Mealworm Shortage

[Buff Hooligans]

What's the latest on the worldwide shortage of mealworms? It's been weeks since my local supplier has been able to get them.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I have to admit, I didn't know there was one!!

 

[smpezzi]

from what my supplier has told me it may be a while- something about the wheat they use to raise them, the farmers had tried a new type that is more disease resistant etc and the mealworms can't be bred or raised in it or on it or however that is done

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i just did a search rather than posting and found this thread. Yes, there seems to be a nationwide shortage on mealworms, especially the giants. i have looked online everywhere. Today i finally ended up ordering some crickets and superworms from Flukers. Although i'm personally terrified of those superworms.

i did find a couple of folks on ebay selling the medium mealworms. So may get a thousand of those.

Most of the sites are stating we should have giants again in August. Although now may be a good time to look into raising them myself. How hard could it be?

 

[silkiechicken]

Boy, that must suck for reptile raisers who have animals who almost eat meal worms exclusively or are so danged picky they'd rather go hungry than to eat a cricket or some other supplement.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Update: i just now found and ordered 3,000 medium mealworms (3/4 inch) from wormman.com for $30.94, and that includes shipping.

Maybe the shortage is just on the giants? Although some sites are out of all sizes of mealworms. i did order freeze-dried mealworms for my girls a couple weeks ago (by mistake, i thought i was ordering live). They were not thrilled, but did eat them unenthusiastically.

 

[chiknlady]

I have tried over the last month to get mealworms and I was told by both large chain petstores and locals--it is a nationwide shortage. I have substituted freeze dried crickets and megaworms--but my poor frogs will only eat live --so crickets it has been. Hhmmm--maybe I need to look into meal worm hatching eggs.....

 

[d.k]

* Sounds like G.M. food strikes again, doesn't it???

 

[kinnip]

That's so weird. I've been buying tons of meal worms lately. There's no shortage in GA apparently. I just bought some to put in a bin and grow. I can't wait to belly load them with good things like kelp and flax and possibly some herbal wormer.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

When I was working in a hardware store in Nebraska we had huge problems with them in all our bird seed and dog food. We didn't want them. It seemed like they were huge pests so I have no clue why there would be a shortage.