Mealworm farming

[Tikkajazz94]

Hello again. So, I actually decided to raise some, I bought 200 from the nearest pet store, Which was cheaper than buying from a breeder farm. I'm raising them for treats for my birds. I have them in a temp container, Which once they turn to pupa they will be taken out and once beetles, they will be put in another temp area, till next pay where I will have a cool container drawer thing. I already have 5 pupas already (letting you know, I bought them today) Container is placed by a brooder for some quail, they are in a area that reaches around the 70F mark.
Here are pictures of the container:

Look BYC on my little laptop ^ I also added the bedding they had when I bought them. Big Mistake I did.
My little set up ^

^ Meal worm up close, sorry for the blurry-ness :S

A bunch of mealworms ^ (Picture with the flash on)

^ A lot of them, showing the baby carrots.

Thanks, Please post what you think, or PM me, I don't come on this post often.

 

[joan1708]

Do the pupa lay on top of the subtrate? How do you find them to take them out?

 

[galanie]

If it were to rain in that window they could get too wet and have mold or mildew problems. Moths can get through screen and I have heard they can cause problems in a meal worms bin. Mice are really attracted to meal worms but if it is covered you may not have a problem.
Those are the only concerns I would have other than direct sunlight, which they do not like.

Wow can I even attest to that. Moths will all but wipe out the mealworms. It seems that the moth larvae are predators to mealworm pupae as well as either the tiny mealworms or the eggs, not sure which. But when you get a moth infestation, you'll not get enough worms to harvest till you get rid of them.

 

[DMRippy]

Hello again. So, I actually decided to raise some, I bought 200 from the nearest pet store, Which was cheaper than buying from a breeder farm. I'm raising them for treats for my birds. I have them in a temp container, Which once they turn to pupa they will be taken out and once beetles, they will be put in another temp area, till next pay where I will have a cool container drawer thing. I already have 5 pupas already (letting you know, I bought them today) Container is placed by a brooder for some quail, they are in a area that reaches around the 70F mark.
Here are pictures of the container:

Look BYC on my little laptop ^ I also added the bedding they had when I bought them. Big Mistake I did.
My little set up ^

^ Meal worm up close, sorry for the blurry-ness :S

A bunch of mealworms ^ (Picture with the flash on)

^ A lot of them, showing the baby carrots.

Thanks, Please post what you think, or PM me, I don't come on this post often.

Those look very big.... are they the super mealworms?

 

[Tikkajazz94]

Those look very big.... are they the super mealworms?

No, Their Giant mealworms.

 

[Kassaundra]

No, Their Giant mealworms.

You may be disappointed, usually the giant mealies are sterile. They treat them w/ something that "suspends" there molting to pupa so they molt into bigger worms, if they do become adults they are almost always sterile from the tx.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
That is what I thought.... I thought they were called Super Mealworms.... sorry

 

[Kassaundra]

Superworms aren't the same as meal worms, they need different husbandry they are highly canabilistic and more difficult to get to pupate.

 

[mychookschick]

Look BYC on my little laptop ^ I also added the bedding they had when I bought them. Big Mistake I did.

Why was it a mistake to add the bedding that they came with??

 

[hemet dennis]

Does anyone dry their meal worms ?