredient, but this does not mean that mealworms cannot be raised well without wheat bran. In home breeding, there are still many things that mealworms can eat.

Mealworms are omnivorous insects with a wide range of diets, including both meat and vegetables. They can eat everything from grains to vegetables and fruits, cat food, dog food, small fish, insects, and even leaves and weeds. They are not picky eaters. However, this does not mean that mealworms have no special requirements for feed. For food, first, it must not be rotten or spoiled, second, it must not have too much water, and third, it must be free of oil and salt (mealworms can eat a small amount of mixed mineral salts, but they are not the same as table salt).

Insect-eaten white sesame

Especially the water content must be paid attention to. If mealworms eat food with too much water content, they are prone to illness or death. Therefore, for foods with high water content, try to feed them less; for example, if vegetable leaves and fruit peels have been washed with water, the surface water should be dried before feeding them to mealworms; vegetable leaves with high water content should be dried to half dry (i.e. wilted state) before feeding them to mealworms. As long as the food does not deteriorate and the water content is not excessive, mealworms are still easy to raise.

In general, mealworms are really worth raising. They eat waste, but produce high-protein, nutritious feed insects. Even their feces are good stuff, which is a great biological organic fertilizer for growing flowers and vegetables. How about it? Why not raise one?