Mealworm farming

[StarLover21]

In my box of live mealworms, a few have pupated. It's been a about a week or four or five days. Are they dead or....do they need anything special to come out? How long does it take?

 

[Kassaundra]

In my box of live mealworms, a few have pupated. It's been a about a week or four or five days. Are they dead or....do they need anything special to come out? How long does it take?

They are not dead if they are not black. It takes anywhere from 5ish days to a couple of weeks depending on temps.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I feel like they need a good humidity to come out well but that may be me. I am sure that in the wheat bins where they terrorize the farmers that it is probably pretty dry and they may do quite well emerging from their pupated stage.
But maybe they crawl off to a place where there is more moisture because I know mine like to turn into pupae right next to the wet food source.

 

[dmclalin]

Hi WestknollAmy,
I decided to set up an old 3 tub bin with some left over wheat bran that was in a bag in the feed room. There wasn't much left. There was also half of an oatmeal container too. So I split the wheat bran and oatmeal and some old all purpose flour (about 3 cups) in all three drawers and I spotted a couple of small brown worms, similar to pictures of seen of meal worms, but these were a little darker. I should clarify this, that the worms were actually only in the wheat bran, none if flour or oatmeal. Those that I saw I put all in the first drawer. I went back to get a pic to show you and now I can't see them. I'll try again later. These worms were browner and didn't seem dead but hardly moved. I assume it was because the grain room was about 38-40°.
Now they are indoors @65°

 

[OkChickens]

I have 3 Beetles now! I opened my bis this morning to change out the veggies and I had 2 almost white ones moving very slow and 1 darker redish one moving around good! This is cool to finally see beetles!

Nate

 

[galanie]

Don't know if anyone remembers but I had a moth infestation a while back. And I still do, more or less. I'm keeping the numbers down with the sticky traps but they're still there. So I'm trying something new. I got a 30x18 under bed box and filled it with some course ground whole wheat (Nuked in the microwave!). Then I removed all the beetles and pupae from one of my containers and put in there. Probably only around 300 total. I also put a few wormies in there "just because" lol. But what I'm trying new is this: I have some small cedar boards from a tree I cut down last fall so I took the bandsaw and made 1/8 strips. These I taped to the outside of the box around 4" down from the top. I don't want to kill the ones in the box but here's hoping I can deter the danged moths. Somehow, some way, they are still in here. I've just about gone crazy trying to get rid of them completely.

I have cockatiels in here so I can't just go around spraying poison, it has to be something very safe if I use anything at all. It's been so frustrating. I have removed every source of food they could possibly be in, and still I find one here and there. If they can't get in the mealworm bin, they'll lay in the creases of it on the outside of it. I patrol those and remove them with a toothpick but argh I wish I could just fog the house! So we'll see how the cedar does. I've a mind to put more out but too much will indeed affect the cockatiels.

 

[dmclalin]

Hi WestknollAmy,
I decided to set up an old 3 tub bin with some left over wheat bran that was in a bag in the feed room. There wasn't much left. There was also half of an oatmeal container too. So I split the wheat bran and oatmeal and some old all purpose flour (about 3 cups) in all three drawers and I spotted a couple of small brown worms, similar to pictures of seen of meal worms, but these were a little darker. I should clarify this, that the worms were actually only in the wheat bran, none if flour or oatmeal. Those that I saw I put all in the first drawer. I went back to get a pic to show you and now I can't see them. I'll try again later. These worms were browner and didn't seem dead but hardly moved. I assume it was because the grain room was about 38-40°.
Now they are indoors @65°

So anyway, I was going to go to the pet store and purchase some live meal worms, but I wasn't sure if I should add them to the above drawers or maybe start a different batch in case one is contaminated.

 

[dmclalin]

So anyway, I was going to go to the pet store and purchase some live meal worms, but I wasn't sure if I should add them to the above drawers or maybe start a different batch in case one is contaminated.

So here is a picture. It definitely was alive.

 

[OkChickens]

So here is a picture.

That worm looks dead..... are all of them that color?

Nate

 

[dmclalin]

It definitely was not dead, it crawled off the top of the bin. I have several this color and one that is lighter