Mealworm farming

[TheSpiceGirls]

I started a mealworm farm back in February and I finally have mealworms. They are tiny so it will be a few more weeks before I can actually feed them to the hens. But I'm so excited that it has worked.

I guess keeping it in the garage where it was cool is why it has taken so long for it to mature. DH said no way to keeping them in the house, but now that I know they want a dark corner, I think I'll bring them in this winter and put them in a closet or some place where he isn't likely to find them.

 

[einhard]

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Put them next to the vacuum cleaner -- I haven't seen ours in months.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

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Put them next to the vacuum cleaner -- I haven't seen ours in months.

Next to the vacuum. That's Bloody Brilliant!!! It would take him a decade to look in there.
Come fall when it gets cool, that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

My vacuum cleaner is still sitting in the middle of the living room waiting to be used. I swear that thing has very few hours on it! None of us living here are all that great at liking housework! And our closets are so blasted tiny! I do not think DH has ever used it.

Thanks on the info for the mites. This was my original bin with the oats and I have no idea what I put in there to start them. I have brought in plants from outside to try but figure they just some how got going well once the outside humidity came inside. They are right at the sliding glass door for warmth and that is our main entrance and exit. I am about to cover it up because the heat is running my AC too much. Power bill is outrageous so I have to put the heavy curtains back up. The colonies will enjoy the darkness but not the cooler temps.

There are some mealies left in that bin though! I put a piece of newspaper down in there and they crawled into it.

Can anyone tell me.....is it safe to move the existing mealies, pupae and beetles over into a bin with others? Or will they likely have mites on them and spread them?
I know Gallo del Cielo said to keep them separate from the new ones so I assume that means the mites could hitch a ride over? Just dump, clean and refill with fresh bran? After zapping said bran in the microwave? Too early in the morning for me to think straight right now.

What I hate is dumping the container and knowing there are probably eggs and tiny wee wormies in there somewhere. Bummer!

Oh yeah! WELCOME to all the new meal worm enthusiasts!!!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hi Nadine.

I probably wouldn't transfer them over--the risk of contaminating your other colony would be too high. The thing about mite infestations is that they are usually fleeting. Changing the conditions that promote their growth is often the easiest course of action. Sometimes that can be difficult though. Mites are everywhere and it just takes the right conditions for them to explode--like a sudden spell of high humidity from the weather. So, your outbreak may simply due to the weather and less to do with what you've put into the colony (I hope I didn't give that impression). When I lived in New Orleans I always had a hard time keeping them outside in the humidity; it seemed like I was always dealing with mites or some other outbreak. Sometimes the moisture in a potato is enough trigger an infestation when the humidity is also high. Good luck!

TheSpiceGirls and einhard, yes, next to the vacuum!

 

[stonecottagefarm]

Great posts and great pictures! Just a few questions, I can order mealworms from Uncle Jim's Worm Farm, right? (http://www.unclejimswormfarm.com). He sends the actual meal worms and not the beetles. What do I do with them when they arrive (food, water, etc).

I am going to do the three-drawer system that is photographed in the begining with the screen on the top drawer. Which drawer do the mealworms go in when they arrive? How many should I get so start?

Okay, so correct me if I am wrong.... the top draw is for the beetles to lay eggs. And then those beetles die? And the eggs fall through to the second draw?

And in the second draw, they become the actual mealworms? Now from here you can feed them to the chickens or put them in the third draw where they become beetles?

All three drawers need oats and strips of paper along with vegetables. Anything else?

Sorry if this has already been posted in detail somewhere else and I missed it. Just putting together bits and pieces from this thread as I read through it. Thanks!

 

[Chicken Chat]

Yesterday I got my first pupas!

I'm so proud of them. This morning, I found 8 more! I never thought the words, "aren't they cute," would ever come out of my mouth regarding grubs. My family thinks I've lost it.

 

[hannakat]

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(Responses are in bold above) Have fun and let us know when your wormies arrive!

 

[hannakat]

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aaahhhh! They are sooo cute!!

Love the photo! What are you using in the substrate?

 

[Chicken Chat]

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aaahhhh! They are sooo cute!!

Love the photo! What are you using in the substrate?

That is just chick feed, I've been to three different feed stores in my area and no one carried the wheat bran so I had to go with chick feed. Stopped by the grain elevator this morning and they carry it, so I bought some and will start using that for my 1,000 that are coming in the mail on Monday. The feed seems kind of heavy for them.