Mealworm farming

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Now this is where you make memories! Can you imagine the stories when they have kids of their own and they ask "what was great grandma like?" Maybe you will be lucky and still be around to have beetle races with the great-grands too! Now I wish I had grand kids to do this with! You go Grandma!

Terri O

Thanks, Terri, but I think you have confused me with my wife?

Bryan (AKA "Gramps")

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

Update on my water-in-a-banana-peel-canoe experiment: I filled a metal bottle cap with water, to see if the beetles would go for it. Heck yes! I wish I could get a decent pic with my cell phone.

I set it down flush with the level of the meal, and the beetles stuck their little faces over the edge to drink. The shallowness of the cap discourages drowning. (Larvae had no interest whatsoever.)

So, any of you in a dry climate like ours, give it a shot!

 

[Kassaundra]

Update on my water-in-a-banana-peel-canoe experiment: I filled a metal bottle cap with water, to see if the beetles would go for it. Heck yes! I wish I could get a decent pic with my cell phone.

I set it down flush with the level of the meal, and the beetles stuck their little faces over the edge to drink. The shallowness of the cap discourages drowning. (Larvae had no interest whatsoever.)

So, any of you in a dry climate like ours, give it a shot!

After your first post I tried water crystals in a metal lid and put it flush w/ the substrate level and it was a hit. It is impossible for them to drown in it and shouldn't have any mold problems. It is how I give water to my dubia colony and I've never had a mold issue in that bin.

 

[OkChickens]

My 3 bin Colony is filling up with Pupa! 4-5 days ago I had maybe 1-2 Pupa in each drawer, now I have 500 or more in each drawer! I am really excited for pupa to morph into beetles! How long does that normally take? I still have a lot of larva's left to morph! Also how long until I should see little larva after I find beetles? Thanks!

Nate

 

[wolftracks]

They're dead!!! Just a bunch of dead worms

I put them on top of the fridge for warmth and when I went in a few minutes ago to check how they were doing I had a moldy potato slice and dead or dying worms! OMG! I can't even raise worms???

Since there was mold I don't think I should even feed them to the birds. They don't look covered in mold, but ..........IDK

These suckers got fat too. They were shiny and moving all over and now they're all brown and stiff.

I think I'm going to a bait shop tomorrow and buy just the regular sized ones and then not sure what to do about something molding that quick.

Really? I can't keep a container of worms alive? I'm so mad at myself right now I could scream.

 

[snooptwomey]

I just ordered 1000 live online the other day and they shipped yesterday, so would all I have to do is take some out of that and put in something with medium and then feed them? I am sure there is a little more to it than that but is that the general start?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

They're dead!!! Just a bunch of dead worms

I put them on top of the fridge for warmth and when I went in a few minutes ago to check how they were doing I had a moldy potato slice and dead or dying worms! OMG! I can't even raise worms???

Since there was mold I don't think I should even feed them to the birds. They don't look covered in mold, but ..........IDK

These suckers got fat too. They were shiny and moving all over and now they're all brown and stiff.

I think I'm going to a bait shop tomorrow and buy just the regular sized ones and then not sure what to do about something molding that quick.

Really? I can't keep a container of worms alive? I'm so mad at myself right now I could scream.

Are you sure they're dead? They slow down a lot right before molting and pupating--so much so that they can appear dead. Are the worms black? Mold in the colony doesn't necessarily mean a death sentence for the mealworms, just that conditions are more moist than they should be.

I just ordered 1000 live online the other day and they shipped yesterday, so would all I have to do is take some out of that and put in something with medium and then feed them? I am sure there is a little more to it than that but is that the general start?

That's it. It really is simple.

 

[onafixedincome]

Don't feel too bad! I think we've all managed to kill our share at one time or another (I'm sure mine is waiting for JUST the right moment to spring...).

If you had mold, you likely didn't have sufficient air circulation or just too much moisture, period....and that lovely gentle heat made a perfect environment. There's a reason you are told to keep sourdough starter up there, you know!

I have been getting my worms from Petco, supplied by a company called Timberline. Nice worms, healthy, generous overcounts, usually.

Luck!

 

[snooptwomey]

Looks like I might attempt to farm mealie worms than. I already got the 3 drawer thing sitting around waiting for something to go in it. . . looks like I found something

 

[almost a farm chic]

You all are some very dedicated chicken parents! I will have to consider this. Bet they go crazy for them!