Mealworm farming questions

[MissChick@dee]

I just recently started with meal worms. I’m now up to 3 totes. One is my main colony with now all three life stages. The other two are tiny baby worms ... the adults used to populate the “baby bin” were fed to the chickens.
I used dried milk and oat bran (about 4 or 5 inches thick) and whole carrots for food and water. The carrots are super easy and they tend to dry up rather than rot or mold.
They are easy to keep and the chickens love the live treats. I say if you want to try go for it. What’s the worst that could happen? If worming doesn’t work out for you the chickens will be happy to get rid of them for you! Good luck

 

[Kris5902]

I think if I had more space I would do a larger setup to start with. The three drawer system is cute, but small. I’m up to 6 drawers now, with 3 more in reserve. I’m thinking one other thing I would do differently is order multiple batches of worms. I got mine in January, and I pulled my first egg drawer out from under the beetles on March 1, replacing it with a new drawer to collect eggs. My beetles are about a month old and I just have tiny worms coming along. I’m worried my beetles will die out sooner than I will get worms to replace them.

I would ideally suggest a large starter order, and a month later a second smaller order, and a month after that a third small order. To keep the pupae and beetles staggered and more consistent. I’m sure it will eventually smooth out into more constant rotation, but because I got mine all at once I’m seeing a bit of a gap in development/ production starting to happen.

I’m just learning and this is my first colony, so I’m by no means very experienced, this is just what I would’ve done differently based on the one experience.

 

[Mimi13]

I have watched a lot of mealworm videos on YouTube. Most seem pretty good and accurate. Many of them all have the same basic content and don't really provide any special tips or tricks. But sometimes you see someone drop a gem of a good trick that you have not seen before. I think the easiest way to filter the crap from the good ones is to look at the length. If it is over about 5 minutes long, it is usually good. Although there are some long ones out there where they just have a shakey camera filming nothing for 80% of the time. But usually you can tell if it is that kind of video pretty quick.

I’ve been reading the link you provided. I think after reading the how-tos and why-fors, I’ll be able to watch the videos looking for different setups and such.

There is one thing though that has me a bit concerned. My son has pretty severe asthma/allergies and my grandson has bad allergies and I keep my grandson every day. I read in that article that raising mealworms has caused some individuals with asthma/allergies to have severe reactions. This is something I will have to look more into. No amount of monetary savings could be realized if it caused family members to be hospitalized. I am hoping that these individuals were just sensitive to the frass/filthy conditions of a non-cared for setup.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I think if I had more space I would do a larger setup to start with. The three drawer system is cute, but small. I’m up to 6 drawers now, with 3 more in reserve. I’m thinking one other thing I would do differently is order multiple batches of worms. I got mine in January, and I pulled my first egg drawer out from under the beetles on March 1, replacing it with a new drawer to collect eggs. My beetles are about a month old and I just have tiny worms coming along. I’m worried my beetles will die out sooner than I will get worms to replace them.

I would ideally suggest a large starter order, and a month later a second smaller order, and a month after that a third small order. To keep the pupae and beetles staggered and more consistent. I’m sure it will eventually smooth out into more constant rotation, but because I got mine all at once I’m seeing a bit of a gap in development/ production starting to happen.

I’m just learning and this is my first colony, so I’m by no means very experienced, this is just what I would’ve done differently based on the one experience.

Space wise, this is a very effective way to increase number of active bins....I have 20 bins available....currently 3 beetle bins, 12 worm bins, 1 pupa bin and my three empties that rotate to beetle bins on the beetle moving week......at max production I use all 20 bins at once, I had scaled way back in January due to a vacation and trying to simplify worm sitting chores fir my sitter, lol, so was down to just 10 drawers total at that point....building back to capacity as demand is increasing.

