Mealworm farming

[202roosterlane]

I just ordered meal worm from a BYC member. Thanks for the info and other links. I hope I can figure this out because my chickens l♥ve mealworms. It's like nothing I have ever seen before! They just go wild.

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[hannakat]

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Welcome to the 'farm' 202roosterlane! Chickadees do have an intense

for mealworms once they try them! You'll do fine. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask cause we have many knowledgable farmers here!

 

[TedJan92_in_Idaho]

Walmart and bait shops usually have a good supply of live meal worms to get started cheaper than what you will pay to get started on the internet

 

[WestKnollAmy]

My Walmart does not sell meal worms but our local pet stores do. I actually have a pet store that wants me to supply them with soem but at the rate I am selling them I may not have as many to supply my babies!
Time to add more bins!

Oh, and I am working very hard to finish my meal worm page. Lots of photos and definitely not enough info.

 

[hannakat]

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Interesting.....most folks have reported that it's more expensive to buy them in a store. Walmart, here, also doesn't sell them. I've been selling them to fishermen who all say my prices are less expensive and the quality is better.



WestKnollAmy ~ Go Amy, Go Amy but remember that you started the farm for YOUR chickadees

 

[Kassaundra]

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Interesting.....most folks have reported that it's more expensive to buy them in a store. Walmart, here, also doesn't sell them. I've been selling them to fishermen who all say my prices are less expensive and the quality is better.



WestKnollAmy ~ Go Amy, Go Amy but remember that you started the farm for YOUR chickadees

Our local walmart also does not sell any, actually it is an hour drive to find a store that does (petco type). If you are starting w/ a couple of hundred worms you can get by cheaper at the mega stores, but if you are wanting to start in the thousands mail order is by far cheaper, at least in our area. And the mega stores are only cheaper in the small numbers if you were already going to the area, if you are driving 2 hrs ( 1 each way) what you spend in gas and time wouldn't make it very cost effective.

 

[gale65]

Our walmart doesn't sell them and the only pet store we have also doesn't (petsense). I ordered 1000 of them from ebay. A lot of mine are turning into pupa now. How long do they stay that way before they are beetles?

 

[Kassaundra]

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Mine took 7 days my colony is kept inside w/ a temp between 76-78

 

[gale65]

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Mine took 7 days my colony is kept inside w/ a temp between 76-78

Wow I had no idea it was that quick! I was looking up the life cycle of the mealworm and found a diagram at enchanted learning. On that site it says the pupal stages lasts from 2-3 weeks up to 9 months! (9 mos being overwintering).

 

[Kassaundra]

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Mine took 7 days my colony is kept inside w/ a temp between 76-78

Wow I had no idea it was that quick! I was looking up the life cycle of the mealworm and found a diagram at enchanted learning. On that site it says the pupal stages lasts from 2-3 weeks up to 9 months! (9 mos being overwintering).

My colony is right at 2 months old. When I got them they were large meal worms and it took almost two weeks to start pupating, but I have my second gen mealworms (those hatched from my adult's eggs) that are getting close to pupating themselves (probably the first ones in the next couple of weeks) so from my colony observations, having constant indoor temps, and all the food they can eat it looks like 3ish months from large mealies to large mealies.