Mealworm farming

[jak2002003]

I just discovered the left over dusty poop of the mealworms makes great plant fertilizer!

I sprinkled is over my grass and its really good. It was an accident as I had just sifted out the last of the worms and threw the dust onto the garden.

 

[zookeeper15133]

I have baby worms! I thought my house was too cool (67) for then to grow. I got a small reptile under tank heater and put it on the side of the bin. The beetles and worms seem to all be on that side of the bins. It is only 4 watts

I can see them now. Very tiny but I can see them!

I want to thank everyone for all the info and help from this thread!

 

[galanie]

Okay, I still can't get around this wheat bran thing. 

As far as purchasing it, I've checked with all my feed stores and none of them  carry it;.  I've checked our grocery stores and they do not carry it either, so I'm pretty sure I'll have to order it.  I've never even heard of the places one person mentioned.  (hey, it's a rural area I'm in.)

Second, I grew up on a wheat farm.  I can't speak for mealworms in particular, but if ever there was grain that got "buggy" what you would find is that they ate the center out of the grain.  They would eat a hole right into the middle of it and leave the outside (the bran.)  It was the same way with corn or oats.  For example, if bugs got into the oats you would just find an empty hull (the bran.)

Has anyone tried keeping mealworms in cracked wheat instead of wheat bran?

I can understand that the wheat bran would be easier to sift than the oatmeal.  I have mine in oatmeal right now, but I was just trying to decide what I wanted to get if I go to a multi-bin system.

I use feed wheat that I've coarsely ground. Seems to work as well as anything else I've used. The feed stores around here don't stock wheat bran or feed wheat because of the bug problem but will order it for you if you ask.

 

[binders]

Question for those who use under the tank reptile heaters. Do you stick it on to the plastic of your bin? I bought one and read the instructins and warnings and ended up returning it because I was afraid of putting it on the plastic. They say it is for glass only. Seems like several people are using them and was wondering if you stuck it on or what brand you are using?

Thanks!

 

[hannakat]

Yey ToniSorrento! Can't wait to see.....


Jak2002 ~ We had a mealworm frass fertilizer naming contest a while ago. One of the favs was ***** Frass. Figured we needed a catchy name to market the stuff.

Doing the happy dance Zookeeper!

Ain't they cute?


Ivywoods ~ I order wheat bran from Ebay, although it's way more expensive, at least I can get it! It wouldn't be very economical for going multi-bin though. You can always try the cracked wheat. Put some in it an see how they do. You can always grind or pound the rolled oats to make the pieces smaller prior to putting it in the colony container. Chicken feed is a good choice too....just remember to freeze or microwave it to kill existing mites.

 

[hannakat]

A couple questions.....Ive got 2 bins full of worms.. The first one started out with about 1000 small worms.. realy small... I figured they would shed, grow, shed, grow, etc.. for a while before they turned into beetles...Ive only had them for a bit over a month.. Ive already got a couple small beetles in there..They have shed at least once also....Are they just going to be small worms?? Also.. they dont seem to eat much.. They are in oatmeal.. And I give them apples, carrots and potatos.. whatever I have in the fridge when its time for fresh veggies..I hardly ever see many worms on them.. Does that mean there getting enough moisture? Or just not like what im offering?? Any other ideas?

My second bin is only 500 worms, but I got realy big ones.. Not super worms, just big ones.. I was told they would turn into beetles realy soon.... about 75% are getting ready to turn....

In both bins, the majority stay on top of the oatmeal.. And in the bigger worms bin, they crawl between the layers of newspaper that I put in there to block out light..or on top of the egg cartons.. Is this normal???

There are a few dead ones in both bins..Enough for me to notice that there are dead ones, but not enough for me to freak out thinking they were all dieing..

Should I change their substrate??

Your setup sounds just fine to me. You might be providing too much in the form of veggies. Until there are thousand and thousands and thousands, it doesn't seem like there is much activity. Try not feeding anything for a day and then put a couple pieces of carrot in. Bet you see the worms all over it in less than 15 minutes!

The mealworms do seem to like to crawl on cardboard egg cartons and even drill holes. I love watching them 'explore'. The newspaper is a good way to collect them too. When I go to feed some out, I always snatch up the newspaper first and dump them into another container.

There's always a percentage of dead worms, pupae, and beetles. Pick 'em out or leave 'em....doesn't matter much. I generally pick them out when I see them but my colonies are kept small since I do feed them out to the girls regularly. I also give the girls any dead ones I find. The chickadees love them no matter what! hahaa! yummo!

 

[TonySorrento]

I am blown away you are having difficulty finding wheat bran! We live in a rural area and the.only issue for me was having to buy a 60 pound bag! My brother, (slabcrappy) got it from a local.feed store for .50cents a pound ... you can see his post with pics on this thread

 

[Ivywoods]

Yes, I've checked several feed stores, all our local grocery stores and came up with nothing. It's okay, though. I think I may go with a mix of ground wheat and some chicken feed in the bins for the worms. I have a mash made up at the feed mill for my chickens, and I think some of that would be worth a try. Yes, I will feeze it for a few days first.

My sister is coming to stay with me in about a month. She is going to help me with chores and stuff while I have surgery and recover from a total knee replacement. I have my worm bin in the guest bathroom, which is the one she uses. I'm sure she will have a few words to say about having to share a bathroom with a few thousand worms and beetles.

 

[SherrieT]

Wish you lived by me, I have a ton left

 

[TonySorrento]

Wish you lived by me, I have a ton left

So do I ... is it safe to feed it to your chickens?