Mealworm farming

[oneofseven]

This is a great link for info on grain mites:
http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-222.pdf

 

[BeccaSmith]

Quote:
If you had put the styrofoam container in the fridge you would have been ok. I have an idea on how you can make sure you get all the worms...you could bring a chicken/chick into the house with one of those diaper things on. They will clean it up really good for you.

Sorry about that one, I thought it might give you a laugh.

I actually used one of my chickens to get a bunch of earwigs out of the storage area of my coop that had started an investation. She absolutely loved it...but it wasn't my house. I think some people bring their chickens into the house to walk around with a diaper on. I could see that they would keep the kitchen floor pretty clean from any dropped crumbs.

LibertyChick

Yes I should have put the container in the fridge but I didn't want them to "slow down" I wanted them active for when I make it out to give the girls treats! I would love to have one of my girls come in and use a diaper on her...I've seen them for sale...but I can just imagine the mess I would still have to clean up in the diapers....not to mention it would get all over their fluffly butt's and then need to be washed as well!

So what size of a container would be adequate for a colony of say 1500 worms?

 

[thunder creek farm]

Hmm that sounds awesome.I may have to try that

 

[CluckyJay]

Quote:
I remember reading that but don't understand the purpose. Did you pop it first? Do they eat it?

Quite a while ago, someone posted pictures of their colony filled with corn husks....whoever it was didn't come back to answer questions that were asked regarding it's use. Made for a cool looking bin though!

I popped it to kill any grain mites in the milo. I had a terrible infestation because I forgot to heat their substrate one time. I am doing a high humidity colony and the mites took off. The mealies are doing very well with the humidity, its just that the mites really liked it too.

I have been reading about feeding popped milo to livestock and read something about it being more nutritionally available in this form. I don't really know if its true but the mealies and goats and chickens LOVE it popped.

BTW, after ridding the bins of the mites and now using popped milo and toasted black oil sunflower seeds, no more mites!

I am also adding a small amount of loose goat minerals to the bins. The mealworms seem to be growing quicker since the addition. I added about 1 tablespoon of the minerals to a container housing many thousands of mealies.

 

[Kassaundra]

Mine weren't to impressed w/ popped corn, the beetles used it to climb on, but no one is eating any.

 

[Terri O]

That's what I found with popcorn too.
T

 

[CluckyJay]

That is so weird. Mine decimated the popped milo. lol.

 

[FrenchToast]

Quote:
HeyTO, you mean you shared your popcorn with the mealies ????

I want to get some mealies but didn't win the auction. Bid on several but didn't win any

How many did you start with and how's it going ?

I lkie the idea of freeranging the chickens in the house to eat the escapees !!

Never heard of popping Milo seed. Is that the big brownish colored millet looking seed that is in wild bird seed ?

 

[binders]

CluckyJay, how did you go about popping the milo? Sounds like an interesting idea.

 

[CluckyJay]

I soaked the milo in water for a few minutes and drained it. Then I placed them in a pan with a lid and popped like regular pop corn. I did a bit with oil and they popped much better than without oil. The amount of popped kernels improved with a few minutes of soaking them in warm water before popping.