Mealworm farming

[igorsMistress]

It's been almost a month, I had to come in here and find out because I couldn't remember. I happened to be checking out the bin when I saw a beetle just beginning to hatch...kinda cool I've never seen that before. Lots of pupae in there, plenty of worms and I caught some beetles doing their thing.

I've been giving apples mostly for moisture and a few carrots, potatoes didn't go over well. There's several layers of newspaper in there and bugs/worms are between them all.

 

[Noi]

It's been almost a month, I had to come in here and find out because I couldn't remember. I happened to be checking out the bin when I saw a beetle just beginning to hatch...kinda cool I've never seen that before. Lots of pupae in there, plenty of worms and I caught some beetles doing their thing.

I've been giving apples mostly for moisture and a few carrots, potatoes didn't go over well. There's several layers of newspaper in there and bugs/worms are between them all.

That's great! I was just coming to update, as well: I finally saw baby worms! Yay!
So now there's lots of beetles, and some big worms and a lot of baby worms.
I gave them basil the last few days - they are loving it!

I also have a second container with some beetles I collected in the barn after I moved the chicks to the run, and I want to set up - maybe- a third container, with the rest of the worms that are still in my fridge.

How many worms would you put in a container the size of a shoe box? I'm worried about over crowding them, but don't really want to run 3 containers

 

[igorsMistress]

That's great! I was just coming to update, as well: I finally saw baby worms! Yay!
So now there's lots of beetles, and some big worms and a lot of baby worms.
I gave them basil the last few days - they are loving it!

I also have a second container with some beetles I collected in the barn after I moved the chicks to the run, and I want to set up - maybe- a third container, with the rest of the worms that are still in my fridge.

How many worms would you put in a container the size of a shoe box? I'm worried about over crowding them, but don't really want to run 3 containers

Basil huh? I haven't tried that but celery tops are popular with the beetles so far. I'll try some herbs this weekend.

I put 1000 worms in a bin the size of maybe 3 or 4 shoe boxes. I'm not harvesting any right now just letting them multiply and I feel like there's plenty of room. Add a few layers of newspaper. It gives them floor space...think of it as a bug condo. I crumpled a thin stack just a bit so there's space between the pages and there are beetles and worms everywhere in it.

ETA way back in this thread there were pics of a 10 gallon aquarium with a thick carpet of mealworms in it so don't worry about crowding. How many worms do you have?

 

[malagabara]

Hello worm-farmers! Newbie here.

I started with about 1000 three weeks ago and had to leave town for 10 days (the worms were an unexpected gift) I placed them in a small drawer set with oats and two veggies per drawer, upon my return it was full of mold, now I'm sorting the live ones to a clean container and starting over.

Here are my questions:
1.What can I use to reduce moisture?
2.Should I worry about feeding this colony to the hens because of the mold?
3.Anybody using water crystals? Are they easier than dealing with veggies?
4. Any tricks to make sorting easier?

Thanks for your help! I'm excited about this farm.

 

[aart]

I will continue to read, I've only made it to page 850!

That's pretty darn far!!

 

[tigger19687]

Keep reading there are some Great thoughts on this subject.
But you might want to start at the beginning

 

[FlomatonsFlocks]

Is there a tread discussing raising mealworms? I've looked around but can't seem to find anything recent.

I started a mealworm farm a month ago and have so many pupae that I'm getting worried! BUT, I want to be able to freeze many, many thousands for next winter since my girls don't like snow and there's no bugs to eat in the winter anyway. Don't know when enough will be enough and in the meantime, my mealies are growing fast and furious!



UPDATES
**** BYCer's mealworm farms ..... condensed information from 3 perspectives!! *****

Gallo Del Cielo's page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-raise-mealworms

My page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mealworm-fam-experiences

Amy's page: http://www.westknollfarm.com


Some basic and often asked information:

Life cycle stages... this is relative to conditions such as temperature, food source, etc:
Egg Incubation: 4-19 days (usually 4-7). Another source says 20-40 days
Larva: 10 weeks. Visible after about a week
Pupa: 6-18 (18-24?) days
Beetle and Egg Laying: 8-12 weeks (followed by death). Egg laying starts 4-19 days (average 12) after emergence

Reliable sources for buying meal worms (in no particular order):
BYC members:
crazy huhn: [email protected]
Amy: www.westknollfarm.com email is [email protected]
exoticnutrition.com
speedyworm.com
southernbaitworms.com



7/23/11 - ETA: My colonies are in full force and many have joined the 'farm'!

So much wonderful information and insight!


Trish

We also sell Mealworms

 

[Johnny829]

How often should I change mealworm bedding? Or what signals warns me that it needs to be changed?

 

[frogygirl40]

Is there a tread discussing raising mealworms? I've looked around but can't seem to find anything recent.

I started a mealworm farm a month ago and have so many pupae that I'm getting worried! BUT, I want to be able to freeze many, many thousands for next winter since my girls don't like snow and there's no bugs to eat in the winter anyway. Don't know when enough will be enough and in the meantime, my mealies are growing fast and furious!



UPDATES
**** BYCer's mealworm farms ..... condensed information from 3 perspectives!! *****

Gallo Del Cielo's page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-raise-mealworms

My page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mealworm-fam-experiences

Amy's page: http://www.westknollfarm.com


Some basic and often asked information:

Life cycle stages... this is relative to conditions such as temperature, food source, etc:
Egg Incubation: 4-19 days (usually 4-7). Another source says 20-40 days
Larva: 10 weeks. Visible after about a week
Pupa: 6-18 (18-24?) days
Beetle and Egg Laying: 8-12 weeks (followed by death). Egg laying starts 4-19 days (average 12) after emergence

Reliable sources for buying meal worms (in no particular order):
BYC members:
crazy huhn: [email protected]
Amy: www.westknollfarm.com email is [email protected]
exoticnutrition.com
speedyworm.com
southernbaitworms.com



7/23/11 - ETA: My colonies are in full force and many have joined the 'farm'!

So much wonderful information and insight!


Trish

Why are my pupae drying up and not turning into beatles?

 

[Perris]

Why are my pupae drying up and not turning into beatles?

how long have you been waiting for them?
You might find this site useful, https://mealwormcare.org/ esp the 'life cycle' and 'raising & breeding' pages.