Mealworm farming

[gaitngirl]

Hi everyone,
How do you guys up the humidity for your mealies without inviting mite issues? I haven't had any mites (yet) but many of the pupae are drying up before they turn into beetles. Some only dry partially and the beetles are dedormed. The worms and the few beetles I started with all seem fine. I use carrot, lettuce, and an occasional apple slice for moisture sources.

 

[gaitngirl]

Oops. Didn't proof very well! Dedormed=deformed.

 

[kwol]

Well...my 10,000 mealworms arrived in good condition today. I'm going with the 3 drawer system....just need some screen for the top. Right now, they're all different sizes....range from 1/2" to 1".

A couple questions for the pros:

The pupa...do they tend to sit on the top? I imagine they're probably all through the substrate?

Is the majority of people putting the pupa in their own little bowl/area until they turn to worms or just letting them turn in the bin then scooping them up to go into the top?

And how many can I put in one drawer? The drawers I have are roughly 22" x 13" and about 7" deep.

Thanks and Im looking forward to all the fun.... we all are.....

Eddie

Hi, Eddie. I am not a seasoned meal worm farmer, but I can pass on the info I have learned.

I am using the same drawer system you are. I did not have the screen in the bottom of the beetle drawer at first, but now that I do, the eggs seem to be falling right down into the meal worm drawer and it is just boiling with life! I started with 10,000 meal worms off Craig's list and they have all passed into the adult stage, so these are my grandchild worms now in various sizes. None of these have pupated yet.

When your worms pupate, they will lie on top of your substrate. They are white, and waxy looking and shorter than a meal worm. I pick these out ( or my 10 year old does it, he loves to do it) and place them in their own drawer where they lie until they change into beetles. Then I pick those out and move them into the top beetle drawer and we begin again.I pick out the pupae because I was concerned the mealies would cannibalize them. They are helpless in that stage.

 

[EddieJ]

Hello BYC gang,

Do the 3 drawer systems have enough ventilation the way they are set up? It's impossible to keep the tops open as they are set up as a unit from the factory so to speak. Should additional holes be added towards the top edge of the sides?

Also, I'm thinking of putting them into a spare closet I have with a heater in there. Plans are to set the heater to 85-90 degrees and attempt to control the humidity with a bowl of water perhaps. Any suggestions?

Thanks
Eddie

 

[bbsnooks]

When I got my first 100 worms from the pet store, Kellogg's All Bran was what I used for bedding. I pulverized it in my blender, ending up with fine ground, medium, and just crunched up. I added chick starter and apple slices and away they went! I wanted to make a larger colony and couldnt find wheat bran in this area so I ordered it off amazon.com for way too much money. (I got Bob's Red Mill in 4 packs, and I am just now at the last bag, I won't need more for about 2 months, but I also added 1000 more mealworms.) Cost was around $25 for 8 20oz bags. I think it is ok to use the cereal in the short run, but the small amount of sugar may cause a mold problem after a while.

I come from Farming community . so with in 20 miles there are 3 co-op's to buy feed from ..
I would suggest using the yellow pages .. for Feed & seed.. .and ask them.. where to purchase by by the 50lb bags..
Or google search for cooperative exchange.. in your state.. and start there. to see if any thing is close..
If your in major city it may be harder to find.. but worth a look.

 

[BScott03]

Awesome info! I really want to do this but I always worry about If I'm doing things right considering i just started my chicken adventure

 

[blackswamp]

I just got some meal worms a few weeks ago & I have a few questions.
My mealworms don't seem to be turning into Pupa they turn black & die. What's wrong?
How often do you clean out your drawer with the mealworms?

Thanks
Jeff

 

[Dipstick]

I just got some meal worms a few weeks ago & I have a few questions.
My mealworms don't seem to be turning into Pupa they turn black & die. What's wrong?
How often do you clean out your drawer with the mealworms?

Thanks
Jeff

Hi Jeff, welcome to the special category of the insanity where we proudly declare to the world that we have worms!

I know, bad joke.

I have recently posted about my concern with the same thing. I was told that they are diseased and probably came that way from the supplier. It is the second time that I have purchased from the same supplier with the same results. The first order got stuck without enough heat in the post office at temps well below freezing, so those losses were attributed to low temps, but this order was above 40*F so it would seem that there is another factor in play here. I have managed to get things stable in my growth environment, and it seems that the worm death tole has ceased, so I tend to believe that they were correct. And ambient humidity is NOT a big factor, and they were right about this as well, in spite of all of the stuff online that seems to promote the opposite.

If you are planning to feed to your chickies then don't worry, they eat the black ones just as well so there is no big deal, but if you are planning to breed and farm your own worms, then you will want to focus on the cause for the losses.

Just keep it 82-88*F and keep a fan moving air continuously and try to keep it dark and keep growth stages segregated... or leave them all together and let nature do her thing.

 

[Dipstick]

OK, there has been a lot of interest in a source for wheat bran for those who do not have access to a local feed supply.

In trying to find a solution. here is what I have come up with.

I have access to it... in bulk. If someone is interested in ordering some, I can supply whoever needs it.

A large priority mail box is something like $16.85 for a 12"x12"x5" box. According to my digital shipping scale, a box with a clear non-scented trash bag full of wheat bran weighs just over 8 lbs.

So, considering time and expenses for going to and from the feed store, post office, and the bags, and the ink, and the paper, for the labels and all of the other business type expenses associated with this sort of thing, I figure that I can ship anyone in the continental US a full box of wheat bran for about $25. That is basically, $1 per lb. plus shipping.

If interested PM me.

 

[BScott03]

This might seem like a really stupid question but mealworm farming really interests me. Do you just dump them into like a trash can when you get them with oats, wheat bran or whatever and a few apple slices and let them be until you want to leave them for treats? I guess I need a detailed guide! Lol