Mealworm farming

[Kusanar]

Quote:
The ground up horse feed sifts well, and I have about 100 pounds of it sitting around I'm not using... I don't feed the horses in the summer and I'll go to a more calorie dense feed for winter.

 

[weidnercharm]

My first beetles!!!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@weidnercharm Cool! I think my favorite stage might be pupa. It's certainly the cutest.

Had most of my 45,000 worms pupate all at once despite ordering different sizes. I'm mostly feeding out beetles right now. When they are light brown like yours, reminds me of all the roaches we fought off as kids living across from a grape field. The darkling beetles seem a lot slower and easier to combat though.

Oddly enough, after all the time I have spent sifting.... turns out your fingers are quite efficient at letting wheat bran fall through while retaining worm. Less desirable with beetles. But still AMAZING how sometimes it's best just to KEEP IT SIMPLE!

 

[tfalls3]

Pupa city. Today is the first day I've seen any, it started with 2 around 8am and now I have 25. It's like every time I walk by more turn, they are kept in my laundry room so I pass by quite often. Do I need to separate them from the colony? I pulled like 5 to send in for my second graders class to watch hatch. My chickens can eat them at any stage right? Cause at this rate all we are going to be left with is pupa. I use them as treats for going back in the coop when called or going up into the roost without being chased around a dark coop at night.

 

[Latestarter]

They are safe and good for the birds at all stages. I like watching the birds freak out whe3n I throw live beetles in there. You can separate them or not at your pleasure and desire to make more work. Don't feed out all your pupae or you won't have any beetles to mate and lay the eggs for your next generation of worms.

 

[weidnercharm]

I separate mine so that I have pupa and beatles in my top drawer. The worms are in the second drawer. When the beatles mate for 2 weeks, I take all bedding out with the eggs and move it to drawer 3. I replenish the bedding in drawer 1. Then after another 2 weeks, I do the same with the beatle drawer for drawer 3 and then 4, 5, and 6. This way I can harvest worms about ever 2 weeks. The beatles stay in drawer 1 and I will add to them every 2 weeks so I will always have new generations mating and producing.

 

[Latestarter]

wow... sounds like a LOT of "work"...

But if it "works" for you, great!

 

[tfalls3]

On average how long does it take for the pupa to hatch? I've read 3weeks to 10days

 

[weidnercharm]

My first three were about 1 week. I couldn't believe my eyes when i saw them

 

[aart]

On average how long does it take for the pupa to hatch? I've read 3weeks to 10days

Yes, depends on temperature,