I have raised mealies for around 15 yrs. now. Get a start from a buddy, bait shop, or pet store. Put them in a plastic 5 gal.(I use 2 1/2 gal.) bucket. Put a container of dry oatmeal in it and a few handfuls of some grain feed for livestock. Take a rag and wet it then squeeze most of the water out and lay on top for them to get some moisture. Not too much as you don't want to get mold started. An apple or potato sliced in half every 3-4 weeks will really fatten them up. It takes months to establish a good colony and have some in every stage of life cycle. Eggs-worm-larvae-beetle. After laying their eggs the beetles will die off so just pick them out as you see them after they die. I've never had any get out of my 2 buckets over the years and my buddy that I got my start from has had his going since the early 70's with no escapees. We both keep them in our basements with no covers on them. Just have to watch out for any spiders to set up home in your bucket. Good luck.