Mealworm farming

[kwol]

Well I started my colony in July with 500 mealworms from Petco. All in a 10 gallon aquarium with rolled oats and baby carrots.

It didn't take long for the worms to change to larva and the larva to beetles.

It's been at least 4 to 6 weeks of 100% beetles. All the worms/larva are gone.

Last night I was almost to the point of just giving up and throwing the beetles in with the chickens and calling it a day. But I decided to carefully fish through the oats and see if I could find any worms. Wouldn't you know that I found 3 of the worlds smallest worms (I almost didn't even see them! I was expecting something larger).

So I guess nature is taking it's course (and it's own sweet time as well!)......... Hopefully these darn things turn into 1,000 worms (of decent size) sometime in the next century.

I have the aquarium in my basement sitting on an electric heating pad that's keeping it about 72 degrees.

Sure seems like a lot of work (and time) for some mealworms. Guess I will probably be happy when I see the pay off.

I too kept my initial batch in a cooler winter time house, but when the Florida outside temp got into the upper 70's I moved my three drawer system outside. It took off and flourished all spring and summer. I think the temps in the mid 80's increases the metabolism and the life cycle speeds up.
I would increase the temp closer to 90. We had lots of 90 degree days down here and the colony did well.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I too kept my initial batch in a cooler winter time house, but when the Florida outside temp got into the upper 70's I moved my three drawer system outside. It took off and flourished all spring and summer. I think the temps in the mid 80's increases the metabolism and the life cycle speeds up.
I would increase the temp closer to 90. We had lots of 90 degree days down here and the colony did well.

Yes, I agree that temperature is so important. I put mine outside in the summer when temperatures are typically 110 or higher in the middle of the day and they grow so much faster compared to the winter temps of 40-60 in the garage. Sometimes, I hide them in the house during the winter just to speed things up. Gallina del Cielo doesn't like them inside.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote: We do try to remove them all during growing and before shipping. but inevitably a few get by us. They aren't harmful to your animals, and will actually keep your colony clean; but if you feel better about it you can just pick them out and discard them."

I don't remember reading anything about keeping "clean up" bug in with the mealworms. Has anyone tried this, or does anyone have an opinion on this matter? If they really aren't harmful it doesn't bother me to keep them. But it seams a little odd. I need to do some more research.

Oh good! It's probably Trogoderma granarium then, which is not that bad of a pest unless you live in a very warm climate. There are a lot of species of dermestids and many can be problematic to deal with and some species would even eat your mealworms. Maybe you should try keeping them in the contaminated colony and let us know how that colony fares compared your others. My main concern would be with their dispersal skills, I don't know if they could escape the confines your your colony or not. It would be very interesting to know if they seem helpful or detrimental to the colony. Keep us updated!

I just spent a bit of time reading some more about various dermestid species and I think I would err on the side of caution here and kill them. Without looking carefully at them under a scope it might be difficult to identify the species. It's good to know that the suppliers weren't too concerned about them, so they're probably less likely to be trouble. Despite that, I'm very cautious when it comes to invasive species, unless I was sure they couldn't escape the confines of the colony, I'd kill them.

 

[LTygress]

The easiest way to "kill" dermestid is to start a new, fresh, clean meal worm colony. And you don't have to re-order meal worms from a different supplier for this to happen either.

Just start taking ALL of the pupae you see (and your beetles), and put them in a new container with fresh wheat germ and veggies. The pupae and beetles will start laying eggs in the new container. Then as the meal worms from the old container get big enough, use those for feeding the chicks and chickens. Any new pupae or beetles should ALWAYS be moved to the new container. This is the only way to really ensure that you are getting rid of the dermestid.

If you used ANY of the old bedding (wheat germ, wood shavings, etc.) sent with the meal worms you ordered, it could have the dermestid eggs in it. And if any of their larvae happened to grow up and lay eggs in your own bedding, then you'll never see the end of them. The best way to ensure that you separate them is to do just that. But you don't want to just throw away the old container. You could have baby meal worms in there (which are practically microscopic) and not know it. So you still give those a chance to grow and develop, even if they have to live alongside their invaders for a short while. They're too valuable to throw away!

