Mealworm farming

[LibertyChick]

I like that Chick TV. I wished I could let mine out. They are 12 weeks old and my garden is right there and very young. I also don't know what to expect as far as just letting them out of their 6x8 run. I have roads right up to my yard so not sure if they will be just walking out there or flying up into the trees or what. Just a nervous mom I guess.

 

[LibertyChick]

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Just figured out how to post pictures. Here they are...boys or girls?

 

[LibertyChick]

Oops, missed this picture.

 

[gale65]

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I'm no expert but our australorp pullets (hopefully) have combs about that size or maybe a touch smaller and they're only about 8 weeks old.

 

[Kassaundra]

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What is Chicken TV?...Watching them interract with each other and pecking in the ground?

Yes, or watching play catch the screaming one w/ the juiciest treat.

 

[hannakat]

I now have a single wormie egg in 'incubation'... oh wait... guess 'isolation' is more like it. Got to see a beetle lay an egg again! cool.

I'll upload the photos later today. Now I'll get to see just how small they really are when they hatch ***rubbing my hands together in anticipation*****

The mad wormie scientist.

Oh, waiting until tomorrow to give them beets since I already had enough moisture items in there. OwensMom ~ Did you try the beets yet?

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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They look like my girls that are growing up. I love SS but can't get too many to survive.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Okay, here are the horrible white bugs I am fighting. I clean up the bin, table and floor almost every day. I am about to put the bins outside that have these and see if beetles will survive that and mites(?) will go away. While I had the lid (where I took these photos) outside the white things were falling off or jumping. Can't really tell since they are so tiny!

This is outside in the sun. Everything white you see is the tiny bugs and they are all crawling around in these clusters but also venture off, too.

This is as close up as I could get with my camera.

I don't know what to research about them because I can't see them well enough to identify them from photos or drawings.

I am going to have to take this table and bins outside. I can't stand it! I know I may lose the few beetles and pupae that are in them but if so then I will order some more and start another colony. Thank goodness I have 2 bins that so far seem unaffected on other tables. I have tried to be very careful to feed and handle the infected bins last every time.

Tell me what you all think. I always like the input.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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Can't wait to see photos, Trish! That is just too cool!

 

[yinepu]

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look like grain mites to me.. do you nuke or freeze the food (flour, oats and all that) before you put it in to your mealies?

from what i know of raising mealworms.. the infected bins are pretty much toast.. the only way that i know of to get rid of them is to toss everything in the bin.. sterilize it and start over.. but you would also need to clean the area where you had the bins to get rid of any strays so they dont infect new bins