Mealworm farming

[furbabymum]

So my worms are always on the top of the bran along the sides of my container (it's a storage tub with lid that I cut vents in). Is this normal??

 

[Mavrk]

Right now it is about 75 to 78 in my house. is that an OK temp to breed them. What is the best temp for them.

That is an okay temperature, but if you can raise the temperature of the bran things will go faster. I posted about ideal temperatures a while back, but the long and short of it is that low to mid 90's will give you the best yield/time ratio. My first batch was at about 68 for a couple months before I moved most of the beetles to a second container and increased the heat to the low 90's. It has been about 6 weeks or so and I have a couple pupa already from the second one. The first container is still not going as fast even though the heat was increased (eggs probably did not developed as well as in the warm one).

 

[Mavrk]

Is it going to make a difference if you do overcook the bran. Its not burnt. just a little darker?

Shouldn't really matter.

 

[Mavrk]

So my worms are always on the top of the bran along the sides of my container (it's a storage tub with lid that I cut vents in). Is this normal??

I have seen a lot of pictures like this, so I would say it is normal. How deep is the bran? Also, how long have they been in there?

 

[MamaAB]

I tried to read through as much as I possibly could but didn't see it. Where do I get the bedding for the worms?

 

[Mavrk]

I tried to read through as much as I possibly could but didn't see it. Where do I get the bedding for the worms?

Buy wheat bran from either a feed store or whole foods type of market. Feed stores tend to be less expensive. The links on the first post have helpful information about this. Heat the bran in the oven at 200F for 20 minutes and let it cool in the oven. This will kill any hitchhikers that might be in the wheat bran.

 

[furbabymum]

I have seen a lot of pictures like this, so I would say it is normal. How deep is the bran? Also, how long have they been in there?

I'd estimate it's 2in deep and they've been in it 2 weeks. Does it need changed already?

 

[kwol]

I would like to know if anyone feeds the ones that die to the chickens? Also, can someone please tell me how long after seeing beetles until seeing new larvae?

Yes. I feed the few mealies that die and the skins and the unhatched pupae to the chickens. Also have begun feeding the dead beetles since some of mine are beginning to end their life cycle.

 

[azygous]

They're baaack! The grain mites have reared their ugly, little, microscopic heads again in my worm trays.

I had succeeded in killing them off a few weeks back by leaving the lid off the offending tray and letting the substrate dry out near my wood stove. This morning, I sifted the castings out of that tray and another containing much older worms that I've been feeding to the chickens. After sifting the two trays, I combined the two populations since there weren't many left of the older worms. Then I filled the tray with fresh wheat bran that had been both microwaved and then kept in the freezer for over a week.

Just now, I noticed two, dime-size white "blooms" on the sides of the tray in opposite corners. I checked it through a magnifying lens and yes, they all have eight legs and are in motion. I moistened a tissue with some rubbing alcohol and wiped off the blooms, then left the lid off the tray by the wood stove for another drying out, although the substrate seems perfectly dry.

So, microwaving AND freezing appears not to be a curative, because they wasted no time in appearing.

 

[Mavrk]

They're baaack! The grain mites have reared their ugly, little, microscopic heads again in my worm trays.

I had succeeded in killing them off a few weeks back by leaving the lid off the offending tray and letting the substrate dry out near my wood stove. This morning, I sifted the castings out of that tray and another containing much older worms that I've been feeding to the chickens. After sifting the two trays, I combined the two populations since there weren't many left of the older worms. Then I filled the tray with fresh wheat bran that had been both microwaved and then kept in the freezer for over a week.

Just now, I noticed two, dime-size white "blooms" on the sides of the tray in opposite corners. I checked it through a magnifying lens and yes, they all have eight legs and are in motion. I moistened a tissue with some rubbing alcohol and wiped off the blooms, then left the lid off the tray by the wood stove for another drying out, although the substrate seems perfectly dry.

So, microwaving AND freezing appears not to be a curative, because they wasted no time in appearing.

Yes, microwaving has not been shown to be affective at "sterilizing" the bran. Also freezing would take at least a couple weeks and the temperatures would have to be quite low. Even then a lot of things just hibernate through it. A 200 F oven for 20-30 minutes does the trick (let it cool in the oven to be extra sure).