Mealworm farming

[MalMom]

I got my very first beetle on the 10th May and I just found my very first baby worm

I just skimmed the surface with a teaspoon and spread it out on a sheet of white paper under a light with magnifying glass I could see them. I put this one on a $2 coin to show size. I am in Australia and its winter here not that it gets very cold in north Queensland.
So you should be getting babies very soon if you dont already have them. They are tiny.

Well, I tried the white paper technique... I took a little of the substrate and spread it on a white paper. I don't have a magnifying glass so I just used the flashlight on my cell phone. I looked, and looked, and looked and I found... nothing. Ha, just kidding, I found my first baby worm!!!

Holy cow was it TINY!!! I have no idea how I found it. I didn't want to hurt it, so I put everything back. In a few weeks maybe I'll start seeing a bunch of babies. I tried to take a picture so I could show you all, but it was just too tiny for me to get a picture of it. I'm so excited! I can't wait for lots of wormies! I feel like a proud new mamma! Now, if only my girls would start laying. Why can't I have overachieving animals?

 

[goldenberry]

I bought my mealworms from "Uncle Jim's Worm Farm". www.unclejimswormfarm.com The website is very informative and even has videos on how to take care of the worms.

 

[sueblack]

Wow. I put a seedling heat mat under one of my bins of mealworm eggs and they worms are now bigger than the ones that are 4-6 weeks older. My girls sure are going to be happy with me. I'm going to have thousands soon.

 

[NewMomma]

I want to know how many of y'all have the setups in your home. I'm wanting to start a mealworm farm and put the setup in my room but I am having an issue because of the smell and the health hazards that may correlate with that. Any and all testimonies are welcomed!!

 

[Quailsong]

I want to know how many of y'all have the setups in your home. I'm wanting to start a mealworm farm and put the setup in my room but I am having an issue because of the smell and the health hazards that may correlate with that. Any and all testimonies are welcomed!!

I used to keep them, but ever since I became allergic to bloodworms I can't touch mealworms now. Even having them in the house (and with a dust mask when sifting) I get tight chest, runny nose & coughing. This type of allergy can increase over time & I've read 1 every 3 people can grow an allergy to it. No fun.

If you & your family are not allergic to them though & you keep them outside in a shed somewhere & sift with particle masks I say they're totally worth it to keep as a mostly-free source of protein for your birds.

 

[NewMomma]

Ok, thanks so much, Quailsong! I expect to sift them outside over the plants for frass fertilizer and do that frequently I just wasn't sure if the smell and the mealworms just being in the house would be a health hazard. Thanks for the info though, I really appreciate it

 

[Hypertay]

Ok, thanks so much, Quailsong! I expect to sift them outside over the plants for frass fertilizer and do that frequently I just wasn't sure if the smell and the mealworms just being in the house would be a health hazard. Thanks for the info though, I really appreciate it

If you don't overfeed them with fruit and vegetables, keeping the bedding dry, you should not have any odor beyond a very faint wheat-y scent. Smells arise from mold, and rotting/decaying food. The bugs (all life stages) dry so fast upon dying they don't produce any smell themselves. At least that's how it is in my bins!

Be careful to not sift out the frass until you are sure all the eggs in the bin are hatched. You could lose a lot of worms if you don't. You'll have to transfer the worms and bugs to a new bin, and set the old one aside for at least 2 months (checking weekly for hatchlings) to make sure you get all of them.

 

[NewMomma]

If you don't overfeed them with fruit and vegetables, keeping the bedding dry, you should not have any odor beyond a very faint wheat-y scent. Smells arise from mold, and rotting/decaying food. The bugs (all life stages) dry so fast upon dying they don't produce any smell themselves. At least that's how it is in my bins!

Be careful to not sift out the frass until you are sure all the eggs in the bin are hatched. You could lose a lot of worms if you don't. You'll have to transfer the worms and bugs to a new bin, and set the old one aside for at least 2 months (checking weekly for hatchlings) to make sure you get all of them.

Gotcha. Well that's a really good bit of info! I think I would only sift the mealworms at first just so I can get the hang of things Thank you so much!!

 

[NewMomma]

Is it better to change the substrate for the beetle stage every couple of weeks or does it matter if they just stay there for a monthly cleaning?

 

[gaitngirl]

I want to know how many of y'all have the setups in your home. I'm wanting to start a mealworm farm and put the setup in my room but I am having an issue because of the smell and the health hazards that may correlate with that. Any and all testimonies are welcomed!!

I have my mealie setup in an open bin currently. No problems at all with smells, etc. though I did have a problem with mites at one point.
I've been thinking about maintenance during the winter and I will probably run a small HEPA air-cleaner near the bin while I'm working with it . . . I don't know if this will help but it's worth a try.