RAISING MEALWORMS

[Katie Ann]

I'm going to purchase 1000 mealworms to farm for my golden comet hens and eastern bluebirds. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. I will probably get them from Pet Supplies Plus. Who is the best supplier(cost/quality)? Planning on getting it set up this week. Can I use chicken feed as my mealworm feed/litter?

 

[subhanalah]

Rainbow farms mealworms. Very reasonable prices and great stock.

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

Rainbow farms mealworms. Very reasonable prices and great stock.

x2 It's where I get mine, nice size, none dead, good price. Order on Amazon if you like.

 

[dstinett]

I've been breeding them for several years. its very easy. I use cornmeal for bedding, halved potato for humidity and bread for food. you can feed lots of things, but they usually draw gnats. it will take a couple of months for worms to morph into breeding adults. Then it takes 2-3 weeks for eggs to hatch. Then 3-5 months for hatchlings to grow large enough for feeding. If you don't want to wait that long, I sell starter colonies. it includes adults and worms of all growth stages. that way you can start feeding worms right away. Unfornately, my son dumped my colony and danced on them. Its going to take a week or two to recover my losses and have enough adults to sell again. I'm happy to answer your questions. the internet makes it sound much harder than it is

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

You can find everything you need to know to get started raising mealworms in the links in the first post of this thread. It's a good place to get any questions you might have answered too.

 

[dstinett]

Did you get your worms? I'm curious to know how long it takes for them to morph into breeding adults. My research has said that most sellers refrigerate worms to slow their growth and keep them fresh