Mealworm farming

[WillK]

Well could you edit survey to show both currencies?
The allergy thing can happen outside too, as generally exposure comes during sifting....
.....and the bigger the operation(needed to gain any real harvest IMO) the bigger the exposure risk.

The categories in the survey, chicken and reptile hobbyists, lots of forums to find on both of those, would be my first thought.
The human consumption thing threw me(really?).....
.....I mean I know folks eat larvae in many places of the world, but wouldn't think mealworms would be a viable 'crop'.

I will keep that in mind, I assume this is down to wind etc? As far as I can tell the frass is essentially dust? I am growing some mealworm currently but they have yet to produce much frass as I have not had them long, so this is an area I'll have to keep an eye on. I am aware of it being used as fertilizer also, so it would be nice to have the option to safely collect and reuse the frass.

Funnily enough the only commercial competitor to what I am designing is a mealworm farm for human consumption.. Check it out: http://www.livinfarms.com/
2 billion people worldwide eat insects (its called entomophagy), and the mealworm beetle is the most commonly eaten insect! I don't really get it either, so if I can encourage people to incorporate insect protein into their diets indirectly by feeding their chickens insects over soy, then that's a start!

Couldn't stand breathing them, it's why they are outside. Even then I am planning to wear a mask and have to avoid windy days.

Biggest challenge for me is climate control and location.

I tried talking my family into it!

The Korean part anyways, as a joke when I first started farming. Haven't been able to convince them yet.

But they're all about eating the chickens!

Hi again! Seems like frass may be a serious problem that I'll have to put more research into, its really helpful to have these insights.. thanks again

 

[aart]

I think the shed larval skins might be an allergy issue too.

I didn't notice much odor until the frass got deep...I imagine higher humidity can contribute like with any livestock odors.

ETA: the 'hive' is a pretty clever and interesting design concept, the cutaway illustration is brilliant, I would love to have one and 'test' it. I guess it seems weird because it's beyond our cultural experience....lots to ponder.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes, the hive is interesting.

I was thinking hepa filters.

So the eggs don't fall through with the frass? Frass is tiny poo particles, not dust. I thought you are supposed to set the frass aside long enough for the eggs that are there to hatch and become larva?

 

[azygous]

Most frass accumulates as larvae approach the pupa stage. During this latter period of the life cycle of the meal worm, eggs aren't normally present if you have adult meal worms (beetles) housed in their own tray. My beetles are happily segregated and their eggs sift though a screened bottom in their tray to a waiting tray just below.

Once I notice movement in the substrate in this egg collection tray, I replace it with a another tray with fresh bedding. I write the date on the lid and the egg tray with the brand new hatching larvae is rotated to the larvae stack of trays.

It's wise and efficient to keep the different life stages separate for several reasons. One is that if you mix the life stages, the eggs are all in varying stages of development and if you want to empty the frass, some unhatched eggs will still be in it since they're the same size as the frass particles. If you plan to use this frass as fertilizer for house plants, you can expect any unhatched eggs to begin feasting on your prize plants as they hatch since they will be attracted to any vegetable matter in their vicinity. (Learned this little fact the hard way.)

Another reason to keep the life stages separate is because it's easier to eliminate the one source of unpleasant odor associated with a meal worm farm - dead beetles. They have an extremely acrid odor as their bodies are decomposing, and if they are all together in one tray, they are easily spotted among the living beetles and removed with tweezers. This helps keep all the meal worm stages odor-free. The chickens love these dead beetles just as much as live meal worms, so there's no waste.

Keeping the larvae in separate trays according to age helps to avoid throwing out very small larvae or unhatched eggs when you need to strain out the frass that has filled up the tray, leaving no more room to add fresh bedding. As I remove a tray of newly hatching larvae from beneath the beetle tray, I write the date on the lid. This way I know how old the larvae are in any given tray. This helps me judge if there might be any unhatched eggs left or tiny larvae hiding in the frass, helping me make the decision as to when to sift the frass and replace bedding.

Lots of people find it convenient to raise their meal worms stages all together in one single, large container, and that's perfectly all right. But separating the life stages makes for all around better efficiency, I've found.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@azygous I wish I could accomplish this separation. It does sound much better. I was never able to get there when everything started pupating at once.

 

[azygous]

@azygous I wish I could accomplish this separation. It does sound much better. I was never able to get there when everything started pupating at once.

If you want to set up your farm to separate the life stages, begin with two new plastic trays. Cut the bottom out of one tray and glue metal window screen over the hole. Stack the other tray on top of this one and fill the bottom tray with sterilized bran, and the top tray with rolled oats.

To populate this new beetle tray, sit down and start fishing all the beetles out of your original container. Add new beetles to this tray as pupae morph into new beetles. Wah-lah! you have just separated you life stages. It's that simple!

As worms pupate, check every day or two for new beetles and add them to your new beetle condo before they turn dark brown in color. They won't be laying eggs until they turn black, so no danger of eggs accumulating in the larva trays unless you get sidetracked into forgetting to transfer the beetles.

After all the larvae in your original container have morphed into pupae and then beetles, you are done with that container. Set aside in a warm place with a carrot in it to see if any late eggs hatch. When they become large enough to strain, you can transfer them to another new stackable tray for just larvae. As those pupate, resume transferring the beetles as they morph into the beetle condo. In just a few months, you've effortlessly converted to a separate stages system.

 

[Kusanar]

Quote:
I can take your already excellent idea one step further. Put a raised platform in the beetle bin, something with a flat or very slightly cupped top, then put your pupa up there on a small amount of bran, the beetles will "hatch" and will wander off the side of the platform into the beetle bin below, no pupa in with larva or beetles.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

If you want to set up your farm to separate the life stages, begin with two new plastic trays. Cut the bottom out of one tray and glue metal window screen over the hole. Stack the other tray on top of this one and fill the bottom tray with sterilized bran, and the top tray with rolled oats.

To populate this new beetle tray, sit down and start fishing all the beetles out of your original container. Add new beetles to this tray as pupae morph into new beetles. Wah-lah! you have just separated you life stages. It's that simple!

As worms pupate, check every day or two for new beetles and add them to your new beetle condo before they turn dark brown in color. They won't be laying eggs until they turn black, so no danger of eggs accumulating in the larva trays unless you get sidetracked into forgetting to transfer the beetles.

After all the larvae in your original container have morphed into pupae and then beetles, you are done with that container. Set aside in a warm place with a carrot in it to see if any late eggs hatch. When they become large enough to strain, you can transfer them to another new stackable tray for just larvae. As those pupate, resume transferring the beetles as they morph into the beetle condo. In just a few months, you've effortlessly converted to a separate stages system.

I will have to read this a few times to clear up the details in my head. But can you tell me why you prefer oats in the top bin and bran in the others please? Thanks

 

[Kusanar]

Quote:
the beetles moving on top of the bran will cause the bran to sift through the mesh, leaving the beetles walking on nothing but mesh and no food. The oats stay up on top and allow the frass and eggs to sift through.

 

[aart]

I think the shed larval skins might be an allergy issue too.

I didn't notice much odor until the frass got deep...I imagine higher humidity can contribute like with any livestock odors.

ETA: the 'hive' is a pretty clever and interesting design concept, the cutaway illustration is brilliant, I would love to have one and 'test' it. I guess it seems weird because it's beyond our cultural experience....lots to ponder.

@azygous and @kusanar ...hmm no tagging, chrome acting up again....
....anyway, did you see the illustration I linked? scroll down to bottom of that page.