Spread a two-inch layer of fine wheat bran, cornmeal, or rolled oats on the bottom of the plastic container. All of these are good food/bedding material for mealworms, so decide which one works best for you. The finer the material, the easier it will be to collect the mealworms. Put the mealworms on top of the bedding.

If no other food source is available to them, they will seek out moist, dark places, such as beneath rocks or rotten logs and in animal burrows. Mealworms in the wild will eat decaying leaves and wood, dried grasses and grains. They strongly prefer human environments, however.

Food Substrate You can use wheat bran, oatmeal, cornmeal, wheat flour, Wheaties, Cheerios, ground up dry dog food, or a mixture of these dry foods. Fill the bottom of the container two or three inches deep with the food substrate. You will have to add more food regularly since mealworms are big eaters.

Mealworms can eat a variety of grains and they are quite fond of consuming grain in meal form. They will eat meals like oatmeal, cornmeal, wheat, milo and cereal, rice, corn, barley, and sorghum. The best way to offer these foods is in meal form or as soft cooked food.

Luckily, there are a few great alternatives to mealworms that we think your reptile will love just as much!

• Buffalo Worms. Buffalo worms are the larvae of a small beetle (Alphitobius diaperinus) and are about 1cm long.
• Morio worms. Morio worms are the larvae of a species of darkling beetle (Zophobas morio).
• Calci worms.

The mealworm’s preferred environment is very dry, moderately warm, and dark. A bit of apple provides extra moisture for the mealworms and seems to stimulate rapid growth. As the temperature increases, so does the rate at which mealworms advance through their life cycle.

Mealworms can go through their complete life cycle without any added water (they are very efficient at extracting water from their food), but it is recommended that moisture continually be provided in the form of small bits of apple, sweet potato, or carrot.

Mealworm Flour

1. Step 1: Using Prepared Mealworms. Please refer to my “Insects for Food-prep. 101” Instructables to learn how to prepare live insects for human consumption.
2. Step 2: Toasting. Set oven to 200 degrees F.
3. Step 3: Food Processor. Let cool.
4. Step 4: Flour. There you have it.

You can use any type of rolled oats, including instant oats, Old Fashioned Oats, or Quick Cook oatmeal. Avoid steel-cut oats, as they are too thick for the mealworms and Darkling Beetles to eat.

Once you start feeding the mealworms from the colony to your pet you can offer a variety of vegetables and fruit (such as carrots, orange slices, and leafy greens) to the colony to increase the nutritional value of the mealworms that your pet is eating. Add bran or oats as necessary to maintain the substrate level.

Shredded newspaper makes excellent worm bedding material. Instead of soil, composting worms live in moist bedding material. Worm bedding refers to the material that is both high in carbon and also moisture absorbent.

How to Make a Mealworm Farm Step 1: Find a Container Step 2: Prepare Your Container Step 3: Add Your Substrate Step 4: Add Mealworms to Your Farm Step 5: Feed Them and Let Them Grow Step 6: Collect Your Mealworms Mealworm Farm Growing Overview Read More Eggcellent Articles

Worm bedding refers to the material that is both high in carbon and also moisture absorbent. It creates a habitat for your worms to thrive in. And if the conditions in the bin are not quite right, it also gives your worms some temporary respite.