Mealworm farming

[EddieJ]

How long ago did you get your mealworms Eddie?

About a week. They were med-large when I got them....a pretty good mixture in sizes. They were in around 75 degrees when I first got them. Then I threw an electric blanket over the entire 3 drawer system and now they been in 80 degrees for 90% of the day/night. 2 days after the blanket, I started seeing some excitement and some pupa.

 

[MalMom]

Are my posts showing up?

SingingChickens, I see your posts, I just don't know the answers to your questions. The container you put your super worms in looks great. I hope that works for you. Let me know!

 

[MalMom]

Well, crud! I got confused between the super worms and giant mealworms. I thought it was the super worms that were the bad ones. I definitely have mealworms but now I'm afraid I got the treated ones.

 

[SigningChickens]

Thanks for letting me know. I wasn't getting responses to any posts on any threads. I'm glad to see everything is fine. .)

I've been researching the super worms and I have found that I need to isolate them for a long time to get them to pupate. In the meantime I plan to get my meal worm farm going to. It will give me something to focus on while I "patiently" wait for the long super worms to do their thing.
I wonder if there is a super worm thread? Looking at the website it looks like just one breeding session can create thousands of new super worms.

 

[bnewns]

Here is what I'm trying with the superbugs per acreed's advice. We will see if it works. If not, I plan to order regular meal worms anyway.
What are superbugs anyway??

I didn't have any extra tackle boxes but I did have a ton of Scenty boxes in my recycle/craft bin. I think they did the trick! I poked holes in the top.

I put 6 superworms in the fridge for a bit to calm them down.

NEVER put superworms in the frig. It will kill them.

 

[OHhappychicks]

It does take awhile. I have read that if you increase the temp it speeds up the life cycle. I have noticed since the temp outside is increasing that my wormies are getting bigger faster and the pupae are starting to lie on top of the substrate. Just keep 'em fed and warm and one day a little white, waxy pupae will be laying there and make your day!

Thank you and Quailsong too! It has been a little cool in our house. Just that time of year when its to warm for a fire, (we heat with wood) and cool in the house. It has warmed up a bit and I have put them in a closet where it is dark. I'm going to check and feed them when I go to bed. I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of beetles and worm babies in no time. Not really in a hurry for them as I'm going to use them for the winter. Going to try to freeze them. Keeping up with this thread to see how this works. This is so interesting!! Learning lots from the "pros". Thanks again!

 

[MalMom]

I just found a huge pupa! Woohoo! It's working!

 

[StephieSky]

Sorry Its been a rough start with my chickens. Gracie had an ingrown toenail and I was too "chicken" to mess with it so I took her to the vet Thursday. I did trim the other ones though. I noticed how bad they were when I was checking for 5 toes. But, all better now.

By bug screen I mean I'm using a piece of metal window screening for bugs. I cut it to fit my 18" hoop. Nothing goes in the bin for bedding that won't sift through the hoop. This way when I need to pull worms and bettles out, the only thing that gets caught in the screen is stuff that needs to come out of the bin anyways.

Oh boy, do I know about lazy lol In the morning before work I've been taking the entire bin out back and letting Gracie and Liza just peck out the dead beetles on the surface. They're not fussy about touching the mealwoms and beetles like I am. Liza always wants to hop in the bin though lol

I'll get pictures of my bin and screen and add them. Its just the simplest thing ever. No muss, no fuss. I've had much better luck after I got frustrated and ditched all efforts to be fancy about it.

















Here are some photos: The bin is one I had for my regulators already. The white powder and the jar is the baking soda I keep on the shelf under the bin to keep mice and pests away. There is a small hoop inside the bin ( I forgot to mention that before: it has tulle in it. It sits flush on the bedding and I dump the veggies and greens on top of this. This way the worms crawl through the tulle to get to their moisture source but it doesn't get sunken into the bedding/food source and rot. )
I have two sheets of paper grocery bag on top right now ( just lain one on top of the other and the worms crawl between for reasons unknown. They seem to thrive on it though; eating brown paper Yuck. The beetles the chickens ate love to get in between the paper layers.
The big hoop is what I put the bug screen in to sift out the worms and beetles.
I wish I'd taken photos before I let Gracie and Liza clean it up. I had a little bit of an overpopulation problem and I wanted to smooze up to my chickens too haha.
I pulled a 1/2 cup scoop and poured it back onto the paper so you can see the worms are everywhere and come in all sizes.
I've found that the pupae tend to get munched on if I don't keep the bin filled with a plentiful water source such as the lettuce. You'll see this as hard little pupae with holes in them. This doesn't happen anymore now that I know to put a wet piece of bread in the bin if I'm going to be gone more than a week. To do the wet bread you need only poke holes in a plastic lid; such as a margarine tub lid, wet the bread, tuck it onto the lid with the lip side facing up; scoop out a shallow well in the bins bedding and cover it so its barely covered but level with the natural top of the bins bedding surface. You have to remember to take it out when you get home and put it on top of the tulle and let it dry out so all of the worms in it go back to the bedding. After its turned into a brick of dry bread and bedding I just crumble it up and sift the whole works back into the bin.
There is nothing in that bin under the tulle that won't fit through the sifter.
Anyways, there it is. Not very pretty but it works like a charm and I haven't had any problems with it for at least 5 years and I probably have 2 or 3 thousand feeder size worms in it, plus eggs. Right now there are about 40 or 50 pupae in there. Liza is beetle crazy or I'd still have new, old and dead beetles everywhere too But I've discovered I can pet Gracie and Liza both when I have something they really, really want. I want them to get so tame I can pick Gracie up and trim her toenails until they're normal again without all the growling boks. We'll get there.

By the way, I use bug screen on my canning jars with the rings to create sifters for everything lol I did buy it new! I'm a huge fan of repurposing anything and everything before I'll actually buy something but used bug screen for a flour, salt, pepper, baking soda or what-have-you sifter is really creepy. lol
My spelling is actually pretty awesome after I edit my post twenty times. LOL

 

[OHhappychicks]

I look forward to seeing your pics! I've been checking every eve, but still no pupae. I know it will come. They are a lively bunch!! I really like the idea of sifting it out. I will check back with you to see your pics.

 

[ThereseF]

Is there anything I should NOT give my mealworms to eat?
Is lettuce OK