Yellow mealworm breeding technology tutorial

In fact, there are many new breeding projects in our country. Some of them have never been heard of by everyone, but they are actually not uncommon in the breeding industry, such as mealworms . Mealworm, also known as mealworm. The larvae of this insect contain 51% crude protein and 28.5% fat, so they have high nutritional value and multiple uses. Let’s learn a tutorial on mealworm breeding techniques.

1. Mealworm breeding conditions

Breeding mealworms requires solving problems such as breeding insects, feed and equipment.

Seed worms: Seed worm selection is crucial. Adults, pupae, and adult larvae can all be used as breeding insects, but adult larvae are preferred. When selecting, you should choose adult larvae that are dark yellow in color, sturdy and uniform in shape.

2. Feed

The main feed for mealworms is wheat bran , but it can also be combined with other brans . Vegetables mainly include cabbage, kale, radish, potato, etc., and other green leafy vegetables and fruits are also acceptable. These feeds can meet the insects' needs for protein, vitamins, trace elements and water. Each kilogram of mealworms can consume 3 kilograms of wheat bran and 6 kilograms of vegetables during one generation.

3. Equipment

Feeding room: The feeding room needs to have light-transmitting and ventilation functions, and in winter it needs to have heating and moisturizing functions. Generally speaking, more than 300 trays of mealworms can be raised in one room.

Feeding tray: divided into wooden tray and sieve tray. The specifications of the wooden tray are 50 cm x 40 cm x 8 cm, the board thickness is 1.2-1.5 cm, and the bottom is sealed with fiberboard or plywood; the specifications of the sieve tray are 45 cm x 35 cm x 7 cm, the board thickness is the same, and the bottom is fixed with a 20-mesh screen. Soft wood is the best material for the feeding tray. To prevent the insects from crawling out, plastic tape should be pasted on the four frames of the breeding box.

Sieve: Use 30 mesh and 160 mesh to make sieves for screening out insect feces. The 60-mesh sieve is suitable for 1-2 instar worms.

Requirements for the interior of the breeding room: The temperature must be maintained at 15-25 degrees Celsius. Temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius or above 30 degrees Celsius are not conducive to insect growth. The humidity needs to be maintained at 60%-70%, and the ground should not be too wet. Heating is needed in winter and ventilation is needed in summer. The room should be equipped with a thermometer and hygrometer.

4. Breeding technology

Start by raising adult larvae. First, place the adult larvae in wooden trays, about 1.6 kg per tray, and then sprinkle with wheat bran and vegetables. Wheat bran can be fed once a day or once every few days, depending on how much feed is in the dish, but vegetables should be fed once a day and it is best to eat them all. If you find a lot of feces at the bottom of the pan, you can screen out the insect feces before feeding. Generally, it is sufficient to screen it out once every 10 days. Adult larvae molt into pupae, a rapid process that usually occurs on the surface of the feed. During the pupation period, pupae should be picked once a day to prevent death from bites. To facilitate management, centralized pupation and synchronous reproduction, the pupae selected within 2 days should be placed in the same feeding tray during the peak pupation period. The thickness of each tray should not exceed 1 cm, and no feed should be placed in the tray. The pupal period is generally about 10 days. During this period, the pupae should not be turned over at will, and dead pupae should be picked out in time. It takes 3-5 days for pupae to emerge as adults. Newly emerged adults are white, very fragile and less active. At this time, you can feed wheat bran and vegetables in moderation. After about 6 days, the adult insects become darker in color and begin to mate in groups. At this time, the adult insects should be placed in the sieve tray, and then a piece of newspaper should be placed in the wooden tray, and the sieve tray containing the adult insects should be placed in the wooden tray to lay eggs. Every 3 days, take out the sieve tray, take out the newspapers with insect eggs, feed, and insect feces, and put them into another breeding tray for incubation. Each tray can hold 5-6 pieces of newspapers. Remove the feeding tray with newspaper and put newspaper back in, then put the sieve tray back in to lay eggs. Adult insects that lay eggs should have enough feed every day and can generally live for about 60 days. During this period, dead insects should be picked out in time. In order to prolong the spawning period and lay more eggs, in addition to feeding wheat bran and vegetables, if conditions permit, you can supplement them with apples, carrots , flour, etc. The egg period is generally 6-10 days, during which time the eggs should not be turned over. After the eggs hatch and the larvae molt, the newspaper in the tray can be removed. At this time, you can feed vegetables appropriately, once a day. When the feed in the dish is eaten up, you can sieve out the insect feces and add more feed. After that, the feeding and management method is the same as that of adult larvae. As the worms grow bigger, they should be divided into trays in time. It is best not to exceed 1.5 kg per tray to avoid excessive density, mutual biting and heat injury.

5. Management measures

(1) Non-breeding personnel are prohibited from entering the breeding room.

(2) The feed must be fresh and free of mold and the vegetables must not be rotten. Fresh vegetables must be fed every day.

(3) Screen out insect feces in time to prevent mold.

(4) Check the insect conditions at each stage regularly. If diseased or dead insects are found, remove them promptly.

The above is the breeding technology of mealworms. In fact, mealworm breeding is not complicated, but everyone still needs to prepare the breeding conditions well before breeding.