Mealworm farming

[appychick]

Temperature Question......The main reason I am balking on getting started with my worm farm until spring is temp...Until it cools off some more,I maintain house temp ~50-60 degrees nights until necessary to turn on furnace. Will the worms grow at this low of temp or must they have heat to thrive ?

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Yes, they will. They may not produce as fast but I had some in the garage all winter and they did just fine. Tons of worms in there. Which reminds me! Gotta go feed them some potatoes. These are the easiest things to grow, really.

You can micro manage them if you want or not. Go ahead and start some and you'll get some learning in. Then in the spring you can really make them take off. It does take a few months to get everything where you want them. Beetles laying eggs, hatching, worms, pupae. Around the 4 month mark you will start reaping the benefits but until then-it's just a waiting game.

 

[Kassaundra]

The tiny worms are burrowing into the underside of the carrots, and the adults are having a field day w/ the okra. I have fed all kinds of stuff experimenting w/ what they like, and since they get mostly scraps they will still get variety, but you can definately tell a difference in what they are eating b/c it's there and what the like.

600 beetles / month to feed out 2 cups of large meal worms per day? .......................................................................... I think I need a bigger boat!

 

[hannakat]

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Very nice Cakela!!


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You really don't have to wait for spring temps. They'll slow down during the cool hours and grow during the warm hours making it worthwhile. I had several containers in the fridge at one point to stagger the growth but I took them out every few days to let them eat....just a bit of carrot. Well, they ended up pupating even in the fridge.

Mealworms are really very easy to raise and will still grow at less than 'ideal' temps. So, you'd still be ahead by starting your farm now. You'll also be able to experience, first hand, the development speeds of the colony at different temps....kinda interesting (well to me it is!!!).

 

[hannakat]

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Okra Kassaundra? Cool. I like feeding them a variety of what's on hand also....that's why I know which parts of dandelion they like and how jewel weed is used by beetles for hidy holes.

 

[Kassaundra]

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Okra Kassaundra? Cool. I like feeding them a variety of what's on hand also....that's why I know which parts of dandelion they like and how jewel weed is used by beetles for hidy holes.

I cut it in half long ways and lay in down like a boat (cut side up) in the substrate, they love it. Okra is very high in the "B" vitamins and trace minerals, and it's the adults that are most drawn to it.

 

[oneofseven]

Of you don't mind spending the money, reptile heating rocks are ideal for keeping the temp just right in the cooler months.

 

[hannakat]

Kassaundra ~ Wonder if that would be good for gut loading before freezing? It's another area I need to research.

oneofseven ~ GREAT suggestion! I've considered providing a heat source for my colony. I have a small heating pad that was once in a cat bed that I've considered....just set the whole bin on it. ?? Not sure if it was designed for 24/7 use though.

 

[galanie]

Itty bitty wormies all over the bottoms of the potato pieces!

Finally I'm getting back to having worms after the moths destroyed them all!

 

[Kassaundra]

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Not sure how much the worms eat them, I mostly see the adults on them, wondering if it has more of what they need for breeding nutritionally speaking.