Mealworm farming

[lauriruth]

so, i woke up this morning and actually said "good morning" to my worm bin which is sitting in the corner of my bedroom.....so sad.

 

[azhenhouse]

I was reading that the preferred temps to raise worms is 78 degrees. My house is never that warm. In the winter it is 68 and the summer 72 degrees. Do I supply heat with a heat lamp or one of the blue basking lamps for reptiles? How do you keep yours warm?

 

[epeloquin]

This is quite cool and has inspired me to go ahead and start a mealworm farm of my own. My girls love them as do all chickens and, I think like all chicken owners, I do not like paying for things I can make/raise on my own. I still wish there was an inexpensive way to make chicken feed at home!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I was reading that the preferred temps to raise worm is 78 degrees. My house is never that warm. In the winter it is 68' and the summer 72 degrees. Do I supply heat with a heat lamp or one of the blue basking lamps for reptiles? How do you keep your warm?

I'm not sure the added production would be worth the energy expended with a heat lamp when your ambient temperature is 68. I keep my colony inside during the winter and our house temps are slightly cooler than yours and they do just fine. They don't grow nearly as fast as they do during the summer, when I keep them outside in the extreme heat, but the production is good. If you had a more efficient and economical method of delivering the heat it might be worth the expense. I think your house temps are fine, certainly high enough to get started. If you find you'd like a higher production rate you can add more heat later. Good luck!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Well, it certainly didn't take long for DH to get tired of moving the beetles over every week. I told him a stacked system was the way to go but he didn't think the drawer systems we were finding in stores were big enough and that may be true so we got busy (finally!) on making our own. I meant to get a photo of the plastic tub before we added bran and beetles but it didn't happen. Still, this system will work well, I believe.



We have the screen bottomed one on top of the arms or the chair and the egg catcher is underneath. The plastic tub will be changed out every week or two as the beetles lay eggs and hopefully fall through the screen. I am seeing tiny worms in all the containers we have put aside such as the one on the floor beside the chair. We put egg loaded bran into containers and have them all over the house with the dates on the containers to let us know how far along they are. They sure grow slow in the winter!



I will add these photos to my website in the next few days along with more info. The more that people email me with questions and concerns, confusion or ideas then I am able to add to my website. I appreciate everyone's input and try to help as many folks as possible with what little I know or learn.

 

[azhenhouse]

I'm not sure the added production would be worth the energy expended with a heat lamp when your ambient temperature is 68. I keep my colony inside during the winter and our house temps are slightly cooler than yours and they do just fine. They don't grow nearly as fast as they do during the summer, when I keep them outside in the extreme heat, but the production is good. If you had a more efficient and economical method of delivering the heat it might be worth the expense. I think your house temps are fine, certainly high enough to get started. If you find you'd like a higher production rate you can add more heat later. Good luck!

Well, I am going to give it a try. I will place them in the warmest room of the house, and hope that works. Thanks for your help.

 

[lolita117]

Quote:

Lolita117 ~ Not to worry... fascination will take over quickly and you'll be an ol' pro!

Kassandra ~ Buckeye sticks....yep! That's the way!

Amy ~ Way to go! Your pics and videos are incredible. Keep 'em coming!

I'm already finding myself fascinated. I can't believe how much my medium sized worms have grown in a week!

 

[wolftracks]

Are you sure they're dead? They slow down a lot right before molting and pupating--so much so that they can appear dead. Are the worms black? Mold in the colony doesn't necessarily mean a death sentence for the mealworms, just that conditions are more moist than they should be.


That's it. It really is simple.

Most are black or turning black. I think I have 2 that are moving, but I also have some that are brown and I just can't tell. They aren't stiff like the black ones though.

Do any of you think that these would be bad to feed to the birds? The mold wasn't all over, just on the potato.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Wolftracks, you said you had "Giant" mealworms, right? You didn't kill them - they were victims of the hormones they were given to prevent pupation.

Just like you wouldn't raise a Cornish x Rock pullet to be a layer....

 

[wolftracks]

Wolftracks, you said you had "Giant" mealworms, right? You didn't kill them - they were victims of the hormones they were given to prevent pupation.

Just like you wouldn't raise a Cornish x Rock pullet to be a layer....

Well might. LOL

Are these ok to feed to the birds?