Mealworm farming

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Sorry for the blurriness. I was holding with one hand and taking a picture with the other.

Mealworms tunneling

Beetles chawing

 

[aart]

Hmmm wonders how that will affect the mealworms long term.....
....and what it means for the critters that eat those mealworms?

 

[Chickassan]

Not to be too weird but what's the frass like after that sort of meal?

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Hmmm wonders how that will affect the mealworms long term.....
....and what it means for the critters that eat those mealworms?

I had some of the same concerns. I saw somewhere else (before I did it) that a scientist, very bright guy who has a number of patents, did some research and said that he found several scientific papers that found that mealworms destroy the styrofoam via gut microbes and are as healthy as with bran. Microbes and bacteria destroy oil, so it makes sense.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Not to be too weird but what's the frass like after that sort of meal?

Don't know yet. Too much of bran frass in the mix to know.

 

[aart]

I had some of the same concerns. I saw somewhere else (before I did it) that a scientist, very bright guy who has a number of patents, did some research and said that he found several scientific papers that found that mealworms destroy the styrofoam via gut microbes and are as healthy as with bran. Microbes and bacteria destroy oil, so it makes sense.

That was tickling around in the back of my brain.
Will be really interested to hear how it works out long term for you.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Some info

https://www.popsci.com/mealworms-can-safely-devour-plastics

https://news.stanford.edu/pr/2015/pr-worms-digest-plastics-092915.html

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5b02661
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5b02663

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Has anyone experimented with using a water-soaked sponge, or something similar, to keep mealworms hydrated? That's how crickets are watered, to keep them from drowning. It would be nice to not have to buy carrots.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Has anyone experimented with using a water-soaked sponge, or something similar, to keep mealworms hydrated? That's how crickets are watered, to keep them from drowning. It would be nice to not have to buy carrots.

 

[tigger19687]

You want to keep the bedding dry.
But some do a cotton ball and have it sit in the cap of an aspirin container