Mealworm farming

[DMRippy]

Well, I just got the container I bought them in out of the recycling to scoop back up and feed to the chickens tomorrow, and guess what happened?!? Some (most?) of them just started moving again!!

 

[charlie476]

Just came across this post and im glad. It is VERY informative

I just ordered some mealworms from http://www.topflightmealworms.com did alot of searching for the cheapest mealworms online. Seems most companies are similar in prices the difference between most places I see are shipping charges.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

They don't like light, and direct strong light can kill them.

Good to know! How about a heating pad? I really want this colony to explode ASAP and the temps in my house will soon be hovering around 60.

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

Worms do get inactive when they are close to pupating. They are also slow when cold.

Put away the heat lamp. Try checking on them over the course of several hours.

And remember, these guys do best when we leave them in "ignore" mode.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Well, at least some of mine are still moving today. I have no idea if they'll thrive and reproduce. I think I'll keep them (rather than feed them to chickens), add more mealworms, and at worst they'll get eaten by the new mealworms, right?

 

[Kassaundra]

Well, at least some of mine are still moving today. I have no idea if they'll thrive and reproduce. I think I'll keep them (rather than feed them to chickens), add more mealworms, and at worst they'll get eaten by the new mealworms, right?

Heating pad would be a better option then a heat light. I think I would try a warm spot in the house though. Usually there is some spot that is warmer, top of refrigerator, near something electronic, near the hot water tank etc.... I would just add to, also they won't canabalize much unless they are hungy or thisty for a while.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Heating pad would be a better option then a heat light. I think I would try a warm spot in the house though. Usually there is some spot that is warmer, top of refrigerator, near something electronic, near the hot water tank etc.... I would just add to, also they won't canabalize much unless they are hungy or thisty for a while.

So should I try to sift out the dead ones? Seems pretty difficult as they're all mixed up in a ton of wheat bran. I suppose I could scrap the bran and start fresh, but money is extremely tight right now. They won't fit above my fridge and I live in a really small apartment - no warm spots and no water heater inside the unit. (The chickens are at my boyfriend's house but I have to raise the mealworms here because he is already overwhelmed with pet chores!)

 

[Kassaundra]

So should I try to sift out the dead ones? Seems pretty difficult as they're all mixed up in a ton of wheat bran. I suppose I could scrap the bran and start fresh, but money is extremely tight right now. They won't fit above my fridge and I live in a really small apartment - no warm spots and no water heater inside the unit. (The chickens are at my boyfriend's house but I have to raise the mealworms here because he is already overwhelmed with pet chores!)

I personally wouldn't sift out the dead ones, or start w/ new bedding. I am very a lazy bug raiser. If you want to add heat, I would do it w/ a heating pad then.

 

[Kassaundra]

How many did you start with?

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

How many did you start with?

Only 500 because that's all they had at the pet store. I was going to add more anyway. If you think it's cool to leave the dead ones, I'm OK with that because I'm also lazy.