Mealworm farming

[Tumbleweed Farm]

Quote: Yes, some of them. Today I had one that had a beetle head with a pupae for a body. They are martians!

 

[Latestarter]

Quote:
Wish I'd read this before last weekend... Ordered 5000 worms from them. Can't really complain about the price as it was just over $30 including the shipping. Tomorrow temps here are supposed to be around 70 and I hope it's when they arrive as I've been working some long hours. wouldn't want them to arrive when it's near freezing or snowing Happy farming!

 

[subhanalah]

I got my order today, they shipped it out last Friday (maybe it was Thursday afternoon)

 

[RichnSteph]

Someone please tell me if I'm over simplifying this. I've got a 20 gallon aquarium that I'll use for a mealy-farm.

1) Put oats, bran of some kind and powdered milk in the bottom of the aquarium (ensure it stays dry)
2) Buy a can of meal worms from the local bait shop/worm seller.
3) Put worms into the aquarium with some sliced carrots on cut up toilet paper tubes or news paper.
4) The worms become pupae (I laugh every time I say that word).
5) The pupae become beetles.
6) The beetles lay eggs and die.
7) The cycle begins anew.

Oh and at some point I'll need to clean out the aquarium and when I do that I put the stuff I cleaned out into a container and cover it with news paper, put a carrot slice or two in there and wait to see if I have any separatists in the mix.

Feed to chickens.

That it?

 

[aart]

Pretty close. Never heard of the milk part but I'm a newbie at this...would think it might get nasty.

I just use wheat bran.
Keep the carrot fresh and watch out for any mold.

 

[RichnSteph]

Pretty close. Never heard of the milk part but I'm a newbie at this...would think it might get nasty.

I just use wheat bran.
Keep the carrot fresh and watch out for any mold.

Hmm. That's good advice. Thanks!

 

[Latestarter]

OK, my 5000 worms arrived today while I was at work Very nice that the temp is right about 70, it's overcast (no rain... yet), and there's no wind. I brought them inside and split them between 2 large 30 gallon Sterilite containers from Walmart. Since everything I've read says they prefer the dark, I bought the dark gray ones to limit light inside. Later I'll cut a hole in the lids and hot glue dark fine mesh screening over it to allow better airflow. Right now I am just leaving the lids cracked a bit. They are now living/feasting on a mix of oatmeal, wheat bran, whole wheat flour (NOT enriched and NOT bleached), powdered non-fat milk, and gold fish flakes.

You can see a couple of black worm corpses, but there were only a couple, and when I first started dumping them in I could have sworn I saw a beetle! I do see several pupae

The package they came in was mostly just bundled up newspaper inside a fine mesh burlap bag. I left some of the newspaper in the containers and added a nice wet sponge on a tupperware lid, some apple slices, some carrots and a potato cut in half. They seem to be enjoying themselves already. Both containers look pretty much identical to the picture below.

So, by the time my chicks arrive at the end of May, I should have plenty of treats for them. I should also be set for through next winter! Wow, I'm a farmer

 

[sueblack]

Latestarter,

Congrats! If you find that mold starts growing, I would get rid of the sponge. You will soon figure out how much carrot, etc they will eat in a day. Then it will just be a matter of feeding them the same amount every day til they pupate. Have fun!

 

[aart]

What's the powdered milk and fish food for?

 

[Latestarter]

What's the powdered milk and fish food for?

Hey Aart... From my research, the powdered milk is to add calcium to the worm's diet (and other trace minerals?), which will then be passed on to my birds. Some folks add ground up dry dog food or chicken feed to their mix to add protein for the worms, which again will get passed on to the birds. I chose fish flakes as it's a lot "lighter" weight wise and my dog threatened me if I gave the worms any of her food... Can't argue with the "queen" of my roost