Growing mealworms

[PetuniaAcres]

I think you can. I know corn meal and oatmeal work also.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I couldn’t find wheat bran? Will whole wheat flour work? Or should I add some starter feed to the whole wheat flour? Thanks

You can use an assortment of different things just something that is grain based you can use oatmeal, crushed grain based cereals, poultry crumble that not not many people even use crushed dry pet kibble because of the added protein boost that is available in it. One of the reasons that wheat bran in particular is such a common choice is that it works well with some of the most common sifting devices used for quick sorting and cleaning of your farm. The other items listed above all tend to be shaped or sized in a way that does not lend itself as well to being used in the sifters. I have tried each of the things I've listed above, and I do stick with the wheat bran simply because I do use sifting trays and it is readily and inexpensively available to me through the local feed store in 50 pound sacks or the locsl WINCO grocery store in their bulk section when I'm running just a couple drawers and don't need a 50 pound bag. When I was running a self sorting bin farm using a screen to bottom container over another container I found the wheat bran was actually the least successful choice because it tended to just sift right through the screen much faster then something with a larger grain to it like rolled oat. So I would use rolled oats in my upper been where The Beatles were living and the wheat bran in the bottom where the eggs and worms were collected. As I tend to be a very keep it simple kind of person, I opted to steer away from these as I actually found the self sorting to be more work than just using a system of trays

 

[mosse71]

I couldn’t find wheat bran? Will whole wheat flour work? Or should I add some starter feed to the whole wheat flour? Thanks

i just put them in starter feed. could mix some flour in too. as they eat it up i just add more. they aren't too fussy. read the ingredients in your feed. a lot of them ad D. E to kill off bugs that might get in the feed. mealworms are bugs. starter feed generally doesn't have it but flock raiser crumble and pellets do. i give my compost worms some starter feed to fatten them up when i want to use them for fishing.

 

[rehdancer]

Exciting news !!! Found my first beetle yesterday !!! Now I wonder if I have enough of them to actually reproduce......... We shall see.

 

[Hunnied]

Exciting news !!! Found my first beetle yesterday !!! Now I wonder if I have enough of them to actually reproduce......... We shall see.

I’m getting ready to try this for the first time, was reading through this thread, and hoping to find out how things are working out for you! How big is your setup? Where did you end up buying your worms? I’m in NY, so most businesses are completely closed. Further, my budget is tighter than usual, so I don’t want to pay a lot for shipping. The only local place that is open and carries live mealworms in my area is petsmart, but I’ve been reading mixed reviews as to whether or not their mealworms (not superworms) grow.

 

[chris814]

I just ordered 2,100 off of Amazon for $25 first time trying it. Many videos on YouTube about raising them and it looks easy.

 

[Perris]

I recently started down this road; you might find this thread useful
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/first-attempt-at-mealworm-farming.1350136/

 

[Hunnied]

Just started mine today using these plastic drawers. Not sure I’ve done it right (despite watching countless videos about it, as well as reading a lot of articles...I still doubt myself). Not sure that this thing will allow enough air in? It isn’t sealed completely; there are gaps around each drawer. I think that’ll allow enough air in, but I’m worried about it also allowing in other bugs. Also, I know the beetles should be in the top so that their eggs drop through the screen to the bottom. I was hoping that putting the worms in the top while I wait for them to grow into beetles will save me the trouble of having to move them later. If this is a bad idea, I’d appreciate pointers!

 

[rehdancer]

I would encourage you to make your own "right" - I'm no expert by any means, but one can make this as complicated or as simple as one chooses. In reading all this stuff, by folks a LOT more experienced than I am, the common information seems to be - air, food, not a lot of moisture, bedding, darkness, that's it. I got my dozen or so mealworms at a bait shop ($3, I think) and am using a plastic shoe box I got from somewhere. I also purchased a bag of wheat bran that will probably last close to forever. I get excited when I don't kill stuff, from my chickens to my vegetable garden, so it doesn't take much to please me. Relax and breathe, you'll be fine !!! This is a great place to learn about stuff, with lots of different experiences and viewpoints, and they're all successful. To me this means there are lots of different ways to do things "right".