FINCHforum

okay... I put my mini mealworms into the bran and then I got beetles..... then I got worms..... but these worms do not look like what I started with and they are white, short and fat. My birds will not eat them.

Did I do something wrong?

I'm wondering if you have gotten something else in your mealworm culture. When you first start seeing tiny mealworms, they are like little threads. Then as they get bigger, they still should be much longer than wide. You will see some white ones, as they shed their skins as they grow. Actually, the white stage is when the finches are supposed to really love them, as they are softer and easier to eat then. I always scoop those white ones out to be fed immediately.

Well...... I think I will throw them all out into the woods...... and order them from now on. I don't think this worked for me..... I tried.....

dont throw them out send them to Liz, we all know how much she loves having them crawl all over her hands

mickp wrote:dont throw them out send them to Liz, we all know how much she loves having them crawl all over her hands

Here they come Liz..... they are crawling their way across the border to your house. BTW.... feed them to your zebs. They will eat anything.

dfcauley wrote:

mickp wrote:dont throw them out send them to Liz, we all know how much she loves having them crawl all over her hands

Here they come Liz..... they are crawling their way across the border to your house. BTW.... feed them to your zebs. They will eat anything.

Personally, my zebs won't eat mealies. Just the Orlux dry mix.

I'll swap your mealies for my babies Zebs, Donna! Maybe the Zebs will eat the mealies on their way over (the border) to you!

I've no idea if my Zebs will eat the mealies - I haven't tried Janine. Sounds like an experiment for this weekend. My Soc's devour them no matter what stage they are at.

I still want to start farming these mealies so I don't have to order them as often. Believe it or not Mick, I can now pick them out with my fingers no problem. But I still get creeped out by having a lot of them all wiggling in my palm - it's just not right.

Are you sure they aren't mealworm pupae? Do they move? If they aren't moving they are turning into beetles.

okay... this is gross, but here is a picture. See the little white things? Are those worms? Sorry to appear so ignorant, but my birds will not eat those things...... This is the only thing I have seen that looks like a worm.

Those are weird. I'd say I don't know what they are but I've never seen Tenebrio obscurus pupae, only the regular mealworms. Do they have legs?

mike wrote:Those are weird. I'd say I don't know what they are but I've never seen Tenebrio obscurus pupae, only the regular mealworms. Do they have legs?

I don't think so.... I started with mini mealworms..... okay.... leave it to me to have this happen. Should I just toss?

Donna
I never raised them but from what I have read the black looking beetles have to be removed before the meal worms hatch because they will eat the babys as they hatch

Well we are just baffled...... could these white things be new beetles?

Do the beetles die after laying their eggs?

I think you take the beetles out so they can't eat the worms .
the white thing will be a beetle then it will lay eggs that hatch into mealworms I think
I think you should have fed worms sooner, before they started to turn into beetles

I got that picture from this link http://www.nyworms.com/mealworms.htm

Thanks for sharing that with me.

Anyway raising mealworms, I would love to hear from you. Do you remove the beetles? I NEVER saw any worms...... perhaps they did eat them. But I still wonder what those white looking things are.....