Mealworm farming

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

2 Inches? Are you sure they're regular mealworms, not superworms?

 

[wolftracks]

Says Giant Meal Worms on the container.


Not good huh?

 

[Kassaundra]

Says Giant Meal Worms on the container.


Not good huh?

Some of the giant meal worms are treated w/ a substance that makes in rare for them to pupate, that is why they get so big. Just keep an eye on them, if they turn to pupa you have no problems. Which they should be doing any time now if they are that big.

 

[wolftracks]

Some of the giant meal worms are treated w/ a substance that makes in rare for them to pupate, that is why they get so big. Just keep an eye on them, if they turn to pupa you have no problems. Which they should be doing any time now if they are that big.

Well that figures. Hopefully something will happen. If not we'll just get others. Might help if this kid leaves them alone too. I think she has some named. LOL

 

[Cavry]

To me, really funny is watching my wife's glee as a hen scarfs up the occasional hornworm from her tomatoes.

 

[onafixedincome]

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

Sounds like your larvae might be chowing on your pupae--suggest putting some bran in a different container and sorting out the pupae so they aren't being munched. A couple of slices of potato should be plenty to give them the humidity they need for good eclosure, I'd think--Hannakat, Amy?

Pupae, by the way, aren't dried and dead just because they are brown. If you pick them up gently (like you would a hummingbird eggshell) by the 'head' end, the back end of a live pupa will usually wiggle. (At least, that's how I tell!) They start out white, and then go golden brown and shrink a bit as they age. Eyespots start showing, then the legs and back of the shoulder area darken...and then you have wiggly legs and dark shoulders with a white/cream body until they darken to their final brown, then black, color.

I handle my pupae (pupils? LOL) very gently, using the tips of my fingers and fingernails to get them up out of the substrate, then plop them gently into the new situation. When I go through every day or so to get beetles out of the pupa bin, I just run my fingers through 'em, substrate and all. Hope that helps!

 

[onafixedincome]

If they do pupate, the beetles are usually sterile, as I found to my dismay earlier this year...the size differences I was seeing was due to the IGR treatment.

So I'd say feed 'em out and get some guaranteed untreated ones from one of our recommended sources..

Sorry!

Some of the giant meal worms are treated w/ a substance that makes in rare for them to pupate, that is why they get so big. Just keep an eye on them, if they turn to pupa you have no problems. Which they should be doing any time now if they are that big.

 

[Sweet Pea Farms]

wow thats great. maybe you could tell every on how to start a farm of mealworms for there own farms. My kids and I would love it.

 

[zzGypsy]

wow thats great. maybe you could tell every on how to start a farm of mealworms for there own farms. My kids and I would love it.

keep on reading... it's all in here!

 

[lolita117]

So I was able to cancel my order from Uncle Jim's and I placed one with ExoticNutrition which shipped out today! I'm getting excited about starting my mealworm farm! I got everything set up, just waiting for them to get here!