Mealworm farming

[jenneverett]

Yay so happy for you!.....happy funky chicken dance. ....lol

 

[kendles]

are my beetles stupid? every one that has morphed within 24 hours is on their back with their little legs going like this %*^! I remove them from the Pupae box and put them in the Beetle box (that has about 2" of wheat bran substrate), I put them in the feet down, next thing you know it, they are flipped back over and can't seem to figure it out. sigh I am not spending my day putting them right side up. any suggestions on how to educate these beetles?

 

[kubotafoot]

I think they need moisture. Try some sliced raw potatoes. They'll find them in no time and be up and about like normal.

 

[subhanalah]

are my beetles stupid? every one that has morphed within 24 hours is on their back with their little legs going like this %*^! I remove them from the Pupae box and put them in the Beetle box (that has about 2" of wheat bran substrate), I put them in the feet down, next thing you know it, they are flipped back over and can't seem to figure it out. sigh I am not spending my day putting them right side up. any suggestions on how to educate these beetles?

I think they need moisture.  Try some sliced raw potatoes.  They'll find them in no time and be up and about like normal.

it is a good idea to keep a moisture source in with the pupae if you are separating them from the rest of the colony. The adults need to drink almost immediately after becoming adults. Pupation is hard work and takes a lot out of them.

 

[azygous]

are my beetles stupid? every one that has morphed within 24 hours is on their back with their little legs going like this %*^! I remove them from the Pupae box and put them in the Beetle box (that has about 2" of wheat bran substrate), I put them in the feet down, next thing you know it, they are flipped back over and can't seem to figure it out. sigh I am not spending my day putting them right side up. any suggestions on how to educate these beetles?

Ha! Ha! I think the new beetles are adorable lying there with there little feet going like crazy in the air!

I think they are disoriented after fighting their way out of the pupae case. They right themselves soon enough as they discover their reason for being beetles is SEX!

 

[hannihooni]

Quote:
Thanks for your advice! My 11 yo son is now in charge of creating a meal worm farm in this fashion!!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
A great project for a boy* that age!

ETA: *or a girl!

 

[kubotafoot]

This is what a highly productive colony with all life stages should look like. Granted, at the point these pictures were taken the colony was due for a couple of inches of bran, but the surface would look much like this within a day or so of adding it. Keep in mind that they will spend most of their time in the top two inches anyway.

Could you give me a hint in the ballpark of how many mealworms might be in your container in that picture? 3,000? 5,000? Thanks!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote: Hmmmmm....I really don't know, people have asked that before and I can only guess. Maybe 12k-20k? Again, that would just be a guess.

 

[RenaG]

I think I will start a meal worm farm this weekend. Will be a great project for my 10 and 12 year old boys!