Mealworm farming

[galanie]

Quote:

I'm finally about to harvest some myself! I HAVE WORMS

 

[onafixedincome]

Okay...I spent many hours wading through to about page 170 or so, but I'm dead to the world today.

So I'm just going to ask a few questions and see what I hear!

1) Does anyone regret starting this project, and quit?

2) If you were going to advise a brand new raiser of mealworms, what would you tell them about
Housing
Care
Selection
Temperatures?

3) My house averages sixty degrees F in winter if I'm lucky--is it worth trying to start?

4) Have anyone's chooks gotten bored of mealworms and turned them down?

5) Has anyone tried roasting/grinding to feed them out as meal for variety or mix with other feedstuffs?

Thanks all! This is one heck of a thread!

 

[ipana]

Okay...I spent many hours wading through to about page 170 or so, but I'm dead to the world today.

So I'm just going to ask a few questions and see what I hear!

1) Does anyone regret starting this project, and quit?

2) If you were going to advise a brand new raiser of mealworms, what would you tell them about
Housing
Care
Selection
Temperatures?

3) My house averages sixty degrees F in winter if I'm lucky--is it worth trying to start?

4) Have anyone's chooks gotten bored of mealworms and turned them down?

5) Has anyone tried roasting/grinding to feed them out as meal for variety or mix with other feedstuffs?

Thanks all! This is one heck of a thread!

I'll chime in on this one!

1) No, I've not regretted this project...so far. I only began in May and have really enjoyed having treats for the "girls and guy."

2) People have different processes for housing these worms, as you've read. I decided a one bin set up would work for me. And, I began with one bin but when I wanted to clean out the frass, there were so many worms remaining in the original bin after I had removed as many as I could, I just added more wheat bran to see what would happen. Lo, and behold, more pupae, beetles and worms. So, then I had two bins, both thriving. I've just done the same thing and have added a third bin. This, however, is going to be the last! I'll probably just dump the old frass somewhere so the hens can enjoy the scavenger hunt. As they say, three's a crowd! I selected medium-sized mealworms since I had read that the larger ones may cause a problem in the crop of young birds. When I saw a picture of the larger ones, I could understand why. It's just like a miniature grub worm. I had found some grubs in the horse manure and after I picked one up and it bit my finger, I realized I would need to cut the head off those puppies before feeding them.

3) The cooler temperatures are reported to slow the reproduction but I don't know that 60 would be too dramatically low. When I put crumbled newspapers (not wadded) onto the top of the bran, it seems to help insulate. The worms are everywhere in the little pockets of the newspaper and the beetles seem to be laying eggs onto the paper. There are also holes in the paper where they apparently enjoy a little treat themselves. Someone posted about the ink being a problem but I haven't noticed it causing anything adverse. I don't use the colored advertising sheets...only the black/white newsprint.

4,5) I haven't frozen, roasted or any other process yet. The birds just go crazy for them as they are so that's what they get. They never seem to tire of these. In fact, they would eat more if I would give it.

So, final words: do it! It's a great source of protein for little cost. The effort to keep the farm going is minimal. It just takes time to get it started going well. After that, it's a snowball!

Hope this helps, onafixedincome​

 

[galanie]

Quote:
I've yet to hear of anyone regretting starting them. I know I haven't.
Care: Too easy. Housing: Anything with slick sides that's 4" or more high. Selection: Any old regular ones. Just don't get the jumbos. Temps: They'll live even in the fridge but you want them at 70-100 if you can. 60 will really slow down reproduction but you can keep them in stasis that way till spring. Or put them somewhere it gets warmer a lot like over the fridge or close to the stove. For some people the bathroom is a good place. My washroom stays pretty warm because the gas hot water heater is in there.

 

[hannakat]

Quote:

I'm finally about to harvest some myself! I HAVE WORMS

only here can we appreciate it!!!

 

[CluckyJay]

 

[hannakat]

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You're welcome... Please come back and let us know what you end up doing!! Remember...if you don't want to raise them, you can purchase freeze/dried mealworms at TS and other feed mill stores. That's what I did last winter. Very easy choice for maximum benefits!

I forgot to reiterate....mealworms are one of the top bug food source for human consumption as well. think about it....if there's ever a natural disaster...you have the means by which to feed your family.....

 

[hannakat]

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btw....I like your signature line.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

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I have a little bit of info on my webpage if you would like to see my set up and what I use. Be warned, there are lots of photos!

http://www.westknollfarm.com/Meal-Worms.html

 

[Gypsi]

Very educational website Amy. My mealworms hate the potatoes. Bread and wheat bran are better. The beetles were having a bite or 2 of potato. But after looking over your site, I cut a sliver of watermelon for each of my bins. (I separated worms and beetles when they came).

Just went to look and - drum roll - beetles still prefer potato, but the worms like melon. It's on a plastic lid in each bin.