Mealworm farming

[kizanne]

They so far are good but it is early as they are just now hatching also

 

[kizanne]

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It is new from the store.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Thats AWESOME!

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[TedJan92_in_Idaho]

Where is the best place to get large quantities of meal worms other than eBay? I'm not a eBay kind of shopper. I need to boost my herd

 

[hannakat]

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ummm... You need to explain the dying better please.....by 'the bin is dying' do you mean the worms are dying also?

The worms pupate and become pupae
The pupae metamorphous (morph) into beetles (not 'hatch'..sorry but I can be a stickler on details!!!)

Try putting the pupae into a small container (butter/cottage cheese/Tupperware) with a 1/4" layer of bran. Lay a piece of newspaper or bit of egg carton in there and then lay a small bit of lettuce/dandelion/kale leaf on that. Close the lid. Check it every day for the beetles, removing the beetles as you find them.

There is sometimes high morbidity of the pupae and I don't know why....so it's always better not to count your beetles before they morph.

 

[hannakat]

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You'll find a list of reliable suppliers on the first post of this thread....and welcome to the farm!!!

 

[OwensMom]

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You are right kizanne. the pupae just sit there and do absolutely NOTHING!! Then one day you will notice white beetles with red heads. They will turn dark red and go to black-all normal. Hannahkat stated the there is a high mortality rate of beetles. When this happened to me I freaked out. No worries. There always seem to be enough to make more worms.
Give it time and be patient. That being said, watch the bin. If you see anything that you feel is abnormal give a shout. Pictures always help. Good luck

 

[Kassaundra]

kizanne, are ANY living in the bin at home, and are ANY dying of the ones you take to school?

It sounds suspicious for an environmental issue if the pupa are coming from the same source and the ones left at home are dying and the ones taken to school are living. The ones taken to school are they in the little individual cups for each student like you were planning or are they in a large bin like at home?

I meant the death of the beetles, that's what she says is dying after a few days post molt.

 

[hannakat]

High morbidity of the pupae....seems to come in stages. The beetles do good until they get a few months old and then start dying off.

 

[kizanne]

I thought I was clear but I'll try to explain.

The bin is a new bin. The only thing I'm putting in it are pupae (therefore no worms are dying because it doesn't have any yet). The pupae are hatching and within 5 days 3 out of 5 are dead. I agree it sounds like an environmental issue. I didn't have this die off with my first batch. I'm wondering what it could be. I am thinking they are just drying out. I am putting veggies in but I'm putting one potato or carrot in a large bin (24" x 30") since I only have a few beetles. I'm wondering if they are stupid enough they can't find it? or if anyone knows of some other high die off reason. I'm not seeing any obvious other bugs, not seeing any mold, they have an open air top so not oxygen.

The ones at school so far seem to be fine but we only check them 2 - 3 times a week so I might start seeing some. I'll know more about school tomorrow as that is their next day to check and hey kids might not all notice if they are dead. Some of the girls don't want to look yet alone touch LOL.