Mealworm farming

[hannakat]

It's never too soon. Isn't it amazing how fast they develop? Worm farming is not hard at all!

 

[hannakat]

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How is it something like that gives us such joy? I did that with the top drawer, and oh boy, what an event. I'm leaning towards doing that also. I've been taking out the pupae and freezing from my large bin and when they morph into beetles, I'm putting in another container....I know..so much work but it suits me. Can't wait to give the bin contents to the girls

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oneofseven ~ Yea! And the worm explosion is in the works!

 

[oneofseven]

Oh-yeah.

 

[talonfarms]

Mealworms. I'm going to have to look that up. Hmmm

 

[gale65]

OK i got some worms today but I don't have time to read 154 pages of this thread. I read the BYC page but I am positive I read somewhere that quick oats can be used as the bedding. I hope this is true, because that's what I put in the box. I also put a sprig of parsley in because I didn't have anything else on hand. Tonight I'll be buying lettuce and carrots for the rabbits so they can have some carrot. Is there a worm farming for dummies page that isn't 154 pages long?

 

[wyoDreamer]

I just looked it up and learned something:

Quaker Original Rolled Oats - are just the oats rolled so they are flat and cook evenly

Quaker Quick Rolled Oats - are oats cut into pieces (thirds) and rolled flat to cook evenly

Quaker Instant Rolled Oats - are oats that are diced up into smaller pieces, and rolled really thin so they cook really fast (instantly)

I always thought that the Quick and Instant oats were pre-cooked, but according to the Quaker website they are just cut up and rolled into different size pieces to make the texture and cooking times different.

They are all just raw oats, so any of them should work.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

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Here's one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=56638-how-to-raise-mealworms

 

[Kassaundra]

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Okay here's the down and dirty: bedding, almost any grain base will work, also chicken (layer food, non medicated chick start), the bigger bedding is easier to sift through and attracts less mites bugs etc... (freezing for a day or so before adding to the mealies also helps reduce chance of grain mites) but some people are raising them in dirt and no grain at all since they have moth problems.

Food any fruit or veggie or plant have fun experiment change it up so they get good variety in nutrition. Be careful of the things that get liquidy or moldy fast, you don't want your substrate to get wet and moldy / smelly. So far I have used greens, banana, cukes, squash, okra, celery, carrots, melons, apples.

Don't stress just enjoy it.

 

[Chickangel79]

HI guys my first bin has been going since middle of July and still has eggs dropping through and about 50 beetles, I have I guess a trillion worms in the second drawer, but .... it stinks now. Shall I let the beetles die off and not add anymore bran or oats so I can tip it or shall I top it up so it hopefully smells less ? I don't want to throw away potential little babies though ....

 

[airmechreed]

Question once they turn into pupae how long before they become beetles and if the pupae turn black should I through them out? Also do they need water or anything while in this dormant stage? I started small with about 200 mealworms and now have pupae but none have turned to beetles as of yet......still waiting.