Mealworm beetles and pupa dying?

RachLovesNorbert

New member
Hello! I have an issue with my mealworm beetles and pupa. I recently looked into my colony and saw a lot of my pupa black and shriveled up, and my beetles look like they were eaten alive!:yikes: My beetles have lost their wings, legs, half of their body, and they are also black and shriveled, but some of them are still alive. What is the cause of this? :shock::shock::shock:
 

acpart

Well-known member
I can't be sure, but here are some things to consider
--beetles only live so long (a few weeks at most). If a lot of them hatch at the same time, they will also die at the same time
--if the beetles are together with the pupae, they will eat the pupae
--I find as well that a lot of the pupae (separated from the beetles) seem to die. Sometimes it's because when I sift out the beetles and pupae from my mealworm container, the beetles have already had a chance to kill the pupae and I don't notice it when I'm shifting lots of creatures.

Aliza
 

RachLovesNorbert

New member
Okay. I separated the beetles from the pupa and mealworms, do you think that will help?

Also, is it possible to fix a beetle with torn wings?
 

Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
Do you supply any source of moisture for them? They don't drink in the normal sense, but do need some moist food, such as potatoes. If they don't get enough water in their food, they will cannibalize each other to get it.
I can't tell for sure what your problem is, but that's often the first sign that they're dehydrated.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Do you supply any source of moisture for them? They don't drink in the normal sense, but do need some moist food, such as potatoes. If they don't get enough water in their food, they will cannibalize each other to get it.
I can't tell for sure what your problem is, but that's often the first sign that they're dehydrated.

Okay! Thank you! I do try to get them as much moisture as possible, but they might not have enough.

It's impossible to "fix" a beetle with torn wings. Just prevent it from happening to other beetles. :)

Giving mealworms a moisture source is easy. When can you add small potato chunks or the skin off a cucumber to your mealworm bin?
  • Keep veggies separate from the oats.
  • Put veggies in a lid.
  • If you put the potato chunks or other moist veggies directly on the oats, you'll get mold!
 

acpart

Well-known member
I put vegetable parings in there including: eggplant peels, pepper cores (without the seeds), broccoli stems, apple cores (without the seeds).

Aliza
 

Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
Another possible explanation is grain mites.
If there's any fine 'dusty' substrate - either crumbs from where the worms ate the food, or their poop, you can check if there are any grain mites. The fine particles will seem to move, even though you can't see any worms or beetles digging around. A small pile of the particles will slowly fall down, like a mudslide on a hill.
If you can see that, then it's a safe bet that they're the cause.
Grain mites thrive in high humidity, so you'll have to supply some decent air circulation. A screen top on the worm container works well. If that's not possible, then a lid with a lot of air holes, or even a cloth over top, enough to keep them inside, but allow the air to dry out.
 

RachLovesNorbert

New member
Okay, I've tried alot of vegetables, but they will get really moldy!! They are also starting to STINK. Anything that could help? A lot of them are STILL dying even with the moisture.
 

RachLovesNorbert

New member
Another possible explanation is grain mites.
If there's any fine 'dusty' substrate - either crumbs from where the worms ate the food, or their poop, you can check if there are any grain mites. The fine particles will seem to move, even though you can't see any worms or beetles digging around. A small pile of the particles will slowly fall down, like a mudslide on a hill.
If you can see that, then it's a safe bet that they're the cause.
Grain mites thrive in high humidity, so you'll have to supply some decent air circulation. A screen top on the worm container works well. If that's not possible, then a lid with a lot of air holes, or even a cloth over top, enough to keep them inside, but allow the air to dry out.

How could I kill these off?
 

Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
First you remove all the food and substrate, then clean the container. Wash it with diluted bleach, to kill any mold spores. Or start with a new container, if you have something suitable.
Make sure the new setup has lots of air circulation. Like I mentioned, high humidity will let any grain mites thrive. It's hard to avoid the mites once you have some. They'll even transfer over with the beetles and worms.
Check the food you're using, see if it's got signs of mites before you even add it to the worm bin. If you see any signs of fine dust 'moving', don't use it. You could microwave it for a few seconds to kill them, but I don't know how long that would take. You'd have to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get scorched or go up in flames.

If you're adding a lot of veggies for moisture, it sure could be mites that are causing it.
I keep mine in a 10 gallon tank withe screen lid, and use a whole potato, not veggie or fruit chunks. The potato skin keeps the moisture inside, doesn't let it escape into the bin. The worms and beetles have no problem eating through the skin, into the potato to get their moisture. Over time, as they eat the potato, there will be spots where the moist insides are exposed to the substrate, but it's minimal. By that time, the worms have already eaten most of the inside, so there's not much moisture to escape and raise the humidity in the bin.
Doing it this way also keep the moist (or wet) areas around the potato, so there's less chance for the rest of their food to go moldy.

The important part is low humidity. You'll have to do whatever it takes to achieve that. I don't know what you're using to raise the worms, so I can't suggest what kind of lid to put on. If it's a tank or rubbermaid type bin, then lay a screen top on it. Cheesecloth would work, as long as it's high enough above the worms and beetles, so they can't chew it.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Okay, I've tried alot of vegetables, but they will get really moldy!! They are also starting to STINK. Anything that could help? A lot of them are STILL dying even with the moisture.

Do you put the vegetables in a small saucer or lid? The vegetables will need to be replaced BEFORE they get moldy or smell.
 

acpart

Well-known member
I have gotten grain mites under control by washing the cover of the infected enclosure with hot water and wiping down the container above the substrate with hot water. The alternative, which you may have to use, is to get rid of all the worms and start over.
I have no problems putting low moisture vegetable parings directly onto the substrate including broccoli stems, eggplant peels, green bean tips. I had a bit of a disaster with melon rinds --they were too juicy, the substrate clumped and the worms got their mouths stuffed up and died.

Aliza
 

Wundati

New member
Yep, that's either a poor batch or lack of water. Make sure to spray every other day and give the tank good air circulation. If this keeps happening, throw some apple or potato slices to prevent cannibalism.
 

RachLovesNorbert

New member
Thank you guys! :) Could you all list a bunch of fruits or veges that I could use? I know the basics like potatoes, carrots, and apples. But what else?

I currently use carrots, apples, cucumbers, and leafy greens. What else?
 
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