Mealworm farming

[pdirt]

Just got to read this.....So you use the glossy parts of the paper, too?  I was always told not to do that because of possible poison in the inks.... Very interesting.
BTW.....  My beetles and larva do not like to be in the dark.....I experimented with light and dark in the same fish tank.  Everything was equal and many more mealworms and beetles came to the side with the light and they sit on top of the feed (wheat).  Maybe mine are just sociable????  LOL!
Paula in CT

If you're concerned about inks, try an old issue of the yellow pages. Our local yellow pages has a page saying about how most the yellow page companies got together about 10 years ago to go "green". Ours is printed with soy ink. Not sure if soy ink is actually less toxic than regular ink, but I would think so.

I wouldn't use the glossy ads, though. They're coated with plastic...that's what makes them glossy.

 

[pdirt]

I just discovered a real simple way to increase the surface area of my beetle bin!

I just recently moved my beetles into a new, larger plastic tray, increasing the volume of their habitat considerably. They were suffering alarming die-offs due to over-crowding. I think that was a correct diagnosis because I'm seeing a large decrease in the numbers of dead beetles now.

But a couple days ago, I got the wild notion of placing an additional six squares of newspaper in the bin. Before, I had only a couple. Every single scrap of paper, eight or so, is new being utilized for mating and egg-laying. It's like a beetle high-rise apartment without having to actually increase the vertical space!

Since they are such light weight critters, they don't seem to suffer any hindrance in movement, even with eight layers of them engaging in activity.

It's possible someone in the last 771 pages of this thread has come up with this idea, but there's no harm in throwing it out there again if it has been brought up already.

I think this is going to solve my beetle issue! I just had a huge hatch and die off of beetles. My guess is it was over 100 dead ones. Just to clarify, by adding paper, you are adding stacked sheets of it, not just single layers?

 

[collingwood]

Ants found mealworm farm... Murderous disaster...

 

[aart]

Try putting your bin in a large (bigger than the bin by 5-6 cm's all around) shallow pan filled with just a few mm's of water...the ant won't cross the water....I think....I've read of folks doing this with the legs of tables.

 

[collingwood]

Okay thanks!

 

[evemfoster]

Try putting your bin in a large (bigger than the bin by 5-6 cm's all around) shallow pan filled with just a few mm's of water...the ant won't cross the water....I think....I've read of folks doing this with the legs of tables.

It also helps to add a couple drops of dish soap to the water. It breaks the surfuse tention of the water and the ants sink into the water right away.

 

[Kusanar]

It also helps to add a couple drops of dish soap to the water.  It breaks the surfuse tention of the water and the ants sink into the water right away.

Yep, and also, if there are a lot of ants around, check the water regularly, ants have no problem using dead friends and relatives as a floating bridge....

 

[redfordchick]

I don't have chickens yet, BUT I ordered a small amount of mealworms and bought everything for the bin tonight! I happened to have some Bob's Red Mill oats and oat flour that was "expired", as well as 2/3 of a can of Brewer's Yeast, and a new bag of wheat germ. So it looks like I have my first custom mix made up. I wonder if my birds (an African Grey & Green Cheek Conure) can eat meal worms.. Hmmm! I'll have to research that. I am so thrilled that we moved somewhere I can have chickens so have been dying to get something started in preparation for them, lol.

 

[Latestarter]

@redfordchick and welcome to the thread!

I'm pretty certain that your parrots can eat, and will LOVE to eat the meal worms. I've heard of others feeding them worms. Not sure about the grit issue... perhaps the cuttle bone gives enough grit for them to grind them up in their crops? Or do you give grit to parrots? I have no clue

That sure is a custom food mix for them... the worms that is... I'm sure they'll do OK in it, but I've found (like many others) that just plain old simple wheat bran (not germ) works the best over all. Anyway, glad you're here, good luck w/your worms and future flock!

 

[redfordchick]

@redfordchick
and welcome to the thread! 

I'm pretty certain that your parrots can eat, and will LOVE to eat the meal worms. I've heard of others feeding them worms. Not sure about the grit issue... perhaps the cuttle bone gives enough grit for them to grind them up in their crops? Or do you give grit to parrots? I have no clue   That sure is a custom food mix for them... the worms that is... I'm sure they'll do OK in it, but I've found (like many others) that just plain old simple wheat bran (not germ) works the best over all. Anyway, glad you're here, good luck w/your worms and future flock!

My birds do not require grit. They eat all kinds of stuff though so I don't see it being a problem. As for the mix, I read so many different websites and it seemed everyone used and swore by something different, so I just used what I had. Several sites mentioned adding brewer's yeast, and its expensive so I'm sure that's why its not used more. I doubt I'll buy it for this reason I just had an opened can I wasn't doing anything with. Helped me clean out my pantry... ;-) oat flour is nothing more the ground oats so I figured that wouldn't hurt either.