Mealworm farming

[cjatthefarm]

.....will someone please tell me what the eggs the beetles lay LOOK LIKE????

I had a friend give me several beetles to get started. I had 'bout 100 mealworms and have gotten 6-7 pupuas (sp?) BUT, I don't know what to look for when it comes to the eggs the beetles will lay!

Help? Thanks!!

 

[Kassaundra]

.....will someone please tell me what the eggs the beetles lay LOOK LIKE????

I had a friend give me several beetles to get started. I had 'bout 100 mealworms and have gotten 6-7 pupuas (sp?) BUT, I don't know what to look for when it comes to the eggs the beetles will lay!

Help? Thanks!!

White rice shaped but much, much, much smaller. Unless you are really looking and have a magnifying glass or are very lucky you aren't likely to see one. Hanakat posted a pic of one on this thread, but I don't know what page or post number.

 

[dmclalin]

Kassaundra,
Thanks. So I shouldn't put too much extra veggies in? Just replace them as they dry out or get moldy?

 

[Kassaundra]

Kassaundra,
Thanks. So I shouldn't put too much extra veggies in? Just replace them as they dry out or get moldy?

Correct. You need enough that they have enough moisture, but to much (especially w/ a small colony) and you risk mold and mites.

 

[Ivywoods]

Okay... I've got "the bug." I want to start a mealworm farm. Where is the best/cheapest place to order a fairly large number to get my farm started? I've got quite a few chickens, so I think I could raise quite a few for them.

Sorry if this question has been asked/answered multiple times, but I am slowly wading my way through all the info here and I'm only on page 11, which was posted quite a while ago.

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[OkChickens]

• Ivywoods

I ordered 10,000 from nyworms.com and it was $77 with free shipping. I have on average 70+ bird usually and I am letting my colony reproduce a few generations before i start feeding. I received them with in about 5 days of ordering them. I have a 3 bin setup.

Nate

 

[bloom_ss]

I just ordered another 500 extra large meal worms.. Im getting these from WWW.GRUBCO.COM. Anyone order from them? Here is what there website says about the "mighty mealies"

Mighty Mealys are twice as big, or bigger, than our large size mealworms. These over-sized mealworms are perfect for the larger appetite. They are very lively and have been a Grubco trademark product for over fifty years! Unlike Grubco superworms, Mighty Mealys are true mealworms. Mighty Mealys have been used as live pet food by many zoos and universities for generations of animals with excellent results. They are a preferred food of Sugar Gliders. If you need a large mealworm in your animal's diet, Grubco's Mighty Mealys are just what you need. Mighty Mealys also make excellent fishing bait for trout and other various types of fish. A #2 hook is ideal for fishing with Mighty Mealys. Please keep these mealworms refrigerated as they will turn into beetles very quickly. (I like this part)

Since the first batch I got yesterday are smaller than I thought, I figured id try another source.. Maybe get my farm going a bit faster.. Besides, I think about half or more of the worms I got yesterday are dead.. Lots are not moving and some are black.. Should I leave them in or feed them to the chickens?

The ones that are very still are probably getting ready to turn into pupae, but the black ones are dead. When they die they always turn black as far as I have seen. Sometimes they can be very still and not be dead...hold on to them for a while and see what happens. If more turn black then they are dying for some reason and it might be better just to feed those ones out and start over, but, if they are just being still because they are undergoing a change then it would be a waste to toss them. =)

 

[cjatthefarm]

Thank You Kassaundra! Okay....then evidently I don't have to worry 'bout them being eaten by the beetles?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

.....will someone please tell me what the eggs the beetles lay LOOK LIKE????

I had a friend give me several beetles to get started. I had 'bout 100 mealworms and have gotten 6-7 pupuas (sp?) BUT, I don't know what to look for when it comes to the eggs the beetles will lay!

Help? Thanks!!

You can see Hannakat's pic on her BYC page. It's about 2/3'rds of the way down the page on the right. I just realized I can copy and paste it right here.

 

[Ivywoods]

Thanks for the info. I just ordered 2,000 of them from NY Worms. I have a plastic tote I'm going to put them in. I think I will use the one-compartment method rather than the 3 drawer method for now. We have had a few grain moths around, so I'm gong to use a lid to keep any of those out of there, then cut the middle out of the lid and put a window screen cover over that. We had a bad infestation of grain moths last year from some parrot food we brought in for my DH's double yellow headed amazon parrot. We've had a heck of a time getting rid of all those stupid little moths. I think we have it under control, but since the mealies will be in grain I don't want to risk it.

I will be following along on this thread as I still have a lot to learn.