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Check out the links in the first post of this thread (and the rest of the thread is pretty informative too) to learn everything you need to get started. Start with at least 1000, which can be found at a variety of places online. If you have questions, ask in that thread, there are lots of...

Yeah, that was the cause.

What are you feeding them? Fruit flies can appear in the colony if there is too much moist fruit matter. Remove whatever moist material you have in there now. Then, try feeding them thin (1/8") slices of potatoes for a while.

A few black ones is normal, especially in the first batch. You're probably better off without the humidifier. Everything else sounds good though. I might feed at least one additional day during the week. Do the spoon-check for tiny worms, you should see them now.

Hmmm..., you shouldn't see deceased worms. Maybe you're seeing shed exoskeletons? Are they black? What kind of substrate are you keeping them on and how often do you feed them vegetables/fruits? Take a a couple spoonfuls of substrate off the top and spread it on a piece of paper and look to...

Check out the links in the first page of the mealworm farming thread. You can learn everything you need to know to get started there.

They like to gather in groups; it's thought that the larvae produce an aggregating pheromone. They do much better in large groups than in smaller groups, for a variety of reasons, so overcrowding is most likely not an issue.

Quote: Yes, that would work. Be careful that they don't get too cold though.

Quote: From Wiki: "An instar is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (ecdysis), until sexual maturity is reached.[1] Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or assume a new form. Differences between instars can often be seen in altered body...

Boo-Boo's Mama : Found website that had this chart with # of days for each stage and # of molts they go through. I have lots of small skeltons in my first colony/aquarium with the frass where I'm letting the tiny mealworms grow enough so I can shift them out and place with the older worms...

They will be quite thirsty when you first get them. They likely haven't had access to moisture for some time to avoid problems. What you are doing with the wet towels is fine, what you want to avoid is chronic moisture or wetness in the substrate. You certainly could be seeing some pupating...

Without having the worms analyzed, you won't know if they have more calcium or not. I just trust in the data but also provide my chickens with free access to oyster shell. I figure it can't hurt to add it to the worms. I think chick starter and even the crumbly bits left over from layer...

Quote: Congratulations on getting mealworms! You won't have to worry about an infestation in your house. They are unable to climb up the glass walls of an aquarium to escape; I would assume that to be the case as well with a plastic container, but I have don't have personal experience with...

Quote: Interesting idea. Here's a link to a study with data using oyster shells: http://www.jstor.org/pss/20096040 Interesting abstract, I will check my local library for the full article. I use a 20 gallon red wiggler worm bin to dispose of our kitchen food scraps, no meat, including...

Very good. I'm much less hands-on than that with my colony, they pretty much take care of themselves. The development is interesting to watch.

Quote: My colony is 20 years old. I separated it off from another colony that was equally as old. Lots of places sell them online, back in the day when we used extremely large quantities, we'd buy them from Fluker Farms (http://www.flukerfarms.com/mealworms-live.aspx). gmendoza, I'm...

Quote: Rather than oyster shells add finely ground egg shells. Joe Interesting idea. Here's a link to a study with data using oyster shells: http://www.jstor.org/pss/20096040

Sorry to hear about you colony problems HorizonSon. Moisture is the biggest cause of colony crashes. I also had to be very vigilant when I kept them outside in southern Louisiana. Under conditions of high humidity, I only feed low moisture vegetables like carrots and potatoes. It doesn't...

Lots of places sell them online and you can also get them from just about any pet store and Walmart too. The more you can afford to start with, the quicker your colony will be able to provide enough to feed your chickens. Try to get 500-1000 if you order them online.

Quote: It's very easy. Here's a page to show you how: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638-how-to-raise-mealworms I've also started feeding my colony the crumbly bits of my layer pellets when my feeder gets near empty and the worms really like it (props to Pet Duck Boy...