Feeder sized worms not needed for immediate feeding or orders are stored in the refrigerator and get woken up to feed/hydrate every two weeks or so. Storage bin shown below on feeding day....in cold mode they are all tucked beneath the layer of bedding, takes a couple hours at room temp to get really active and feeding....this bin holds thousands

 

[Mimi13]

Space wise, this is a very effective way to increase number of active bins....I have 20 bins available....currently 3 beetle bins, 12 worm bins, 1 pupa bin and my three empties that rotate to beetle bins on the beetle moving week......at max production I use all 20 bins at once, I had scaled way back in January due to a vacation and trying to simplify worm sitting chores fir my sitter, lol, so was down to just 10 drawers total at that point....building back to capacity as demand is increasing.View attachment 1747833
Feeder sized worms not needed for immediate feeding or orders are stored in the refrigerator and get woken up to feed/hydrate every two weeks or so. Storage bin shown below on feeding day....in cold mode they are all tucked beneath the layer of bedding, takes a couple hours at room temp to get really active and feeding....this bin holds thousands
View attachment 1747834

That last pic is amazing. How there can be that many worms right there in such a small area. Dear lord, my chickens would founder if they happened upon that bin. (Don’t know if chickens really can founder. I just related it to my horses getting into the feed room.)

It looks as though your bins are kept in an under stair closet or something similar, which has me now thinking of an unused coat closet I have. Hmmm, just could be the answer I’ve been looking for.

 

[Kris5902]

My space limitations right now are my biggest issue. I’m moving my 3 indoor cats in for summer, I have to figure that out... I’m in a 25’ RV while I build my house, to put my situation into perspective. Basically my husband and I have 200sq feet of space and our entire living area is a 12x13 kitchen/dining/Living room where we host and cook for my mother... every night. She hates the mealworms. Oh, and our fridge space is basically non-existent

If you tuck them into a closet or wardrobe it should help a lot. I only do my sifting outside to remove the frass. I pull my drawers out, take them into a barn, and do it out there. I think I might have an issue with them, respiratory wise, but it’s hard to tell because I’m in a humid and moldy situation anyways...

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

My space limitations right now are my biggest issue. I’m moving my 3 indoor cats in for summer, I have to figure that out... I’m in a 25’ RV while I build my house, to put my situation into perspective. Basically my husband and I have 200sq feet of space and our entire living area is a 12x13 kitchen/dining/Living room where we host and cook for my mother... every night. She hates the mealworms. Oh, and our fridge space is basically non-existent

If you tuck them into a closet or wardrobe it should help a lot. I only do my sifting outside to remove the frass. I pull my drawers out, take them into a barn, and do it out there. I think I might have an issue with them, respiratory wise, but it’s hard to tell because I’m in a humid and moldy situation anyways...

Do you wear a mask while working them? I have issues too, and so wasn't what was mealworm dust vs regular issues, but having begun using a mask/filter while working them I have noticed a big improvement in the day(s) after worm day.....the routine stuff of tossing in veggies, checking drawers, etc doesnt necessitate a mask for me, but sorting/sifting/etc stirs things up so I use the mask.

 

[Kris5902]

Do you wear a mask while working them? I have issues too, and so wasn't what was mealworm dust vs regular issues, but having begun using a mask/filter while working them I have noticed a big improvement in the day(s) after worm day.....the routine stuff of tossing in veggies, checking drawers, etc doesnt necessitate a mask for me, but sorting/sifting/etc stirs things up so I use the mask.

I’ve been considering trying one, I just have to find them in my garage trailer... I’ve been mostly ok working outside and staying upwind of the sifting. Before my fist sift I started to notice I was having some (worse than usual) breathing problems in our living area, but I’m usually less than three feet from my farm at all times, and I think I let it go too long.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I took this picture 10 minutes ago. Moved the cardboard box to look and see. Lots of worms from one little tote. They love to hide under cardboard and crawl over and mate in the box.
I’ve had no breathing issues or smells of any kind. If I had asthma or a child did I Dunno? Perhaps I’d stick with the store bought. I keep mine in the spare bedroom but they’d adapt to the garage very well (not winter).

 

[Kris5902]

I’m just glad I finally got mine off the coffee table where we eat at and under it! Much nicer living room ambiance that way... all my available cupboard/closet space is occupied or too small/cold for even my small drawers. The trailer is cold, so the floor is also out and I had to put them in front of our heater. Between the tiny living area, the worms, and that I’m now bringing rescue chickens into our “home” to work on their rehab (“it’s just a little poop, it doesn’t smell that bad! And look she did it on the towel, not the carpet.”) it’s a miracle my husband and I aren’t looking at a divorce!