Mealworm farming

[hannakat]

Quote:
Hi!

That's a matter of preference. How many worms did you start out with, how old is your colony, how many chickens do you have??

You're asking some interesting questions!!! I don't know that you can determine a percentage unless you count how many beetles you have reproducing at any given time.

How to harvest wormies:
1. The worms like toilet paper rolls and will congregate in them.
2. The worms like newspaper. Fold a section of newspaper into 4-6 'pages' and lay in the substrate. They will contregate between the layers so you can pick it up and shake 'em out.
3. Don't feed them for 2 days then stick a piece of apple in there. 15-20 later go back, pick up the apple and shake 'em off.
4. Sit in front of the TV with a bin and pick 'em out 1 by 1.

I don't use potato either.

 

[hannakat]

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We're all easily amused or we wouldn't be doing this!

Paper is the best insulation there is. Good idea.

x2

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hahahaaaa.....you ain't old, now are you? Happy Friday to you!

 

[Gypsi]

I might be old. 52 is old, right? (I've been having memory slips since I had twins 28 years ago. Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children.)

 

[hannakat]

NO! not old!

 

[kizanne]

Quote:
I'll tell you what I do but I haven't gotten long term enough to talk with too much acumen. I calculated I needed 800 worms to keep up little treats for my 11 chickens.

So I started a bin with 2000 mealies. Let them pupate. After I started seeing small worms I started removing beetles to another bin. They kept laying. Now that first bin. I have pulled probably 1000 or more pupa out and put in a third bin. The first bin is still cranking out worms and turning to pupa. I am harvesting worms from it using a sifter trying to get mostly large worms. I keep pulling any pupa out and putting in the third bin. I have over 800 pupa in the third bin so I feel I can't overharvest at this point because even with harvesting I have pupa coming at about 100 a day out of the first bin. The second bin is crawling with small worms. and I have beetles hatched out and laying in the third bin. I could feed the entire first bin to the chickens and the third is already started the process of continuing. I have the second as an in between back up. As it starts to pupate I'll throw the pupa in the third bin. Hopefully, I empty the first bin at some point and throw pupa in it as I start harvesting the second bin. I am hoping and so far it is working, that I'll have one bin that I know everything in the bin can be harvested and one bin with beetles and one that I'm throwing pupa in. My third bin is having a little trouble with the pupa dying without hatching but enough are hatching out that I don't think it is going to effect anything. I am sure it is a humidity issue which I'm working to resolve.

 

[Kassaundra]

Quote:
The closer I get to any age the younger it becomes!!!

 

[Imagesoart]

I'll tell you what I do but I haven't gotten long term enough to talk with too much acumen. I calculated I needed 800 worms to keep up little treats for my 11 chickens.

So I started a bin with 2000 mealies. Let them pupate. After I started seeing small worms I started removing beetles to another bin. They kept laying. Now that first bin. I have pulled probably 1000 or more pupa out and put in a third bin. The first bin is still cranking out worms and turning to pupa. I am harvesting worms from it using a sifter trying to get mostly large worms. I keep pulling any pupa out and putting in the third bin. I have over 800 pupa in the third bin so I feel I can't overharvest at this point because even with harvesting I have pupa coming at about 100 a day out of the first bin. The second bin is crawling with small worms. and I have beetles hatched out and laying in the third bin. I could feed the entire first bin to the chickens and the third is already started the process of continuing. I have the second as an in between back up. As it starts to pupate I'll throw the pupa in the third bin. Hopefully, I empty the first bin at some point and throw pupa in it as I start harvesting the second bin. I am hoping and so far it is working, that I'll have one bin that I know everything in the bin can be harvested and one bin with beetles and one that I'm throwing pupa in. My third bin is having a little trouble with the pupa dying without hatching but enough are hatching out that I don't think it is going to effect anything. I am sure it is a humidity issue which I'm working to resolve.

Thanks, you have a great method!

Although, I was looking forward to sitting in front of the TV and picking them out one by one!

 

[littlels]

I want to start a colony in an "under the bed" plastic tub. In order to keep ventilation should be drill some small holes in the sides near the top? Also, won't the beetles crawl out of the tub? I keep reading that surface area is more important than height of the sides of the container so I thought the tub would work great except I'm worried about the beetles crawling out.

 

[Imagesoart]

My drawer bins are small. The sides are only about 3 inches or so.... No beetles have crawled out.

 

[hannakat]

Quote:
Hi! Small holes drilled sounds good. No...the beetles cannot get out of small holes so your plan sounds wonderful.

Beetles cannot climb plastic or glass. I'm not sure that surface vs height matters.