How do you guys keep Lesser mealworm beetles?

Hisserdude

Hisserdude

Megaloblatta
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Hey, I was wondering how you guys keep your lesser mealworms (Alphitobius diaperinus). What do you guys use as a substrate? Do you keep them moist or dry? Do the larva need too be separated in order to pupate, (like Eleodes or Zophobas), or can they be kept together, (like Tenebrio)? Thanks in advance! :)

 
I have them in both dry and humid enclosures and they thrive in both. I don't really do anything special for them. They can be kept together and will pupate just fine. All they need is a food source and they'll multiply like guppies.

 
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Just caught some adults of this species today, I helped clean a friends barn which was full of old corn and hay and there was a ton of these guys in it. I also got paid to clean the barn, so I basically got paid to collect beetles! :D

 
I keep mine in a gallon jar with grain/based (oatmeal, sweatscoop litter) substrate. Whenever I find a dead roach in an enclosure, I toss it in to them, as well as giving a bit of moisture from time-to-time.

Others are cleaners in small enclosures... they get the same care as the roaches that they cohabitate with.

 
Yeah, I won't be keeping them on grain, I will probably get a HUGE mite explosion if I do. I will be keeping them like my roaches but drier, and feed them some dead roaches from time to time. Thanks for the care info! :)

 
I have a small population that lives in my pigeon loft under a osb board along side a few Pennsylvania wood roach nymphs. Nothing there but feathers, dander, and deteriorating wood. Doesn't sound very nutritious but I guess it's all they need.

 
Yep, this species seems to be pretty resilient! :) You should collect some and use them as a clean-up crew for your roaches.

 
They probably flew out, I don't think they have the ability to climb smooth surfaces, (no darkling beetle I know of does). Did you containers have lids?

 
I collected them in a pet store betta cup, and by the time they warmed up from the cold they promptly walked right up the sides.

 
Weird, can you get some pictures of them? I have never heard of this species being able to climb smooth surfaces.

People have said to put plastic containers in the substrate to trap the beetles in when the population gets too big in a roach cage, so I assumed this species could not climb.

 
Lesser mealworms can't climb plastic or glass. If that were the case I wouldn't have any by now.

 
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