Mealworm farming

[Ivywoods]

A couple more questions...I'm just getting my 3 drawer system set up.

These drawers shut pretty tight. Does anyone add extra ventilation or do you just leave the drawers slightly ajar?

The screen for the bottom is just window screen, right?

 

[Emily1220]

Mine like the peel better then the banana, but be careful w/ the banana they tend to go bad very quickly (mold and liquify)

And I have found they draw in fruit flies!!!! But for an emergency it would be ok.

 

[Emily1220]

A couple more questions...I'm just getting my 3 drawer system set up.

These drawers shut pretty tight. Does anyone add extra ventilation or do you just leave the drawers slightly ajar?

The screen for the bottom is just window screen, right?

I just leave my drawers open a tiny bit but I really dont need to. If you look on the sides there is a gap all done the side of bin for ventilation. But it makes ME feel better to leave it slightly ajar!!!

Yes regular window screen is what you need. But hot glue it really good on the inside of the drawer so it can hold the weight of all the foodstuff you put in there. Its a mess if the screen falls thru and you were trying to keep it all sorted!! LOL!!

 

[Ivywoods]

Great! I've got some window screen, and I had forgotten to ask what is the best thing to fasten the screen to the drawer with.

The fruit fly thing doesn't sound good, though. I put part of a banana peel in there after I asked about it, and they went nuts over it. I think I'll just be sure to take it out every day.

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

 

[onafixedincome]

Does anyone dry their meal worms ?

Not really...they never mess up the little towels I put in there, anyway...

 

[Auscal]

I an new to meal worm farming, and just started with 100 "pet-store" mealworms about 4-5 weeks ago. I am really appreciating this thread (and, will eventually have worked my way through all 389 pages). After a recent patch of warmer weather, about 75% are now pupae, with 3 beetles. One of the beetles doesn't appear "right". The wings don't seem to close, and it stays on the surface. The picture shows it better than I can describe.Is this a deformity? Is there any reason not to leave it in the bin & let it lay eggs - or is this a "bad gene" & should I just get rid of it now? I do realize that since the larvae have been refrigerated, they may not all develop properly. All advice is welcome.

 

[onafixedincome]

Some beetles have 'oopsies' at maturation that leaves them a little wierd; unless they are actually in a state that interferes with their free movement (crippled), I leave them there, mostly....but if it's more than very minor, I feed them out to the chickens.

At the moment, I have about...oh, 3,000? beetles in their third tub of substrate; bazillions of teeny tiny worms in other tubs from previous substrate batches. I want enough to keep the addicts happy through winter (ok, and give em nice treats in summer after they eat aaaalllll the earwigs).

Relax and have fun!

 

[Kassaundra]

I an new to meal worm farming, and just started with 100 "pet-store" mealworms about 4-5 weeks ago. I am really appreciating this thread (and, will eventually have worked my way through all 389 pages). After a recent patch of warmer weather, about 75% are now pupae, with 3 beetles. One of the beetles doesn't appear "right". The wings don't seem to close, and it stays on the surface. The picture shows it better than I can describe.Is this a deformity? Is there any reason not to leave it in the bin & let it lay eggs - or is this a "bad gene" & should I just get rid of it now? I do realize that since the larvae have been refrigerated, they may not all develop properly. All advice is welcome.

I think someone did an experiment and isolated several out that had that kind of deformed wing development and found that in a couple of days it actually self corrected. That is if I am remembering correctly. Either way they don't fly anyway, I always leave them, picking them out may seem to be an easy enough thing when there is 200, but not so much when there are thousands (but then again I am a very lazy meal worm farmer)

 

[Kassaundra]

Not really...they never mess up the little towels I put in there, anyway...

A couple on this thread freeze them, but from what I remember the "drying" process is reported as being very smelly. Freezing them is quick and very easy, the chickies love them after, at least hanakat's do. She says the only thing is to feed them out soon after removing from the freezer b/c they turn black after a bit.

 

[Ivywoods]

Not really...they never mess up the little towels I put in there, anyway...

Okay, I'm slow. It took me a few seconds to figure this one out!

Sounds kind of like an answer my DH would come up with.LOL!