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False Mealworms

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posted 1 year ago

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I am thinking about raising mealworms as a chicken feed supplement, but I worry about culturing and offering as food insects that are not native to my area. There is a mealworm relative called the False Mealworm Beetle (Alobates pensylvanicus) that is native to my area. Does anybody know if it is as easy to culture them as it is regular mealworms and if chickens and other poultry like them as much?

Timothy Norton

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Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall

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posted 1 year ago

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I'm not 100% sure on this, but I believe that the false mealworm beetle is a predatory beetle, not one that is a decomposer/herbivore. I don't think it would be as easy to raise as the 'mainstream' mealworm.

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Kane Denham

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posted 1 year ago

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Ahh I hadn't considered that. After looking into it a bit more, it appears you are right. Alas, a solution to my dilemma they are not.

Kane Denham

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posted 1 year ago

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Are there any other feeder alternatives native to the Southeastern US that you know of? Black Soldier Flies are a great native option, but I'd prefer to culture more than one species if possible.

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