Raising feeder insects

[Kassaundra]

Quote:
I have a couple of pear trees and I throw juicy sliced pears in the chicken run. I figure they get more bugs when I do that. I don't think there is any way Mrs Delmar would allow me to raise roaches on purpose!

My husband wasn't/ isn't all that on board either, but after I did all the research and proved by several good site that they were pretty much escape proof, and not the kind that invade the houses, he wasn't exactly thrilled, but he agreed to let me do it. I looked at alot of different types of insects to raise and alot of the worms had a flying stage, that screamed to me ESCAPE OPPORTUNITY. I know the bugs they get will be plentiful in the temperate times of the year, but it will be very limited in the winter and my ultimate goal will be to grow as close to all their and our food as I can. I live in town so I know I'll never get to 100%.

 

[Delmar]

Quote:
I have a couple of pear trees and I throw juicy sliced pears in the chicken run. I figure they get more bugs when I do that. I don't think there is any way Mrs Delmar would allow me to raise roaches on purpose!

My husband wasn't/ isn't all that on board either, but after I did all the research and proved by several good site that they were pretty much escape proof, and not the kind that invade the houses, he wasn't exactly thrilled, but he agreed to let me do it. I looked at alot of different types of insects to raise and alot of the worms had a flying stage, that screamed to me ESCAPE OPPORTUNITY. I know the bugs they get will be plentiful in the temperate times of the year, but it will be very limited in the winter and my ultimate goal will be to grow as close to all their and our food as I can. I live in town so I know I'll never get to 100%.

I love that goal, but when I told my wife about this thread, she reacted exactly as I expected. It just ain't going to happen at my house. Worms maybe.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
I'm planning to raise mealworms too. I just bought some from a pet store last night to get started. I got some regular size, and some giant size. Not sure which I'll go with yet.

If your large ones are labeled "Giant mealworms", then they won't pupate due to hormones added to halt growth. If any do they will be sterile. Superworms are a whole different species though, if that's what you got.

 

[gumbii]

superworms are a bit more tricky to get to pupate... i put them in a small fishing tackle thingy with many little boxes... with no food or anything... in a week or two, they will pupate... when they do, i throw in a bit of oats so they could munch when they turn into beetles... then take beetles out to make babies...


there's a good video showing how window screen works as a worm filter... let me find it...



FOUND IT!!!...

this guy is genius... epic winnArz...

 

[Kassaundra]

My girls got their first taste of the roaches today, it was a hit!!!!! I was just cleaning the bin today, the colony is still to young and small for regular feedings (I got 75 in Oct) but it is growing steadily and I plan on it being their winter protien source anyway, so except for the unlucky few today the rest have a reprieve until winter.

I am also working on getting a soldier fly larva bin put together, hopefully it will be complete this week, I've seen other flies so they should be getting active soon, that is going to be my spring/summer/fall protien source. (that is the plan anyway

)

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

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My girls have been having a feast of roaches lately as well, though I haven't seen a BSF adult for a loonngg time for some reason. Strange, since temperature is just fine for breeding for the flies.

 

[SandraMort]

I want to make a low cost, low effort bsf bin. I saw one that I liked at http://ophomestead.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/introducing-my-bsfl-cannon/

However, if you've got a better one, please let me know!!! They can eat 3 lbs of food per square feet of worms, at least according to what I've read. So I'd like a nice big one. If I could afford it, I'd get the commercial biopod!

Sandra

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[Kassaundra]

Quote:

That is a lot more simple then the one I was building. Here is the one I'm working on http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/bsf-bucket-composter-version-2-1/

I've never done this so I don't know if the one you found would work well or not, it certainly is temptingly simple.

Since I already have the materials for the one I'm building, I may go ahead and make one of the one you found and see if it works as well.

 

[Kassaundra]

Quote:
My girls have been having a feast of roaches lately as well, though I haven't seen a BSF adult for a loonngg time for some reason. Strange, since temperature is just fine for breeding for the flies.

Hope they aren't disapearing like the bees!

I sooooooo love the idea of turning bird poop into a great protien source.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
My girls have been having a feast of roaches lately as well, though I haven't seen a BSF adult for a loonngg time for some reason. Strange, since temperature is just fine for breeding for the flies.

Hope they aren't disapearing like the bees!

I sooooooo love the idea of turning bird poop into a great protien source.

I've never fed mine bird droppings. (Despite the lack of adults, I still have larvae) They mostly eat wet feed that my messy and wasteful duck leaves behind, and the feed that gets wet during rainstorms. Make sure you get a good drainage system setup, if you don't you will have a decrease in population and it will smell REEK. (I'm talking from personal experience here!)