Mealworm farming

[G-Man]

Oh my.. this thread has taken a bit of a turn.. I too will be raising these guys exclusively for my chickens.

I was finally able to confirm visually that the eggs the beetles laid did indeed drop into the bin below. And they have hatched! I disrupted the wheat bran and the fine pieces of oats that dropped through the screen ... and it started to wiggle!

I gave them their first bit of moisture by adding a couple small pieces of celery.

Now that almost all of the meal worms from my original purchase have turned into pupae & beetles, I will sift through the bran to remove some of the dead larva, skin and debris left from the previous occupants. And place this bin below the beetles to start the cycle over again.
It is a bit tedious to separate the pupae and I don't know if this is how I'll do it forever but for now I'm pretty happy with the way the three bin system is working.

I keep my bins in a dark closet that stays at a consistent 82 degrees.
Here is the timeline for my colony.

Started February 29, 2012 with large meal worms
First pupae March 2, 2012
First Beetle March 8, 2012
First visual confirmation of hatching larva April 6, 2012

I’ll update again when the newly hatched meal worms are ready to harvest.

 

[joan1708]

I want to start a mealworm farm. I have the wheat bran. How long should I microwave it to make sure there are no contaminants in it? (3 cups at a time). I've tried searching for the answer, but this thread is so long, it's difficult to find anything past the first few pages. Thanks for you answers.

 

[BeccaSmith]

I want to start a mealworm farm. I have the wheat bran. How long should I microwave it to make sure there are no contaminants in it? (3 cups at a time). I've tried searching for the answer, but this thread is so long, it's difficult to find anything past the first few pages. Thanks for you answers.

I wouldn't microwave the wheat bran, microwaves will kill all the nutrients in the food and the meal worms not only use this for bedding but they eat it as well. The more nutrients they eat the more nutrients for your chickens. I would freeze it for at least 24 hours and you should be safe.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I am not thrilled with microwaving my wheat bran either. I have done it but I prefer to freeze mine for a few days. By the end of the summer I will not have room in my freezer for several bags of wheat bran so I will have to go back to microwaving but I notice a big difference in how they enjoy their homes when it has been frozen vs microwaved.
And yes, I spend way too much time with my meal worms! LOL

 

[G-Man]

I'm using the oven to kill off any creepy crawlies that may be living in the bran.. I spread a fair amount on a large cookie sheet and place it in the oven on 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Easy enough.. I like the freezer method.. but I just don't have that kind of room.

 

[joan1708]

thanks for your answers. I will freeze it. I have another question. With the wheat bran is it easy to tell the worm poop (frase?) from the wheat bran? What are you using to "strain" the worms when you change out the litter?

 

[Emily1220]

thanks for your answers. I will freeze it. I have another question. With the wheat bran is it easy to tell the worm poop (frase?) from the wheat bran? What are you using to "strain" the worms when you change out the litter?

It is fairly easy to tell the two apart when there is alot of frass in the bin but you dont need to change out the litter (substrate) like you do other animals. When you see the contents of your bin looking low on bran just dump more in on top.

 

[onafixedincome]

A word on wheat bran....or any other cereal grain used as substrate...

I'm in the middle of a HUGE allergy flareup that mimics severe pneumonia, and I THINK that the mealies' bran is to blame. So as soon as I get them a spot set up out in the barn, out they go, and I'm wearing a mask when 'working' them from here out.

So...if you have known grain dust allergies, as I do, may I suggest starting with a mask and putting filter paper over your mealie bins to keep the dust down as much as possible?

This is MISERABLE to have going on, I feel horrid, and figured a heads up would probably be a good idea.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

You are probably right that you've developed an insect (beetle) allergy. People that work closely with them often become allergic--I've know several. Here's an early abstract and another that describes the phenomenon. That's one reason I don't interact with my colony much besides feeding them and collecting. BTW, it's probably NOT the grain substrate that you're allergic to, but rather the insect proteins (see the second abstract). I'm sorry you're feeling so miserable.

 

[onafixedincome]

Gallo, thanks for the info and the abstracts....sadly, that most likely means I won't be able to raise mealies much longer. My chickens will sue for abuse. My Belgian d'Anvers will go bonkers and my cats will be bored.

I'll try them outdoors and wearing a mask (me, not them! do you have any IDEA how hard it is to order masks for the darn larva?), and see how it goes over the summer....