Mealworm farming

[Lavmoon]

They were not shipped in bedding, just muslin bags in a small box with windows cut in it. I did let the seller know but I had also ordered enough so that I would end up with at least 500 beatles(eBay is awesome), due to the 90+ temps around here and a 2 day trip...the seller did offer to replace the dead ones, I declined the offer. I would definitely buy again(hoping I don't need too!) but probably during cooler weather....

 

[Dipstick]

For meal worms????????? How the heck many do you have?

LOL... yeah.

At last estimate, before I slowed production due to reduced sales, we were actually going through roughly 60# of bran per 7 day period, and approx 4-6# of carrots/potatoes/whatever else we had per day. We usually purchase 100# of bran per purchase.

As for the number of critters we have, I estimate nearly 250,000-400,000 at peak production... easily. I have at least 35,000 beetles currently.

 

[Dipstick]

Wow! I ordered 1000 beetles, received only about half of that alive, and 9 days later I have lots and lots of baby mealworms!!!!

What was the price for 1,000 beetles, and where did you get them?

 

[Lavmoon]

What was the price for 1,000 beetles, and where did you get them?

They were $14.95. From eBay seller tastebugs.

 

[Dipstick]

Thank you! I will be looking to get bran! is there an easy way to move the meal worms from oats to bran? Other than the obvious time consuming process of picking them out.

Buy a larger container (area wise) and dump the lot into it. Add about 1-2 inches of bran on top of the entire colony, spread it around and go from there. The oats will eventually get consumed and you'll be in all bran.

Yeah... what HE said!

When I got started, I purchased a 50# bag of oats and a 50# bag of bran. I used one of each, and mixtures. I got bugs in the bins with oats, but NOT in the bins with the bran. I got dead worms in the oats, and any bin where oats were a predominant componant of the bedding, but lots less to none at all in the bins where there were either no oats, or the volume of oats was extremely low.

When beetles DID go exploring the environment, I found them alive and partying in the wheat bran bags, but missing all together or dead in the oats. This is why I keep stressing bran over oats. It could be a pesticide issue or GMO oats, but the co-op insisted that it could not be either of those. I simply fed the oat bins to my

and called it done.

 

[Dipstick]

They were $14.95. From eBay seller tastebugs.

Hmmm.... maybe in addition to selling worms, I should be selling beetles too... lol. Hmmmm....... actually there is more money in the beetles.........hmmmmm.............

 

[bjosie2150]

Do you have a picture of your drawer that has the screen....and do you just remove them with your hands to clean the drawer.....I am wanting to start my own, any info would be great!

 

[heatherbree]

If you ever need wheat bran in smaller than 50LB quantities, I'm sure several of us would be willing to sell you some. I know I would.

Aso, if you asked nice, you might even get some beetles or some egg/baby rich beetle bedding for not a lot more.

The collander works well.

That would be awesome! I'm not in the market just yet, but I would really like to buy some from you eventually. I had a ton of baby cereal that I decided to use. Turns out oats are indeed not the best option. It was a giant pain to sift/separate the meal worms from the oats and I wasn't able to get all of the oats out. That being said, baby cereal isn't a great option either because any moisture at all makes a mess. However, there must be at least a billion little wormies in there so I guess they don't mind so much. I swear if they can survive through all my mess ups they must be tough little dudes. But all for not as the plan is for most of them to be chicken food anyway. Thanks again for the offer and I'll let you know when I'm ready to make the switch.

 

[dstinett]

I've screwed everything up several times. The colony always jumps back.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:

I gotta say, I cringe a bit every time someone posts a link to that site. To the novice it seems like such a good site, after all why wouldn't it be great, it has all that information, right? I have to wonder if the person that put it together really has all that much experience with growing mealwoms.