Questions about raising Meal Worms

[BY Chicken Lady]

The idea of raising worms and beetles sounded so disgusting to me BEFORE reading this entire thread. Now I feel inspired! I am going to attempt to raise my own now too. Thank you everyone!!!

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

Ive had mine going for close to 8 months now. I think.

These trays don't look to tall...no problems with escaping beetles? Hubby is apprehensive about me raising beetles, lol. I am trying to get some reassurance from you pros.

 

[lwiese58]

I'm in a bit of a panic right now. We began raising the meal worms roughly four months ago and things have been going swimmingly until tonight. It's been since two days ago since I checked on them and tonight when I went in the room where they stay, there is about an inch or more of green mildew around the edge of the oatmeal. It's very damp in there...what went wrong? Not sure how to sift that our without losing a bunch of worms. Anyone else encounter this?

 

[StephieSky]

I'm in a bit of a panic right now. We began raising the meal worms roughly four months ago and things have been going swimmingly until tonight. It's been since two days ago since I checked on them and tonight when I went in the room where they stay, there is about an inch or more of green mildew around the edge of the oatmeal. It's very damp in there...what went wrong? Not sure how to sift that our without losing a bunch of worms. Anyone else encounter this?

Something like it. When I first started I fed them too many carrots and used potatoes, sponges, wet bread and apples in huge chunks I killed mine with kindness lol I also didn't grind my bedding substrate before adding it and the Instant variety of oatmeal just soaks up the moisture.
Just dry it out - put a single moisture source such as a carrot on top of a coffee filter on top of the oatmeal in the center of the bin. Most all of the worms will be fine. don't feed them to your chickens unless you freeze and then wash first. The mealworms will be covered in mold spore.
I'd start a new bin using only old fashioned oatmeal and a few large mealworms, pupa and beetles to get it going.

 

[StephieSky]

These trays don't look to tall...no problems with escaping beetles? Hubby is apprehensive about me raising beetles, lol. I am trying to get some reassurance from you pros.

mmm...not a pro but if you keep a paper cover on the substrate, such as a piece of brown paper sacking, the beetles will never, ever even want to escape. They seek the dark and run from light. Plus they can but do not fly. The only time I've ever even heard of them escaping or attempting flight is if the bin was kept in the light or allowed to get bone dry.

 

[DHinton]

Ive had mine going for close to 8 months now. I think.

we recently ( a week ago) started with a setup like this (and also a 10 gallon aquarium). the worms in the plastic drawers - a LOT of them are hanging out in the corners from top to bottom. is this normal and/or ok? there's probably 2.5 to 3 inches of wheat bran in each drawer.

we've been giving them potatoes and the potatoes are going pretty quickly. but still, there's a lot of them in each corner, all 3inches or so deep

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

we recently ( a week ago) started with a setup like this (and also a 10 gallon aquarium). the worms in the plastic drawers - a LOT of them are hanging out in the corners from top to bottom. is this normal and/or ok? there's probably 2.5 to 3 inches of wheat bran in each drawer.

we've been giving them potatoes and the potatoes are going pretty quickly. but still, there's a lot of them in each corner, all 3inches or so deep

I don't know why they would be piling up in the corners, but maybe if you put newspaper pieces more towards the center they will accumulate there. Mine crowd under the paper like crazy. I would sweep them away from the corners though, wouldn't want them piling up so high they start falling over the top.

As for the potatoes...when I first got mine they must have been so thirsty from the shipment because I put in two big pieces of carrot and they were totally gone in a few hours. I have 3000 mealies so there are a lot, but I thought that was pretty fast! I have since given them apples and more carrots...they prefer the carrots because they are always gone faster. Maybe your potatoes are going so fast because they just love your potatoes.

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

mmm...not a pro but if you keep a paper cover on the substrate, such as a piece of brown paper sacking, the beetles will never, ever even want to escape. They seek the dark and run from light. Plus they can but do not fly. The only time I've ever even heard of them escaping or attempting flight is if the bin was kept in the light or allowed to get bone dry.

Thanks for the reply. I went ahead and ordered some. Figured I would just start them in the laundry room (where hubby never goes) and tell him about them when I had to. As it turns out they arrived while he was working down the street so I started dumping them in the tub and just before I finished (because the little buggers were clinging to the newspaper) he came home. Surprise!

He was actually cool with it. Doesn't want to see them, but okay with me having them in the house since I assured him that "darkling beetles don't fly."

I am actually loving it. They are so interesting to watch. They can devour a baby carrot in no time flat! And my chicks love the little samplings I have been bringing them. My worms are growing so fast too. I am excited about this new venture. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on so I do a good job of raising them. Tons of information from this forum has helped me too.

Here is my beginning set up... I don't have any bedding in the beetle box yet because I don't have any beetles yet.

 

[lwiese58]

How is it going, Chicken Lady? It is a fun venture, isn't it? We've had a couple times that kinda had us holding our breath, but overall we're feeling successful and I believe we should have some eggs hatching out soon. Then the fun will really begin, when we can really begin sharing them with the girls!

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

How is it going, Chicken Lady? It is a fun venture, isn't it? We've had a couple times that kinda had us holding our breath, but overall we're feeling successful and I believe we should have some eggs hatching out soon. Then the fun will really begin, when we can really begin sharing them with the girls!

Hey, its going so well. I ended up moving them to the pantry because it is darker in there and they really began to thrive after that. I have well over 300 pupae so far. Cant wait til I have beetles laying eggs like you! I have to admit I already share them with my girls but in small quantities until the colony gets well established.