Looks like you've gutloaded your mealworms with a high protein and fat mix. I always have a difficult time growing mine to that size. I'm starting to wonder if I have the Mini Mealworm species in my breeding bins, because they usually don't get any longer than an inch or so with only the diameter of a rod of pencil lead. Did you notice similar sizes earlier on in your breeding project, or have they pretty steadily grown to that large size to begin with? Do the ones that crack open die? Or have you isolated them after noticing them splitting, to see what happens?

Also, it's always a good idea to give your mealworms or superworms some water crystals occasionally, but I find they absorb the majority of their moisture through eating fresh veggies.

You should give Dermestid Larva breeding a try, it's similar to Mealworms in my opinion, just using different nesting mediums and food. They make a great frog food and they come in handy with other breeding projects as a cleanup crew, especially roaches. I also like to use them to process out the dead insects, like your mealworms that may die, by putting the insects in a 5 gallon bucket with anything dead.

I look forward to hearing more about your breeding operation. I've heard of the 3 drawer method before, sounds like it's pretty successful for you :-)


-Dave
SmallPetFeeders.com