Mealworm farming

[oneofseven]

Oh, they are also stow-aways and can travel on you when you feed the birds from outside. Just another reason to use proper hygene.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
Glad you got the wormies okay!

I really have no idea how they figure out how to get out of the bag!

When I got a phone call from the gentleman on here that bought some from me and he said they were out of the bag I could not believe it! Though hannakat got hers that way from me, too as my first meal worm shipment. I had her help in creating a better way to send them.

I fold it all together, roll it over and tie it then fold again and loop the string around the top again to tie it and then add a bow tie. I could not figure it out but he said it looked like they crawled out of the folds so I had my DH hold the bag when I tied it for Rachel. I was hoping his pinching the top together tighter might help.
I did ask him if they had chewed through it because I know they can get aggressive on paper! I was worried they were going through the material. But no chewing was seen on the material so it is holding up. I put plenty of food in there for them to much on for the trip to where ever they may be going.

Before this batch of bags hannakat had made them from a thicker cloth but these designer bags are so adorable! I am sure you can use them for more things. Trish would not mind at all. She is a good seamstress! I usually sew my own clothes or fingers into what I work on. Not a seamstress, for sure!

Thanks to Trish, I have a nice way to send the mealies, pupae and beetles!

I get the Egg Drop soup in plastic bowls with very secure lids. I had someone pick some up the other day from the farm here and I was going to send them home with him in that with a few small holes poked in the top but he brought his own container. That was even better.

 

[BeccaSmith]

Quote:
Insects are very sensitive to the environment and hormones. Could be temp, humidity, light, ... They can sense minute differences. A good experiment would be to turn the tank around and see if they move after a few days.

Ooops I just finally saw this reply! I broke up the cluster....it is pretty warm where they are, around 80 degrees, but very dry.....maybe they don't like my dry humidity. I am going to put them in my room that I grow my orchids in since I keep the humidity up around 60% to 70% with temps around 60 to 75 degrees right now...I just need to clear a spot for their new home tomorrow.

 

[oneofseven]

Quote:
Insects are very sensitive to the environment and hormones. Could be temp, humidity, light, ... They can sense minute differences. A good experiment would be to turn the tank around and see if they move after a few days.

Ooops I just finally saw this reply! I broke up the cluster....it is pretty warm where they are, around 80 degrees, but very dry.....maybe they don't like my dry humidity. I am going to put them in my room that I grow my orchids in since I keep the humidity up around 60% to 70% with temps around 60 to 75 degrees right now...I just need to clear a spot for their new home tomorrow.

Though they can survive in many climates, the research shows, they prefer temps of 75-82 degrees and 55% humidity.

 

[hannakat]

Quote:
Oh, well I thought when they were on the side near me that they wanted to be fed and talked to and when they are on the other side I figured I had bad breathe. But what do I know?

 

[hannakat]

Quote:
Glad you got the wormies okay!

I really have no idea how they figure out how to get out of the bag!

When I got a phone call from the gentleman on here that bought some from me and he said they were out of the bag I could not believe it! Though hannakat got hers that way from me, too as my first meal worm shipment. I had her help in creating a better way to send them.

Before this batch of bags hannakat had made them from a thicker cloth but these designer bags are so adorable! I am sure you can use them for more things. Trish would not mind at all. She is a good seamstress! I usually sew my own clothes or fingers into what I work on. Not a seamstress, for sure!

Thanks to Trish, I have a nice way to send the mealies, pupae and beetles!

I get the Egg Drop soup in plastic bowls with very secure lids. I had someone pick some up the other day from the farm here and I was going to send them home with him in that with a few small holes poked in the top but he brought his own container. That was even better.

I think nuking or baking the substrate is the best you can do. A lot of folks freeze it as well. I'm keeping a close eye on that drawer and will let you know.

Glad you like the 'designer' bags!! I used muslin at first but when I ran out, switched to anything cotton. They can't munch their way through cotton. I'll have to look at those soup containers next time I'm at our local Chinese restaurant!

