Mealworm farming

[sassifrassi]

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I agree! Today I separated close to 300 pupae from the larvae and put them in the pupae bin. I have so many beetles and pupae...I may have enough larvae to turn against me and feed me to the chickens! I am tired of separating the different stages...I fed a whole bin of remaining larva to the chickens yesterday. Now one large bin of larvae, another bin with a ton of pupae, and another bin with a butt-load of beetles. Once I start seeing new little larvae, I'm gonna put a bunch in the fridge. When all conditions are right, it seems the metamorphosis/changes in stage can occur must faster than what I previously saw posted. Seems to me like it's only taken about two weeks between each stage...larva, pupae, beetle. In six weeks, I now have so many beetles...I'm a little concerned that I don't have enough room for them. My bin almost looks like one of the temple floors full of insects on one of those "Indiana Jones" movies! My wife and kids won't even hang around when I change substrate and feed veggies...they get creeped out!

I have had a few nightmares about that same movie! Saw your BYC page looks like most are red stars and black stars. (Same as mine - 2 and 2.) Not sure about the white one.

 

[DickGJ]

Funny, that white one is baffling a lot of experts here. I initially thought it was a leghorn but the comb is yellow. At 10 weeks, it's a rather slender bird in comparison to the others (almost looks like it may be too thin to lay eggs). It's tail is quite long, but not rooster like. I'll have to post some updated pics...someone mentioned that it may be a Rhode Island White, but their combs look red as well. It was purchased at TSC from what I call their "mixed pullet mystery bins!" LOL

 

[DickGJ]

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I don't know where my manners are...Welcome to the forum and BYC!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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It probably is one of their Tetra Tints.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Okay, I need help again.

My beetles are hatching out but they are brown and I think I saw where that is okay. However, the beetles are dying after 24 hours.
I have them on oats and a bit of newspaper in there along with cucumber slices.
They are not in direct sunlight or a window though along the same wall as the mealie bin and have the plastic lid partially covering them to keep the cats out, same as the mealies.

Help....

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

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Brown beetles are good. Cucumber isn't one of their favorite vegetables though. I'd pull them and put in potato, carrots, or apples and see if that helps. For my large colony I use a scrap piece of hardware cloth bent to fit over the top of the plastic bin to ventilate the colony while keeping cats, lizards and birds out.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Duh! I didn't think to try another veggie.

Thank you for reminding me!

I cut up some potatoes and carrots and went to put them in the beetle bin. I picked up a cucumber slice and it stuck to the newspaper so it came with it and lo, there were several active darkling beetles under the newspaper! I checked under it yesterday and saw none.
Do the beetles go into the substrate, too? Or just stay on top?

I need to buy more apples. We seldom even have potatoes in the house but fortunately one of DH's recipes called for them and we have a bag. We usually always buy apples and carrots because of all the Guinea Pigs. The mealies are loving the cucumbers but if the beetles do not then I will not offer them. Draws too many gnats.

You know, I never realized how many 5000 meal worms actually were until I started picking out the pupae. I am to the point where I am ready to let them hatch out in the mealie bin and move them. I think I already said that in a previous post.
I know it won't hurt to hatch them in the mealie bin but I would prefer to keep it more "clean". Or maybe the word I am looking for is organized. However, there is a lot of pupae in the mealie bin!

 

[luvmesomechicks]

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Its pretty much how much you think you think you can handle. I started off with 50. When they weren't moving at the pace I liked (my pace

) I turned around and bought 500 more. After I found a bigger container I bought 500 more. At the moment I have one small container with pupae that has the surface pretty much covered. I seperated them just cuz it was my first time experimenting with them and wanted to ensure beatles. I have about 5-7 beatles coming out daily so I know im gonna need to do two containers of beatles eventually. Not to mention I have double the pupae me and my daughter move daily. It is a great learning experience especially withthe little one. In the future I will probably just leave some pupae in with the worms and if there is some cannibalism then hey that's my birth control

. No eggs from the beatles yet tho.

 

[luvmesomechicks]

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I have my beatles in a mixture of oats and wheat bran. They seem to like the oats and hide in the bran. Now either one beatle is either really hungry or has raging hormones cuz he was mounted on top of a dead pupae and im not sure if he was eating or doing something else. As far as veggies go I have a cactus in the back that I give them and they seem to like it. Hope your beatles start to live longer so they can reproduce.

 

[DickGJ]

I've got beetles up the Wahzoo! I raise mine on nothing but Purina Flock Raiser feed and some carrots/celery. I've had very few natural deaths...I added that cause I've left the chickens "slaughter" them! The next cycle I go through will have a bunch refridgerated so I can slow down the process and have younger, staged, stock of mealies!