Mealworm farming

[Chaneys Ranch]

haha nice one jchny2000!

Makes me feel a lot better, just got s*&% on by a turkey. He was trying out a new roosting place and got his wing stuck on a wire; I had to get under him to get his wing untangled and he wasn't feeling too good about it poor guy. Next thing i knew I had this warm stream down my face, my neck and my sleeve....lovely!

By the way, I have finally got 100 or so mealworms 3 days ago so am making a modest start. I have them down in the basement next to my FF bucket and my ACV which is going great! Is it OK to keep them in the dark all the time? They are enjoying their apple...

UGH i posted a reply and it disappeared! Hehehehe awww the poor bird! and poor you!

Dark is good, dry is better.. warm helps speed it up a lot. I started with like 1000 but it was probably 2000. I have a LOT, almost too many now! But all my birds enjoy them, and my oscars snap them up. My daughter raises sugar gliders and they are crazy greedy for mealies too! They are easier to raise than crickets, or waxworm, i tried it all. Just dont let much mosture in and be careful of mold.
I want turkeys badly, should have started this spring. You have the breed i am looking for, and i want to add mini whites also. The FF goes very well with the Alpaca, just FYI, my 2 boys informed me they love it and they aren't letting me give any to the pigs lol!! Their pasture encloses the pigpen. I have a devil of a time getting out there to the pigs, the boys have their heads in the bucket, i love it.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I have a question! (surprise surprise) I started mealworms about a week ago- I think they are already turning into beetles! When they first arrived the bedding seemed...alive.

Now there isn't many worms to be seen, but a lot of shed shells. Some are black. I have seen a beetle or two crawling around. I am worried though. I put potato in the aquarium i have them in. A few days later there was mold on the potatoes- i know mold is bad for mealworms. I quickly took the potato out and poked around the bedding and it doesn't look there is mold anywhere else- so is the sudden absence of worms because of the mold or did they become beetles? I lifted the lids the food is on and was relieved that there is a good amount of wormies under there.

 

[Tikkajazz94]

I have baby mealworms now!!!!!!!

 

[JulieNKC]

This thread has been full of great info. It's taken me about a month to get through it all, lol. I ordered some mealworms about 3 weeks ago. They started turning into pupae a week ago. So I'm hoping by spring I'll have a nice sized farm going, so I can use them to start mandarin ducklings eating.
I've had several reptiles I gave mealworms too occasionally. I always bought them, never even thought about growing them myself. Thank you BYC!

 

[Turkeytruff]

UGH i posted a reply and it disappeared! Hehehehe awww the poor bird! and poor you!

Dark is good, dry is better.. warm helps speed it up a lot. I started with like 1000 but it was probably 2000. I have a LOT, almost too many now! But all my birds enjoy them, and my oscars snap them up. My daughter raises sugar gliders and they are crazy greedy for mealies too! They are easier to raise than crickets, or waxworm, i tried it all. Just dont let much mosture in and be careful of mold.
I want turkeys badly, should have started this spring. You have the breed i am looking for, and i want to add mini whites also. The FF goes very well with the Alpaca, just FYI, my 2 boys informed me they love it and they aren't letting me give any to the pigs lol!! Their pasture encloses the pigpen. I have a devil of a time getting out there to the pigs, the boys have their heads in the bucket, i love it.

Turkeys are fun, they really liven up your barnyard! It's gonna be awfully quiet when 2 of the 4 visit the freezer

The mealworms seem to be fine down in the warm dry boiler room. I am noticing that quite a few have turned into beetles now. Roll on production of mealworm eggs

haha I LOVE the picture in my head of your alpacas mugging you on the way to your pigs

they are such characters aren't they? Those big eyes melt me.... I will get with the program and try some FF for them at the weekend (these dark mornings my DH tends to feed them and I do the poultry before I go to work).
Will report on progress! Have also just added alfalfa pellets to the FF not sure if they will go down well. The chicken and turkeys turn up their beaks at the pellets in their normal dry form....

 

[johnmw1]

I have had my farm for about three weeks now starting of with about 1000 mealies give or take.

Over the course of time I have been collecting the pupae and putting them into their own container, I probably have about 150 or so. How long do they lay there all looking dead and before they actually start to change into a beetle? I know I have read it somewhere that they actually look dead until they change, but I really do think mine are dead!

We here are headed into our summer and it touched about 99F yesterday.

Cheers,
John

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have a question! (surprise surprise) I started mealworms about a week ago- I think they are already turning into beetles! When they first arrived the bedding seemed...alive.

Now there isn't many worms to be seen, but a lot of shed shells. Some are black. I have seen a beetle or two crawling around. I am worried though. I put potato in the aquarium i have them in. A few days later there was mold on the potatoes- i know mold is bad for mealworms. I quickly took the potato out and poked around the bedding and it doesn't look there is mold anywhere else- so is the sudden absence of worms because of the mold or did they become beetles? I lifted the lids the food is on and was relieved that there is a good amount of wormies under there.

Please ask all the questions you want thats how we all learn! They will pupate a few days, then go to beetles. Sounds like you are doing fine! If you got the mold out that fast i am sure they are ok. I wash the potato real good, then dry it off, and lay slices in there on paper or plastic. unless i need a few worms then i just set a piece right on the bedding. mine like carrots best. I keep meaning to snap pics of the feeding frenzy, its creepy-ish. Finally got a battery for my camera. It will seem like forever once your first wormies are all beetles, waiting for the new worms... i really started to see mine about 6 weeks later. You start thinking they all died LOL! now..OMgosh dont leave your finger in there long they will start climbing on you

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have had my farm for about three weeks now starting of with about 1000 mealies give or take.

Over the course of time I have been collecting the pupae and putting them into their own container, I probably have about 150 or so. How long do they lay there all looking dead and before they actually start to change into a beetle? I know I have read it somewhere that they actually look dead until they change, but I really do think mine are dead!

We here are headed into our summer and it touched about 99F yesterday.

Cheers,
John

Hi John,
If they aren't blackened, they really are ok... if you gently touch their tail they will wiggle slightly. they will start to brown up a little then the beetle splits out. They come out white, and go from brown to black bettles in a few days. The hot temps are great for mealies, but do keep them out of the sun.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

This thread has been full of great info. It's taken me about a month to get through it all, lol. I ordered some mealworms about 3 weeks ago. They started turning into pupae a week ago. So I'm hoping by spring I'll have a nice sized farm going, so I can use them to start mandarin ducklings eating.
I've had several reptiles I gave mealworms too occasionally. I always bought them, never even thought about growing them myself. Thank you BYC!

Glad you joined the thread! It took mine a few months to really take off, now its great! DH is excited to try the spring fishing with them... cant wait!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I have baby mealworms now!!!!!!!

WOHOOOO!!!