Mealworm farming

[Gallo del Cielo]

I live in Tucson AZ and it is still super hot here. I would like to start my own little worm farm but DH is absolutely DISGUSTED - he has a strange and severe issue with bugs. So I want to know if I can keep a drawer system outside in the crazy 100+ degree heat?

I plan to get a simple 3 drawer system and was thinking of just spray painting the outside of the entire thing black to keep the light out during the day. It will be out of the rain, but it's nearly impossible to keep anything out of the sun here, so it WILL be in direct sunlight at times.

Would this work?

Hi there, fellow Tucsonan here. I keep my colony on the back patio (out of direct sunlight) for most of the year. During the winter I keep it in the garage, or move it around to various hiding spots inside the house. Gallina del Cielo does not like it inside! I would have some reservations about the drawer system outside here due to a lack of adequate ventilation on the very hottest days. I would definitely NOT paint it black and certainly NOT put it anywhere sun will hit it. Perhaps you could put up a curtain or something around it to block sunlight from hitting it?

ETA: when we talk about direct sunlight, we're talking about a straight path between the colony and the sun. Incidental light is just fine.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I have a problem with my pupae. Very few of them seem to be hatching into beetles, most appear to just not hatch & simply become dried out husks. My "first generation" beetles are gradually dying off (at 5-6 months of age, which I think is normal?), and I am not getting many hatching to replace them. My small shoebox size worm farm containers are kept outside, on a shelf underneath a small table, and the table is kept totally covered by a towel. Temperatures on the covered porch still quite regularly get over 100 deg, even in the shade. Humidity is very low (high desert climate). I am wondering if the pupae are being almost dehydrated, by the very low humidity. Would it help it i soaked the towel that covers the table regularly - this might increase the humidity in the mealie boxes. Maybe I should add a small water bowl in the boxes? The other option would be to move them inside, but that would then drop the temperature to high 70's. But, it would increase the humidity since we use an evaporative cooler to cool the house. So, any suggestions on what i can do to get more pupae to hatch? Am I even on the right track by thinking high temperature/low humidity is the problem? Also, one other newbie question - into the box that has the majority of worms, the wheat bran is being eaten - and there is a gradual build up of a material that almost looks like fine sand - is that "mealie poop" LOL.

I'd be very surprised that it was a lack of humidity. I live in one of the driest places in the country and don't have any issues with pupae. That's not to say that low humidity can't cause that to happen, just that it's relatively rare. Are your separating pupae from larvae? The problem is that the pupae are the stage most susceptible to a whole variety of problems. What are you feeding them? Insufficient diet can sometimes cause them to quit during the pupal stage, although that is generally caused by using some other substrate other than wheat bran. I also suspect that they are the most susceptible to residual pesticides on vegetables. If you try soaking the towels, watch very carefully for fungus in the colony, dead or dying mealworms that turn black and grain mites. If you see any of these issues, remove any extra moisture. Generally speaking though, a broccoli stem or two in the colony usually provides enough moisture for them.

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Just saw what I'm pretty sure is my first beetle! It seems rather tiny and I was afraid I had an unwelcome pest in my colony, but it does look like the pics I've seen.

 

[onafixedincome]

Quote:

Yes, that would have been a good idea had I thought of it! Yah, it was funny, and I especially love freaking out my eldest, got some good reaction from her which was priceless

Yes, but did you get PICTURES...??

Share!! (send 'em to Americas Funniest if you got video...tee hee!!

)

 

[onafixedincome]

I'd be very surprised that it was a lack of humidity. I live in one of the driest places in the country and don't have any issues with pupae.

But then...you run a solid-walled aquarium, yes? Might be that the management of your colony makes that important bit of difference compared to a more-open system?

I know mine have serious difficulty when humidity is very low; if there is a fresh vegetable in there, they tend to seek it out to pupate--or so I figure, since most pupae are found immediately around the moister material. Too humid, I get that icky black stuff that destroys a lot of larva and pupae. Not sure if it's fungus or a parasite, or both.

 

[binders]

I find that if I let things get too dry (by not feeding regularly) I will have a lot of dried out empty pupae shells and bit of pupae. I think the worms will eat the liquid out of the pupae when they isn't another source.

editted to add: I live in a very dry place so I don't usually have to worry about too much moisture.

 

[WillsC]

But then...you run a solid-walled aquarium, yes? Might be that the management of your colony makes that important bit of difference compared to a more-open system?

I know mine have serious difficulty when humidity is very low; if there is a fresh vegetable in there, they tend to seek it out to pupate--or so I figure, since most pupae are found immediately around the moister material. Too humid, I get that icky black stuff that destroys a lot of larva and pupae. Not sure if it's fungus or a parasite, or both.

You may have a point. Here in Florida the humidity is very high and I observe just the opposite as most of my pupae are found not in the middle where the moisture source is placed but at the very edges of the container and especially in the corners.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

You may have a point. Here in Florida the humidity is very high and I observe just the opposite as most of my pupae are found not in the middle where the moisture source is placed but at the very edges of the container and especially in the corners.

Same for me, I am in central Indiana, and its almost always humid. The majority of the colony are around the outside edges of the drawer. I rarely lose pupa, they just ignore them. I started with 2000 wormies and most of them have pupated or are beetles now. (Woohoo!!

)

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

Starting to see my first little beetles! They are much smaller than I expected. I have no idea when I can start actually feeding some of these mealworms to our flock.

 

[Tikkajazz94]

hey all,
I just ordered mealworms on monday..... and their on their way here Should be here tomorrow or friday. YAY 1000 meal worms YAY!!!!! wanted to share