# male or female mealworms??



## guitarlust (Jan 27, 2006)

i know this is probably a stupid question, but i am curious and need to know.  is it possible to tell the sex of future beetles based solely on the size of the larvae??  i have one larva that is a pupa and another is in the process turning to a pupa.  thing is both of these larvae are small.  i have some larva that are freaking huge, im talking a least over an inch long or so and they havent done nothing yet.  is it possible that the smaller larva are males and the ones that are huge females??  i'm raising mealworms cause i dont want to deal with the stinking crickets anymore.  any feedback would be much appreciated.


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## cacoseraph (Jan 27, 2006)

DOWN WITH CRIX!!!!

have you considered roaches?


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## Snipes (Jan 27, 2006)

I have not really noticed any size difference. I just leave em in there, feed em occasionally something other than the oatmeal substrate, and let em multiply. I like mealworms cuz they dont take up lots of room, are low maintenance, breed nicely, and most of my t's go after them. Why would you like to know? Oh, if you got some from the store it is likely that the ones that are smaller are the ones you have had for a generation or more. I think they give the big ones at Petco and whatnot drugs to make them keep from pupating so they grow larger in the larval state. Then when you have them, since they no longer have the drug they pupate, then go to beetle, and their babies pupate at a smaller size.


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## Dark Raptor (Jan 28, 2006)

guitarlust said:
			
		

> is it possible to tell the sex of future beetles based solely on the size of the larvae??


No. Their pupas are probably physically different, but I've got no information about that. All keys to identification of tenebrionid beetles I have, concentrate on adult insects.
You can check their sex when they are imago. And in different conditions (food, temperature, humidity) they reach different sizes. I had large and small males/females in many combinations


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