You don't really lose anything by doing this, except time and a second container. You still have all of your meal worms, and all of your beetles and pupae. You just don't have the dermestid laying eggs in your NEW colony.


Also, I'm wondering if it might be helpful to mention which suppliers are sending out the "contaminated" meal worm groups and which ones are sending out "clean" meal worms. I wish I could remember who I ordered my regular meal worms from, because they not only sent me dermestid with it, but they didn't send a single size of normal meal worms either. Typically companies will sell meal worms in sizes - small, medium, large, and super. Super is it's own kind of meal worm, so I didn't get that in this particular shipment, and don't expect anyone to combine those with the other sizes at all. But I did get small, medium, large, baby, and microscopic all mixed in! But avoiding the companies who have "contaminated" meal worms might be a good idea. At the very least, we're not wasting wheat germ on creatures we don't want!

I do know that I buy my super meal worms from Ghann's Cricket Farm right here in Georgia (sometimes I even pick them up locally). And the super meal worms have NEVER come in with extra creatures! They're also all full-grown and very much alive when I get them, and I typically order 500 at a time!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

The easiest way to "kill" dermestid is to start a new, fresh, clean meal worm colony. And you don't have to re-order meal worms from a different supplier for this to happen either.

Just start taking ALL of the pupae you see (and your beetles), and put them in a new container with fresh wheat germ and veggies. The pupae and beetles will start laying eggs in the new container. Then as the meal worms from the old container get big enough, use those for feeding the chicks and chickens. Any new pupae or beetles should ALWAYS be moved to the new container. This is the only way to really ensure that you are getting rid of the dermestid.

If you used ANY of the old bedding (wheat germ, wood shavings, etc.) sent with the meal worms you ordered, it could have the dermestid eggs in it. And if any of their larvae happened to grow up and lay eggs in your own bedding, then you'll never see the end of them. The best way to ensure that you separate them is to do just that. But you don't want to just throw away the old container. You could have baby meal worms in there (which are practically microscopic) and not know it. So you still give those a chance to grow and develop, even if they have to live alongside their invaders for a short while. They're too valuable to throw away!

You don't really lose anything by doing this, except time and a second container. You still have all of your meal worms, and all of your beetles and pupae. You just don't have the dermestid laying eggs in your NEW colony.


Also, I'm wondering if it might be helpful to mention which suppliers are sending out the "contaminated" meal worm groups and which ones are sending out "clean" meal worms. I wish I could remember who I ordered my regular meal worms from, because they not only sent me dermestid with it, but they didn't send a single size of normal meal worms either. Typically companies will sell meal worms in sizes - small, medium, large, and super. Super is it's own kind of meal worm, so I didn't get that in this particular shipment, and don't expect anyone to combine those with the other sizes at all. But I did get small, medium, large, baby, and microscopic all mixed in! But avoiding the companies who have "contaminated" meal worms might be a good idea. At the very least, we're not wasting wheat germ on creatures we don't want!

I do know that I buy my super meal worms from Ghann's Cricket Farm right here in Georgia (sometimes I even pick them up locally). And the super meal worms have NEVER come in with extra creatures! They're also all full-grown and very much alive when I get them, and I typically order 500 at a time!

Agreed, which is what I also recommended a few posts back. It sounds like MalMom recently ordered these contaminated worms so the Tenebrio should be easily separated without any losses, especially if no beetles had yet started laying. I also agree about not buying from contaminated sources for all the reasons you stated. Good reliable sources should be shared and supported.


