Mealworm farming

[azygous]

Trust me, you'll grow quite fond of your worms. It may be happening already.

One inch is about the size where they begin to pupate. As long as the larvae have plenty of substrate to eat, they will only pupate gradually. If you allow the frass to accumulate and once it becomes greater in volume than the edible substrate, then the larvae will pupate like mad.

 

[Kusanar]

Congrats on the good seed "crop"! Those 100 probably died of thirst. They do need a carrot to suck on. If you toss a whole carrot in their container, it could disappear in a week.

No, my beetles get rolled oats only because the wheat mill run and the wheat bran would empty into the tray beneath as it sifts through the screen in the bottom of my beetle tray.

But the beetles would eat the other grains with no problem.

I will have to disagree with them needing veggies. I have raised I believe 5 generations of mealworms and have only given them 1 baby carrot.... ever... and that's the only veggie I have given them. I DO occasionally mist them or give them something wet, but, it could be weeks between my doing that and they're fine.

 

[azygous]

A lot has to do with your local climate. If you live where the relative humidity is extremely low, like mine, the meal worm larvae and beetles go through carrots like there's no tomorrow.

In more humid climates, I've heard folks say their meal worms have consumed no more than one baby carrot per year.

 

[FrankHomestead]

I haven't read this entire thread (would take me all day lol) so forgive me if this has already been asked.
I've heard live meal worms are bad to feed because they have "teeth" and bite, and can bite the chicken from the inside causing damage, so some ppl cute the heads off before feeding.
Any truth to this?

 

[azygous]

I haven't read this entire thread (would take me all day lol) so forgive me if this has already been asked.
I've heard live meal worms are bad to feed because they have "teeth" and bite, and can bite the chicken from the inside causing damage, so some ppl cute the heads off before feeding.
Any truth to this?

Just another wild unfounded myth. Three-day old chicks eat meal worms and live to tell their grandchildren about it.

 

[FrankHomestead]

Just another wild unfounded myth. Three-day old chicks eat meal worms and live to tell their grandchildren about it.

LMAO OK cool, I will join the bug farming venture then!

 

[Kusanar]

I haven't read this entire thread (would take me all day lol) so forgive me if this has already been asked.
I've heard live meal worms are bad to feed because they have "teeth" and bite, and can bite the chicken from the inside causing damage, so some ppl cute the heads off before feeding.
Any truth to this?

I have heard that about SUPERWORMS but not mealies. Entirely different species.

 

[FrankHomestead]

I have heard that about SUPERWORMS but not mealies. Entirely different species.

Never heard of superworms...hmm

 

[Kusanar]

Never heard of superworms...hmm

They look like BIG mealworms, but they are more cannibalistic, the life stages NEED to be kept apart, and they will not pupate in a reasonable amount of time unless forced, if you don't force them, they will take up to 3 years before pupating!

 

[MichelleT]

So, I started my mealworm farm in mid-July. I can't remember how long I had the original worms before they began to pupate. I have had beetles for what seems like an eternity now... every time I check on them I keep thinking that there will be less of them but there's not. Doing the math from the first page, I thinking that it should be somewhere around 16-20 weeks before I see more worms. Does this sound right? I'm so ready to give the girls some fresh mealworms!