Mealworm farming

[LibertyChick]

Not sure where my post went. I asked about GMO in the wheat bran and freeze drying the mealworms.

 

[OwensMom]

Quote:
Libertychick, You were on the other thread!! BTW, organic does not = non GMO. Becuase the guidelines for separating Gmo seedlings from non-GMO seedlings and then the cross pollination, there may not be such a thing as non-GMO anymore. At least non-GMO is pretty rare in some things and nonexistent in corn.

 

[Klwright1122]

Quote:
where did you get your original sterter mealworm stock from, other than youtube videos i can't find a good source.

I can ship you a starter kit with mealworms, pupaes and beetles. If interested, please email me. I do not recall any places that would ship the entire kit.

Ahhhh....I knew there was someone on here that sold em...but I couldn't find the post and couldn't remember ur screen name. I am curious about your kits...how many of each are in the kit and how much pls (including shipping)...

 

[LibertyChick]

Quote:
Libertychick, You were on the other thread!! BTW, organic does not = non GMO. Becuase the guidelines for separating Gmo seedlings from non-GMO seedlings and then the cross pollination, there may not be such a thing as non-GMO anymore. At least non-GMO is pretty rare in some things and nonexistent in corn.

I don't know how I would have posted on a different thread as I clicked on reply on the mealworm thread. Still trying to get used to using this system.

Let me ask you. Does the mealworms eat the wheat bran or oatmeal or is it just bedding? I plan on using organic rolled oats from the local coop. Does it matter if they are quick oats or the ones you normally cook?

 

[Klwright1122]

Ok here is another question.... I just found a new bag of flour in my pantry with bugs in it...can I nuke or bake the flour to kill the bugs and then put it in my bin ???? It is unbleached white flour....

 

[crazy huhn]

Quote:
I can ship you a starter kit with mealworms, pupaes and beetles. If interested, please email me. I do not recall any places that would ship the entire kit.

Ahhhh....I knew there was someone on here that sold em...but I couldn't find the post and couldn't remember ur screen name. I am curious about your kits...how many of each are in the kit and how much pls (including shipping)...

Thank You.

Like already mentioned, I do not want to make big $$ with this, I just like to pass on some nice savings to other animal lovers. 100% customer satisfaction is my goal. I am not sure if it is against the rules of this forum to post prices here (I am aware that there is a for sale section somewhere) and I do not want to get in trouble with the moderators. If interested, please just email me and I will make sure you get off to a great start with your mealworm farm from Day 1!!!

 

[OwensMom]

Quote:
Libertychick, You were on the other thread!! BTW, organic does not = non GMO. Becuase the guidelines for separating Gmo seedlings from non-GMO seedlings and then the cross pollination, there may not be such a thing as non-GMO anymore. At least non-GMO is pretty rare in some things and nonexistent in corn.

I don't know how I would have posted on a different thread as I clicked on reply on the mealworm thread. Still trying to get used to using this system.

Let me ask you. Does the mealworms eat the wheat bran or oatmeal or is it just bedding? I plan on using organic rolled oats from the local coop. Does it matter if they are quick oats or the ones you normally cook?

The mealworms actually eat the grain. So long as they have grain they are not particular about it. You can also add chicken crumbles to the bedding. Not the pelletts. They can't eat the pelletts.

 

[hannakat]

Klwright1122 ~ Sorry, but unbleached white flour is not a good idea. Wheat flour.....

OwensMom ~ Yep, partners are much better! It's the starved look on the beetles faces that made me get to the "Do my beetles fly or not after brief period of starvation" test. They really do eat nonstop and it didn't take long for them to become skinny and sad. They are back in the single bin, happily putting on the weight and getting friendly with the other beetles. I put an old sheet on the ground before dropping them so DH was able to retreive them quickly! None lost this time!

It's the mushiness-after-freezing that I'm worried about and yes, a dehydrator/oven has been playing in the back of my mind (quite cluttered back there). I'm a bit concerned about losing too much of the 'natural goodness' of the meal worm, so it's something I plan on playing with for a while.


LibertyChick ~ They actually eat the substrate (oats, mill, chicken feed) in addition to getting moisture from veggies and fruit. I use the cheap, quick oats. You have to add additional oats, mill, feed, etc. on occasion as it gets used up.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
Thank you again for sacrificing some of your lovely beetles for this project. I was confident that your findings would prove me correct in all that I have read, thanks to this thread!

I read somewhere back on this thread about someone that had forgotten their for a month or more and finally went to see if they were still alive. Lo and behold, not only alive but reproducing and still in the bin. They did not fly off seeking food.

 

[OwensMom]

Amy, that was me. I didn't forget them I neglected the little darlings!! I got them from the pet shop and they didn't even move!! So I put the aside til you and hannahkat started the thread. You inspired me. I must say that with neglect the worm did just fine, Now with the new batch, the worms really move and are entertaining. I'm not sure that the worms need as much intervention as we give them but it's fun.