Quote:

 

[chrissyr]

Yes, I agree that temperature is so important.  I put mine outside in the summer when temperatures are typically 110 or higher in the middle of the day and they grow so much faster compared to the winter temps of 40-60 in the garage.  Sometimes, I hide them in the house during the winter just to speed things up.  Gallina del Cielo doesn't like them inside.   

lol, Mr Chrissyr didn't want them in the house as well, but I had to bring them in. With temps dipping into the 40's I was afraid they would start dying off. They're doing better but the fam isn't too happy

 

[Nutcase]

Hi, a few months ago I attempted a mealworm farm and it failed miserably. I was feeding them fresh carrots and occasionally apples, which I replaced after a maximum of 30 hours, but I could not stop the development of mould. It spread through their feed/bedding and killed the pupae. I removed all the living mealies and put them in fresh wheat bran, and it happened all over again. I gave up. This is a humid climate, so what can I do to improve the mealworm farm next time? The worms, pupae and beetles were all in separate containers with several air-holes.

 

[sueblack]

Quote:
I brought my mealworms into the house last week as it is getting cold here too (40's). I have 9 drawers of them. I had them in my mudroom, but the smell was too much for everyone in the house, including me, so they were rehomed to an empty bedroom where I can keep the door shut. I also have a window fan that I can turn on when I go into the bedroom to feed, clean bins, etc. I finally have my colony up to the level where I can feed my girls worms twice a week, so keeping it in the house really is my only option for the winter. I just didn't expect them to smell so much.

 

[AletaG]

Hi, a few months ago I attempted a mealworm farm and it failed miserably. I was feeding them fresh carrots and occasionally apples, which I replaced after a maximum of 30 hours, but I could not stop the development of mould. It spread through their feed/bedding and killed the pupae. I removed all the living mealies and put them in fresh wheat bran, and it happened all over again. I gave up. This is a humid climate, so what can I do to improve the mealworm farm next time? The worms, pupae and beetles were all in separate containers with several air-holes.

Interesting... I was told to basically never feed apples... attracts fruit flies, which are a mold vector... and too much moisture. Also, to leave the carrot (I use ONE 2" piece, cut in half lengthwise, in a 10gal tank w/4" feed) until it's basically dry before removing/adding new. If you still have trouble, cabbage or I would think broccoli or cauliflower leaves... same thing, one leaf, leave until all the moisture is gone. OR, since the point of the carrots, etc is to ADD moisture, maybe your climate is humid enough that you really don't need any of these things at all. Where we are is a temperate rain forest... and while I do give them items as above, they are also kept at about 80* over a heat mat. This tends to dry the substrate a bit. Guessing where you are, it's humid, and already warm, so that tactic won't help you so much? Which brings this train of thinking out loud back to, maybe you don't need a moisture source at all for your guys...
Good luck! -Aleta G.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hi, a few months ago I attempted a mealworm farm and it failed miserably. I was feeding them fresh carrots and occasionally apples, which I replaced after a maximum of 30 hours, but I could not stop the development of mould. It spread through their feed/bedding and killed the pupae. I removed all the living mealies and put them in fresh wheat bran, and it happened all over again. I gave up. This is a humid climate, so what can I do to improve the mealworm farm next time? The worms, pupae and beetles were all in separate containers with several air-holes.

AletaG had a lot of good advice for rearing them in a humid climate. I grew them for many years in New Orleans, Louisiana, which has a moist, sub-tropical climate and we were never very successful at raising them outdoors or anywhere without air conditioning. The high moisture compounds a lot of problems, some of which you experienced. My first suggestion is to raise them in open-air containers and don't have anything more restrictive than window screening material over the tops (completely open is best). Even open-topped drawers in a cabinet would restrict air flow to the point of being a problem in your climate. My second suggestion is to cut back on feeding anything with excess moisture. Stick to things like potatoes, carrots and broccoli stems. When you feed one of these items, be sure to cut them into very thin slices--generally 1/8" thick (~3 mm). You'll waste more vegetable matter at first, but the moisture will evaporate much more quickly. You may find that you'll have to feed them fewer amounts, but more frequently (e.g. every other day instead of every few days).