mealworms!

[fire pirate]

How do you go about farming them? I wanna know everything! Harvesting etc. Area for them.

 

[Demosthine]

Best guide you'll find is the How to Raise Mealworms article in the Learning Center.

I followed that guide to the letter and now I have so many that I'm offering some up for sale on Craig's List. My colony exploded with life. It's pretty fascinating. I was turning the substrate and put it in piles. You can see the pile collapsing as the worms were scrambling back up to the top.

 

[Coupe]

I breed superworms, not for my chickens but for my reptiles. I have a large rubbermaid tub with wheat bran or you can use oatmeal. The tub is filled with about 2-3 inches of the whear bran.
When i started i bought 500 superworm that i bought online..put them in the tub and every week i put acouple slices of raw potatoe in (the worms use these for water). you have to keep them around 70 degrees, so i have mine in the spare room. They will turn into beetles on their own..then you take the beetles and put them in a small fish tank with the wheat bran as bedding.they will breed and in axouple weeks youll see baby super worms.

 

[fire pirate]

Thank you this is super helpful. Also is there alto of smell involved? Like better in a basement type thing?

 

[Demosthine]

Mine was in our living room for about six months before we got a smell. What happened was that I overloaded it with too much scraps after I made four gallons of salsa. Stick to the "dry" fruits and vegetables, like potatoes and apples. The onion and tomatoe scraps added too much moisture. I've just removed all of the excess and am working on drying out the bran again. Just make sure you don't overload it. I found out the hard way that those scraps belonged more in the compost than the worm colony.

 

[Coupe]

Only use potatoes or apple slices...and dont overload it because it will get moldy! The worms eat the wheat bran bedding, so you dont have to supply food for them just the moister.

 

[GatsbysGirl]

Thanks for asking this and the info. I've been trying to talk hubby into letting me do this and he keeps saying they will smell. I'm thinking if I hide them in the basement in my "dog room" he will never know.

 

[Coupe]

There shouldnt be a smell at all, enless you are putting to much moister in there.
Heres my set up for the worms. Iv had this setup for 5 years now. And its workes great for me.

 

[fire pirate]

There shouldnt be a smell at all, enless you are putting to much moister in there.
Heres my set up for the worms. Iv had this setup for 5 years now. And its workes great for me.

Thanks for sharing pics! Help me get an idea of a neat setup! B-)

 

[fire pirate]

Can you put the superworm s and regular mealworms together?