Mealworm farming

[hannakat]

Quote:
Yea Yea and SUPER YEA!

You didn't name it?

Quote:
I use corn meal that I've ground up just a bit. From what you're saying, guess I'd move 'em into a container with just oatmeal and let the flour fall off or increase the amount of oats per flour ratio.

sending +++++++++ vibes that your beetles are ok!!!!

 

[hannakat]

Quote:
LOVE the pics!!!! I'm almost out of wormies

There's only a few dozen in the fridge now.

Should have held more back cause I'm still training the young'ens.



Oh....I dangle the worms when I feed them.....make the chickens grab em. Maybe my chickens have better manners than yours Nadine, Owensmom and Sadies chicks!

 

[sadies chicks]

Quote:
Yea Yea and SUPER YEA!

You didn't name it?

Quote:
I use corn meal that I've ground up just a bit. From what you're saying, guess I'd move 'em into a container with just oatmeal and let the flour fall off or increase the amount of oats per flour ratio.

sending +++++++++ vibes that your beetles are ok!!!!

Actually I did and forgot to tell everyone....HENRY!!! BUT HERE IS THE KICKER.....THERE ARE 3 MORE BEETLES!!!

Sebastian, Charlie and Beatrice! I think tonight is "beetle-moving night" up to their loft apartment (aka the top drawer) I have my set up the same as yours hannakat...SO EXCITED!!

Oh and I did notice that one beetle has a disfigured wing, I too was handling them too much and stopped when I read about the disfigurements earlier

 

[OwensMom]

Mine believe in their dinosaur heritage!!

 

[Chicken Chat]

Quote:
Yeah, I think I might have to go that route.

 

[hannakat]

Quote:
Oh the little beasties!!!



Sadies Chicks ~ Love the names !

I'm having a real time with the pupa post refrigerator. There is a whole group where the beetles are completely deformed/unable to fully morph. I'm gonna say more than 50% at this point. After I started putting more vegetables in, there was less of a problem, but I have those in a different container in order to see if that really makes a long term difference.

My findings regarding deformed beetles (at this point): Some deformity is due to 'overhandling' of the pupa. The pupa I transfered to the top drawer of my 3-drawer unit had no deformities upon maturity, and all these weeks later, I still have not found a dead beetle in that top drawer.

At a certain point I started putting the pupa into another container (it was around Easter) and I was moving them around, counting them, and then I put them into what is now my large bin colony. This is where I first noticed deformities of the beetles. Some had curled or funky wings. I've removed about half-a-dozen dead beetles so far. So there is certainly a difference.

Sadly, I now have an empty bottom drawer

Can't believe it. A few in the fridge but the rest are beetles.

Happily, there are now countless mini wormies in the second drawer!

It's teaming with life, as I had hoped.

This winter, the chick-a-dees will benefit from this! Can't wait til I have a teaming single bin like Gallo del Cielo. happy dance happy dance.

 

[jomoncon]

I got my meal worms on 04/25 - almost 2 months ago - 1,000 from Petco. Right now, almost all of them have changed into beetles and some of the beetles are starting to die. I haven't seen any eggs or baby worms yet, but that's not surprising since I'm so very nearsighted.

The little white cup is where I put the dead beetles, shed skins, etc. When I have enough I feed them to my mini-dinosaurs. Oh, I meant to say my 8 RIRs.

 

[UrbanChickeroo]

Quote:
heehee

 

[oldhen514]

I have raised meal worms for several years now. Started out raising them to feed bluebirds because they love them. Now that the bluebirds have fledged I feed them to the chickens and they LOVE them. When they see me coming with the little container of them they meet me at the gate all excited. They are not hard to raise. I have a plastic container about 18 x 24 x8 and get wheat bran at the local feed store. To start out I bought a thousand from the mail order company online , dumped them in and added several cut potatoes (in half, peeling on) and just leave them to multiply.

 

[hannakat]

I really like the "dinosaur" lable....gonna have to remember that.

Thank you for the picture jomoncon! I LOVE photos of meal worm farms. I kept a cup in the bottom drawer of the 3-drawer colony for the same purpose. I'm surprised every time someone uses potatoes though. Every time I've put potato in, it had to be thrown out within a few days cause they didn't eat any of it and it got ugly. You might want to try another food source if the beetles are already dying off..... IMHO.

Now I don't mind ugly, per se, but not mushy ugly in the wormie box. Since 2 people just showed/mentioned potato...maybe I'll try again.

It seems that the beetles eat different items than the worms. I put a handful of dandelion leaves in the single bin and the beetle have it gone by the next day....they won't even eat carrot when I put those leaves in. The worms don't touch the leaves.


It's been suggested (and I'd really find it interesting) to get a list of worm/beetle food. I'm collecting meal worm information for my BYC page and I want it to be interactive in the sense that all the wormie farmers here contribute to the information. Soooo..... let me know what veggies/fruits have worked and have not worked for you. Just send a PM...maybe also include the area of the country you're in ... temperature might make a difference but I haven't fully determined that yet.

Thanks!