Amy, could I have mis-sewn that bag leaving an opening or something? I can't see how they can get out when its folded over just once and tied let alone twice. I only used 2 bags before I had to start saving the wormies for my chickadees and all arrived intact ***whew***

Have fun making the bags Rachel! Heck, some sweet ribbon and maybe a button for accent.... voi la!

 

[onafixedincome]

Hi. I'm onafixedincome, and I'm a terminal mealworm raising addict. Already, even!

This morning, we culled down my chickens to under 20...MUCH better! So they all got to share a catfood can of medium-ish mealies, and WOW! I know, I know, you TOLD me...you WARNED me...but nonetheless, I was shocked by the savagery that resulted!

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

So tonight on the way home, I managed to pick up two (count 'em, TWO) ten gallon aquariums for free, and an additional 1500 mealies from Timberline, courtesy of Petco. They have a heck of an overcount and very few dead, so I think it's worth it.

Question. I found two tiny black beetles--about 2-3mm in length at most-- and a weevil (now dead, thank you so much) in there...how big are the adult darklings compared to, say...well, something common? Anybody got a pic on a coin or something I can compare by?

Oh, and I'm slowly accumulating pupae. One is turning dark from about where you can see the wingbeds..is that normal? I do know that while my one /small pupa might pop out a beetle the size of those above, the big ones are pretty darn certain to come out about three times that...? I think...maybe...?

AUGH!! I love learning new stuff, but the whole 'be patient, grasshopper' part just STINKS!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
This seems like a good point in the thread to discuss humidity. It's not that they prefer 55% humidity, but that most studies use 55% to reduce problems unrelated to what the scientist is studying. The mealworms will perform somewhat better at higher humidities, but as humidity increases above 55% (especially as it exceeds 70%) the likelihood of infection by mites and entomopathogenic fungi also increases. Under very high humidity levels it is only a matter of time before catastrophic infections wipe out much of a colony. Indeed, mites are everywhere in the environment as are fungal spores. Under lower humidity levels these pests usually never become a problem, but higher humidity is one of the most important environmental factors that trigger reproduction or sporulation. The scientist studying T. molitor isn't really that concerned about maximizing reproductive rates and their mealworms will develop and reproduce just fine at 55%. Consider the dreaded grain mite-- it is unable to survive at humidities lower than 55% but reproduces at explosive rates as humidity approaches 90% (http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/flour-and-grain-mites). As hobbyists we have to trade off an increased reproductive rate with almost certain calamity as we increase the humidity. We can do things to limit grain mite exposure to our colonies (e.g. freezing, baking, microwaving), but we can't easily eliminate them entirely from the environment.

I live in one of the driest places on the planet, our humidity is low and measured in single digits for much of the year. I don't add any moisture to the colony beyond that contained in the vegetables I feed them. It's more important to me to have a constant production rather than a slightly higher rate of production punctuated with periodic disasters. I've raised them long enough to have experienced all the disasters that can befall a colony. The vegetables alone will increase the humidity at the level of the substrate. If your ambient humidity is 70%, adding vegetables will further increase the RH at level of the substrate. This effect can be exacerbated as air flow in and out of the colony is limited (e.g. with a lid or drawer system). For this reason it may be safer to keep ambient humidity down but occasionally add moistened cotton balls from which the mealworms will obtain moisture. If you're still worried about them getting enough moisture, consider the special talent our mealworms possess. They have a strange ability to pull water molecules out of thin air directly through their rectum.
Strange, but true.

 

[anklebiter]

Gallo - thank you for that informative post. There seems to be a lot of controversy about this subject (YouTube, etc.)... Thank You for setting the record straight. We appreciate you taking the time to jump in and share your knowledge. Even though I'm a new member, i've been lurking here for quite a while - and I always learn a lot from your posts.

 

[anklebiter]

If anyone here lives in or near St. Louis, MO and wants to get into the mealworm business, or buy them cheap - here you go.

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/for/2734334621.html