Mealworm rabbit manure experiment

[WillsC]

Are they still alive in the manure.

I started with larvae so yes the pupated and the beetles are still alive and kicking. I have not seen worms yet in the 100% manure bin yet though have not really looked very hard. In the normal bins I do see very very tiny worms so I soon (I hope) to see worms in the manure bin. I will keep the thread updated I promise but as you know the cycle takes awhile. It is warm here in Florida so the cycle is faster but still takes weeks.

 

[pigeonguy]

I started with larvae so yes the pupated and the beetles are still alive and kicking. I have not seen worms yet in the 100% manure bin yet though have not really looked very hard. In the normal bins I do see very very tiny worms so I soon (I hope) to see worms in the manure bin. I will keep the thread updated I promise but as you know the cycle takes awhile. It is warm here in Florida so the cycle is faster but still takes weeks.

I know was just curious about the beatles being alive did not expect worms in any of the containers yet. the fact that there is amazes me 27 days wow.

 

[WillsC]

Today I saw the first tiny worms in the manure bin.......and the beetles are still alive so we know they are mating and laying eggs and those eggs are hatching. My bins are outside in a shed so it is warm and the warmer it is (within reason) the faster the entire cycle goes. In the next few weeks should be able to start to get an idea as growth rates can be determined.

 

[pigeonguy]

Today I saw the first tiny worms in the manure bin.......and the beetles are still alive so we know they are mating and laying eggs and those eggs are hatching. My bins are outside in a shed so it is warm and the warmer it is (within reason) the faster the entire cycle goes. In the next few weeks should be able to start to get an idea as growth rates can be determined.

So how is it going with this?
Are you feeding veggies or anything?
Do they eat the manure? (breaking it into a powder so it can be sifted to get the worms out)
How long are they now?
This really does interest me. I think it is a fantastic experiment.

 

[mistyt14]

have tons of rabbit poop here too, would love to know how this turns out

 

[WillsC]

Update. The mealworms have now grown to a size that some conclusions can be drawn.

The bin that was 100% manure has about 50% as many MW as the control and is in decline. Mold was a constant problem in the bin so it is a failure.

The bin that was 50% dried manure and 50% bran did much better and had little to no mold problems. It has about as many worms as the control. No size difference noted so do not see a benefit yet.

The real surprise is the side experiment which involved giving the worms wet chunks of soggy rabbit manure. The beetles did not like the damp manure and did not seem to use it as a water source. I gave the beetles carrots and apples and they always prefer the apples. In that bin even though it is much more crowded than the 3 other test bins the worms are at least 1/3 larger on average. Because it is more crowded as it did not start with a set number of pupae it has to be the wet manure. I'm not sure if the reason is they are getting added nutrition from the wet manure or if it is simply due to the added water source. As the manure dries it disappears in to the bran and it looks as though it is being consumed. The wet hunks are double the size of a golf ball and while you would think it would mold it does not.not the manure itself or the bran it is sitting directly on. I am not sure why there is no mold. It is nice though not to have to buy more carrots for those bins and when you are going through 5 pounds of carrots a week and 3 apples it adds up. I have a lot of bins

 

[mickey328]

Thanks for posting, Will. Sounds like the side experiment wins. I'm just in the process of starting with MW's so would e really interested to know the specifics, if you have time to post.

Thanks!

 

[WillsC]

Thanks for posting, Will. Sounds like the side experiment wins. I'm just in the process of starting with MW's so would e really interested to know the specifics, if you have time to post.

Thanks!

What specifics exactly?