Mealworm farming

[SigningChickens]

I beheaded all the worms for my babies today. It was easier for them to eat because they stopped flipping around in their mouth. They also ran over and gobbled up all the worm heads.

 

[bbsnooks]

Beetlemania folks....Don't spend the time trying to save each one. Trust me, there are LOTS of beetles in the world that mature just fine! Feed out the deformed ones and keep the ones that did well under your conditions. (And yes, I tried at first too...lol...harden your heart and cull!!)

thanks.. I wondered if .. i had enough space.. however i see lots of one unit.. farms.. that look lot's more populated than mine.
It's.. the pupae die off.. that kind of bothered me..
I guess what your saying is.. they all dont live..
it looks like a 20% die off .. and probably due to excess moisture.. ( i'm cutting back)

thanks again.

 

[onafixedincome]

I've had the best results pulling pupae from the bins and setting them to hatch in a nearly-empty box with a small carrot--removing newly emerged beetles daily and distributing them back to the beetle boxes. When I have left them to hatch in an 'all in one' bin, they often come out with gnawed-on carapaces, not a good sign in my book.

When I cull a bug is when I see the following:
Any larva that doesn't molt completely (dried shed skin usually constricted around the hind end, if they're mid-molt, that's different and I just let them be)
Any dead, of course
Any pupae that doesn't complete its molt to pupa form--skin stuck to legs and so forth
Poorly emerged beetles and deformed beetles

This is one reason I personally prefer to have LOTS of mealies--you can afford to feed out the ones that aren't thriving in your particular system.

(ps...Can you lose a lot of your periods, please? It makes your posts very hard to read... Thanks!)

 

[oneofseven]

[SIZE=10pt][COLOR=000000]Have considered raising mealworms but from what I've read about the potential for respiratory problems I'm just not willing to take the chance. Perhaps this has already been mentioned and discussed but I chose not to read through all 592 pages of comments.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
I’d be happy to get some pointers on building an earthworm bed. My flock free-ranges most of the time but not so much in winter.

I understand your concern about the possible respiratory issues with the dust, but earthworms are not without risks. Many earthworms cary transmittable intestinal parasites. I guess there are issues with everything. Personally, I like raising mealies and have not had a problem. (cough, cough). lol

 

[StephieSky]

I understand your concern about the possible respiratory issues with the dust, but earthworms are not without risks. Many earthworms cary transmittable intestinal parasites. I guess there are issues with everything. Personally, I like raising mealies and have not had a problem. (cough, cough). lol

cough cough lol

thanks so much ... I'd almost forgotten earthworms carry roundworms! lol And I need to weed the garden !!!!! but ... cough cough ... not today ....

 

[BScott03]

Found my first beetle!!!!!

 

[StephieSky]

Found my first beetle!!!!!

That means you're doing it right! Congratulations!

 

[BScott03]

That means you're doing it right! Congratulations!

Yay!!!

 

[MalMom]

Found my first beetle!!!!!

Very excited for you BScott03! I was so excited to get my first one, and now I'm not caring much for the beetle stage. lol The worms I can deal with but the beettles are pushing it. I'm very happy for you though, soon you'll see all kinds of beetles!

 

[BScott03]

Very excited for you BScott03! I was so excited to get my first one, and now I'm not caring much for the beetle stage. lol The worms I can deal with but the beettles are pushing it. I'm very happy for you though, soon you'll see all kinds of beetles!

I was just getting used to the worms. The beetles startled me a little yesterday! Haha