How to Raise Meal Worms

The meal worm is not actually a worm at all, but rather the larval stage of the darkling beetle. Meal worms may not look very appetizing to us, but to lizards, spiders, birds, rodents and even other beetles, they are quite the delicacy. If you want to cultivate meal worms for profit or to feed your own exotic pet, just follow these simple steps.

Things You'll Need

  • Starter meal worms
  • 2 large Rubbermaid (or similar) containers (approximately 6 gallons each)
  • Sharp knife
  • Wheat bran or whole wheat flour
  • Raw potatoes
  • Large plastic scoop
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase starter meal worms (100 to 200). You can buy them at a local pet store or purchase them on the Internet.

    • 2

      Punch small holes in the tops of two plastic containers with a sharp knife. Do not cut the holes too large, or the necessary humidity will escape.

    • 3

      Pour 1 inch of wheat bran or whole wheat flour (or a mix of both) into the bottom of the first container. Add two or three slices of raw potato.

    • 4

      Place your meal worms into the container and close the lid tightly. Keep a close eye on your meal worms. In approximately two weeks they will morph into pupae. During the pupae stage, they will not eat or move. In the next two to three more weeks, the mature beetles will emerge from the pupae shells.

    • 5

      Prepare the second container exactly as you prepared the first container in Step 3.

    • 6

      Remove the mature beetles from the first container with your plastic scoop and place them in the second container. The beetles will only live for about two weeks. Within the first week, the beetles will breed and lay eggs (each female will lay 500 or more eggs). You can then release the beetles outside. It will take about 12 weeks for the newly laid eggs to hatch into meal worms so you can continue the breeding cycle.

    • 7

      Clean out the first container and set it aside. When your new batch of meal worms have matured into beetles, you can transfer them into this container.