Mealworm farming

[andrea98]

I have been seeing alot of my pupae are dried up & brown , some have holes in them.... I have them in oats & give them banana peels & whole bananas also? The room is about 75-80 & I have a cup of water in there also ????? Any suggestions?

 

[gale65]

They like banana peels? My kids eat bananas every day. I'll have to have them save a peel for the worms/roaches (I know they aren't roaches-we just call them that).

 

[bloom_ss]

Oh Okay, thanks for answering. I'll see if I can get that cancelled. What's a good place to purchase from? I'm not needing to start out with 10,000 but would like to order 3,000-5,000 depending on the price. I've already got everything set up for my worms to get here!

Here's from the beginning of this thread:


Reliable sources for buying meal worms (in no particular order):
BYC members:
crazy huhn: [email protected]
Amy: www.westknollfarm.com email is [email protected]
exoticnutrition.com
speedyworm.com
southernbaitworms.com


I bought mine at Petco so I wouldn't have to pay shipping, but I think it ends up being a bit more spendy going that route. Not sure though since I never really added up the costs of shipping and all that.

 

[bloom_ss]

Okay, y'all have inspired me to "Go big, or go home". Yes, Amy, your site especially LOL.

Soooooo, I consolidated all my 300+ beetles from 2011 into one drawer, started another for 2012 beetles, and I'm letting all the older mealies from October pupate, to expand the herd.

A question for those who use wheat bran: do you find it draws moths? I stopped using wheat bran for that reason. Or, more correctly, DW strongly encouraged me to stop using wheat bran for that reason. I don't know if the moths were in the bran when I got it, or arrived later, but arrive they did. I know you can put bran in the freezer to kill them, but a 50# bag makes this a challenge. Anyway, mine are doing well on chicken feed and corn meal.

I'm curious how long my beetles are living. I suspect it is much longer than the 3-4 months I've read. I'm also curious if beetles lay until they die, or do they hit menopause sometime and stop reproducing? Do you think I could get a government grant for my valuable research?

Also: do y'all know if there's a correlation between size and gender? I have a large range of different sized beetles, and haven't figured out why. Some just seem to pupate earlier, and end up as smaller beetles.

Party on, worm wranglers!!! Yee-haw!!!

Bryan

I put my bran in the microwave one large bowlful at a time. I haven't had any problems with doing it that way. =) I just nuke it for about a minute per bowl and then let it cool before using it for the mealies. As far as the different sized beetles go, I have all different sizes too, but I don't know if it has anything to do with gender or not. lol I have no clue how long the beetles live/reproduce...I just let them do their thing and when they die, they die.

 

[onafixedincome]

I keep mine in wheat bran--oat dust is like kryptonite for me--and my pupae only 'go brown' or 'go dry' (or both!), it seems, when it is either too wet or too dry. Are yours in with the larvae or do you sort them out for peace and quiet?

As for the upside down wonders....*sigh* Some of the beetles just don't seem to be very bright--they are gravitationally challenged, or directionally challenged, or whatever. For the chronic turtles, I lay a piece of paper over so that when they flip, there's still something to grab.....doesn't work ALL the time but it's a start.

To all who have new stages--YIPPEE!!!! Ain't this FUN!??!??? I sure think so, and I'm still getting a kick out of it all.

 

[andrea98]

Every thing is in one box ... How tiny are the worms?

 

[Kassaundra]

They do love banana peels and the fruit too.

I have found very little in the way of fruits and veggies they don't like or won't eat, and the bigger the colony gets the more true that holds. I did try some boiled eggs just to see once that was not a hit at all. I only left it in for a couple of hours didn't want it to spoil. It was after I read some post about the mealies needing more nutrition then just the fruits and veggies and grain substrate, anyway won't do that again. (I only thought it might be possible b/c my dubia's need a protien source they get cat food.)

In my bins Darwin rules, it's survival of the fittest in there. They either live or not on their own merit.

 

[Kassaundra]

Every thing is in one box ... How tiny are the worms?

Just hatched they are very tiny, so small they are difficult to see w/o magnification. When full grown and about to pupate they are about 3/4 to 1 inch long.

 

[the4heathernsmom]

Wow...Amy I looked at your website and I think we are going to try and raise some. You made it look so easy!!!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Amy you are so funny!!!! I just had to go see if my worms actually roll over the way yours do!!! Mine just wiggle like crazy and flip over. They did seem to excited about doing any tricks tonight!!

I swear it looks like their little sides are flaring out. Could be my glasses though. LOL No, really. It does look like they flare their sides out and arch their backs and then are able to flip back over. Maybe it is the way they land when I shake them out but they do not fall far....maybe 2".

Oh geez, I feel another video coming on!