Mealworm farming

[frostbite]

I imagine the chickens will eat the grain mites too.

What if you put the infected worms in the fridge? Do the mites go dormant like the worms do?

 

[bobbieschicks]

I imagine the chickens will eat the grain mites too.

What if you put the infected worms in the fridge?  Do the mites go dormant like the worms do?

 

The documents I've read say to kill the mites you have to heat them. Freezing will not kill. So just freezing them will make them stop moving around temporarily.

 

[hemet dennis]

Dang, that is what I was afraid of! I have so many worms I couldn't tell you...I started back in November.....I have a three drawer system in a stacking tower with the top beetle drawer having a screen on the bottom for the baby worms to fall through to the middle bin. The bottom bin is a mixture of all since my screen originally broke and it was to much to try and sort the worms, pupa, and beetles. I have a ton of new baby worms in the middle bin that are just barely big enough to see....it is my second hatch baby worms if that tells you have many I have! What will the grain mites do to the meal worms?

Also I will have to find another place to keep the meal worms as I don't want to bug bomb the garage, my kitty sleeps in the garage at night and I don't want that stuff around her, but thank you for the suggestion!

If you have that many worms get a piece of quarter inch screen and sift your worms out. They wont hurt the worms but they're a mess and will eat the bran.

 

[hemet dennis]

And when the weather cools you wont want to bring them in the house.

 

[BeccaSmith]

And when the weather cools you wont want to bring them in the house.

Hmm...well that is my only place to bring them into for the winter, the garage will get into the 40's during the winter!

 

[BeccaSmith]

The documents I've read say to kill the mites you have to heat them. Freezing will not kill. So just freezing them will make them stop moving around temporarily.

Interesting to know! I have not seen anyone here in this thread say this before. All the info I have read in this thread has said to freeze or heat the wheat bran! How long to heat for and at what temperature in the oven?

 

[bobbieschicks]

Interesting to know! I have not seen anyone here in this thread say this before. All the info I have read in this thread has said to freeze or heat the wheat bran! How long to heat for and at what temperature in the oven?

Here is where I read the info. Honestly I don't recall how far back I saw the original discussion. You will get similar info with a simple google. Hannakat posted it somewhere back and more recently someone else posted a link to a study about the methods of killing mites in bran. It was after a question about microwaving versus oven heating.

 

[BeccaSmith]

If you have that many worms get a piece of quarter inch screen and sift your worms out. They wont hurt the worms but they're a mess and will eat the bran.

Good to know! I thought they would kill the beetle/pupa/larva or cause problems with them!

 

[Kassaundra]

This is off my memory so please be forgiving if it is off a little, but I'm thinking it was 300 degrees for 15 minutes.

 

[BeccaSmith]

Here is where I read the info. Honestly I don't recall how far back I saw the original discussion. You will get similar info with a simple google. Hannakat posted it somewhere back and more recently someone else posted a link to a study about the methods of killing mites in bran. It was after a question about microwaving versus oven heating.

found the info on page 375 of this thread! I need to figure out how to go to a specific page without having to click on multiple pages just to get to it! Anyays, it was 55 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, which equates to about 131 degrees Fahrenheit! I know what I am doing tonight!

Is it possible to sift the pupa and beetles out and save them too?