Mealworm storage?

[Malkavian]

Right now my leopard gecko is on a diet of mealworms, and the smallest quantity i can buy them in lasts her about a week. So dutiffully following the directions on the box, i pop the leftovers in the fridge for a weekend (FWIW i added some cricket gutload to the substrate to give 'em something to eat)

Now on Monday I take 'em out and about three are moving---wondering if this is from the cold or if they just plain dont last that long I'm leaving the box open to see fi they warm up and perk up, and i'm seeing some twitching but i'm curious how the rest of you guys store 'em if or when you have to

 

[genious_gr]

You could try breeding them instead, its very simple. Put them on some flour and let them be. In couple of weeks (It depends on their size) they'll turn into pupae (?) Thats an alien-looking thing that doesnt move around... and after another couple of weeks they'll molt into beatles. Those beatles wil lay eggs out of witch will hatch worms. It'll take some time to get new big worms, but in the long run, you'll save yourself a lot of money, since you have to buy every week.

Also, its a good idea to put the beatles in a new container of flour, for the new -tiny- mealworm to have fresh flour to eat whern they hatch.

I can post some pics if you want....

 

[Malkavian]

I'm familiar with the mealworm setup, and I considered it but it seemed a major hassle especially since i only need a handful every week. Once i get some Ts going there might be enough demand to justify breeind them though.

 

[Wade]

They usually last awhile in the fridge, but they barely move until warmed up. Also, if your fridge is set to the coldest setting (where liquids sometimes start to freeze) it might be a little too cold.

Wade

 

[krtrman]

i know it seems like a lot of work and a lot of leftover mealworms, but IMO you should try and breed them. 1) it will save you money 2) it will save the trips to the store 3)its fun. if you just dump about 100 into a container with oatmeal and maybe some dry cereal you will have a colony in no time. you can put a piece of potato in every couple of weeks for moisture and they will be fine. plus you can always give some of the leftovers to a friend if you know of one that needs them. just a thought.

 

[skinheaddave]

I agree. I have had a colony of mealworms going for about three or four years now. In that time, it has required a maximum of about five hours of my time all tolled. They sit unobtrusively in the laundry room and just go about their regular business. Once in a while I will pick out one or two for feeding and occasionaly I will use a strainer to pull out a substantial number for my monitors to chow down on. Other than that, I just ignore them.

Now, all that being said, is it possible you are getting king/super worms instead? How big are these things? I ask because they are a different species, slightly harder to breed and do not do well at all when cooled.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Dessicata]

skinheaddave, what monitors are you keeping?

 

[Nikos]

My personal opinion is NOT to feed the mealworms directly from the fridge to the animals but to leave them some time in room temperature in order to allow their metabolism to get back to normal.