Got my meal worms ready to make my farm--questions

[laughingdog]

i dont remember trying red wigglers, as supposedly not needing a lot of moisture and tilled about and aerated soil, so i dont have comparison to how they would do (if anyone does, the science geek in me would be happy to know of personal experiments) in comparison to requirements and breeding rate.

 

[Crazy Chicken Fever]

I am thinking about raising a mw farm. I would like to have enough to throw to my chickens a few times a week. Can someone show a picture of the 3 tier farm? Thanks

 

[Arielle]

I would like to see a three-tiered system, too; having a hard time picturing it in my head.

 

[galanie]

I have been raising mealworms for a few months now using the 3 drawer setup with a window screen in the bottom of the top tray like in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTjv5fek0-s

It works great!

Money? Time? space? Really? I have them in my computer room just because I already had the plastic drawers in there; I was using them for odds and ends and just emptied them and set up the farm. I use oatmeal for bedding and throw in odd vegetables and greens. Right not the squirrels are pulling unripe pears off my tree

and I'm taking a few of those and cutting them in half and laying them in there. The mealworms love them.

Takes a minute a day or two and no money. Ok well I did have to buy the first ones to get started but I already had the bin and window screening plus a glue gun.

And no, I don't think I'll make my birds love me, I don't think I'm making poor feed good with them either. I do it for my chickens because it's fun and I think giving chicks mealworms is a great protein boost. Maybe it isn't, but it's still fun for me.

 

[pascopol]

Any bedding made out of grain products can be used, even chicken mash what I use cause is cheaper than wheat bran.

In my experience carrots dried up too fast, so now I use whatever fruit is in the season (free).

Currently orange slices, in April I was also using those Japaneese plums growing like weeds in Florida.

Up north when apples come around you can use them.

I am concerned about cost since I am raising 6 drawers of mealies and 4 drawers of Superworms.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I use chicken crumble feed for my 'bedding' and put cut potatoes in there for moisture. Every time my son eats an apple he puts the core in their bin too. Carrots do dry up too quickly.

One thing I'd like to mention to those (like me) who don't put tops on their bins---beware of MOTHS!! I have lots of moth larvae in my bin. Granted, the birds will eat those too if I get them out before they change, otherwise I have a bunch of moths flying around my bathroom/bedroom!

 

[laughingdog]

d i have those mothes in by my one type of roaches only, but adding mealworms seems to have decimated their population and only several at time now occasionally coming out new it seems. the carrots for me go down fast only if they havent been fed enough and full of tin babies growing (the leftovers by the way are loaded with eggs and can be just tossed into composter and will hatch and help to seemingly burn away compost and be food for later). i also feed meat occasionally for beetles as they are in dermastid family and seem to explode when get to clean a carcass, or bones of scrapes.

 

[laughingdog]

oh, and dirt seems to work best oddly... non of those darned grain mites also, and easier to find sort and clean out the bugs. the one regular setup with loads of beetles no worms to eat the eggs, and plenty of meal and carrots are finally producing good, were my roach bins and compost are so over full of them, though i dont find the old dead roaches anymore either so probly eat out carcasses to carpasses which is only thing i find and some wings moslty lately.

 

[bnewns]

have a big problem. Set up my farm and its doing really good have new worms, but today I noticed some small white wiggly things crawling up the sides and top of my container. There must be millions of them. Is this just small worms or do I have a bigger problem. Moved the bins outside since I don't need more pest then I already have inside.

 

[laughingdog]

im guessing you have your mealworms in bran, oatmeal or some such..??? if so its pests coming and hatching from them and id sift/sort out the mealworms as small as can and pupa and beetles, then keep in dry compost type situation and dump grain ect stuff out to chickens or in regular compost. it seems odd, but mealworms are actually dermastid type beetles and can and will eat any food thrown in by them from greens veggies and fruit, to carrion (side note they are used by some taxidermists and museums for cleaning bones ect..), and actually do a lot better in just plain soil and compost great (found this out by accident years ago, and always kept them around until just recently gave away to enthusist to give him a good head start in breeding them). the small grain pest ect will go away after enough moisture is provided, as they dont need the totally dry environment thats said b those who sell them for profit, and found it actually retards their production, just dont let the soil get too wet. the parasites come in the grain but attack the mealworms for moisture and can kill them by clogging air vents and sapping moisture, and will make them all want to stay on surface out of tiny buggy substrate. ive had no trouble with pests in soil to the mealies. also they will breed well when provided with paper eggcrates or paper cup holders on top of soil for beetles to breed and lay on, were the larva worms cannot so easily eat the eggs and then you may have way to many. lol also forgot that potatoes seem to be bad food especially in the grain type setup and seem to promote the worst smell and parasites/pests for some reason, and i suggest carrots or leafy greans. either or good luck and hope you do well with them!