Mealworms - both worms and starter colonies FS/T

[shelleyd2008]

See the advantage about the worms is that my dad has a special refridgerator in the barn where he keeps his eggs that he sells (top shelf) and his fishing worms (usually a bucket-bottom shelf). I'll PM you about the button eggs, once they are big enough to lay. My adult button is a male double factor blue face, and the babies are all different colors. Some are silver, cinnamon, chocolate, wild; and some are silver/cinnamon mixes, or at least that's how they look right now!

 

[the1much]

alright,,, sasy someone gets 1 of the starter kits from ya,,, i got alot of birds,, if i took 100 worms out to feed them,, how long till i get 100 more to the size of the ones i used for feed?
my peafowl LOVE mealies hehe

 

[spookyevilone]

Quote:
Depends on how often you took out 100 worms

If you just did it once, you'd be fine, but be sure to pick medium sized worms and NOT the big, juicy looking ones - those are the ones closest to becoming beetles and you don't want to delay your next phase of the cycle. Basically, when you get the starter kit, you want to do not much besides feed it for about a month and monitor how many adult beetles you get in that month. It takes 3 months to go through the entire life cycle. Starting with a colony helps because you don't have to wait as long for eggs - there will be some in the bedding and the female beetles will lay more, which will give you a staggered production line, whereas if you start with all worms, you'll have beetles and eggs all roughly at the same time. (For awhile, then it'll start staggering itself.) If you really want to keep your production and feed lines separate, you can set up a second box with food and veggies and pull the beetles out of the main box and put them in that as soon as you see 'em. As soon as you have more than one beetle, you can count 3 months to having mealworms in that box.

If you feed them well, make sure they get moisture, and give them heat and light, you'll very quickly have a lot of mealworms. The basic rule is, every 3 months, your supply will more than double. Each female beetle lays 500 eggs.

If you want to feed and start, I'd recommend buying the kit and an extra 100 or so mealworms. Then you can feed them the fat ones without touching your colony.

-Spooky

 

[K7 Menagerie]

Spooky - I sent you a PM about getting a starter colony! Thanks!

 

[spookyevilone]

Quote:
Hee, if he likes to fish, you could sell him on raising mealworms

They make EXCELLENT bait.

Keep me posted on the button eggs! I have some in the 'bator right now and I'm itching to find out what comes out of them! I don't have a true blue face yet, just two little splashies who look mostly blue face but have silver wings and red tailfeathers.

(Button quail: The new urban trading card game. Must have at least one of every colour!)

-Spooky

 

[spookyevilone]

Quote:
Got it and replied. Thanks!

-Spooky