What's wrong with my mealworms?

[BarnyardChaos]

I’ve made my drawer system ands have ordered my starter mealworms (500).

I happened to have an excess of cornmeal, so I hoped to use that as substrate, moving to the bran once the cornmeal is gone. Will this be an ok substrate to start with? I’ve heat-treated the cornmeal.

As I understand it, the larvae will eat just about anything grain-based. Cornmeal is fine to use and should sift easily. Oatmeal and wheat bran are also common. Some people mix in a bit of dog or cat food, stale breakfast cereal, chicken feed (crumbles), or other things. Good luck with your colony!!! Please post back here on your progress!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Progress report: I now have all 6 bins in production. Yay!
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The tower setup in a garage bathroom shower stall is working fine. I have a small radiant space heater in there, that keeps the temperature (so far) at 65-70 deg-F. Outdoor (and garage) ambient temps have been in the 30s-40s. I've kept a tub of water on top of the tower and dampen a bath towel with water once a day or so, and that is keeping humidity at a reasonable 50%.

According to "iha" on Aboutagric.com:
https://aboutagric.com/what-temperature-should-mealworms-be-kept-at/

Mealworms are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity.​

"It’s important to note that mealworms are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. They should be kept at 70-80 degrees Farenheit (21-26 degrees Celsius), with a relative humidity of 60 percent or above. Mealworms will enter a state of torpor called diapause if the temperature drops below 65 degrees Farenheit (18 degrees Celsius) for more than seven hours or rises above 90 degrees Farenheit (32 degrees Celsius) for more than four hours."

So my conditions are NOT ideal, but they're working. It's the best I can manage with the resources I have available. I am concerned about the whole colony going into diapause when outdoor temps fall below 30-degF and I cannot maintain 65+ in that bathroom. I will watch this closely, and keep you posted over the winter months.
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Last night, I sifted about 100 pupae - my first batch from worms I hatched from eggs - out of Bin #1 last night, and into the Pupa bin they went. I'm using the top of a clear plastic egg carton for a pupa tray. It was flimsy, so I put it over one of the sections that holds eggs and taped it together, sealed the bottom and edges to keep beetles from hiding inside, and added a masking tape surface to make it less slippery. I like the little raised edges that keep the pupae from wiggling off the top, but still low enough for beetles to crawl over and fall off:

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Bin #1 is still full of larvae at various stages - lots of big ones about to pupate. I found NO - ZERO - NONE dead larvae!!! I'll keep this going for the next month, and whatever's left (I don't expect much, yet) will go into a tub in the fridge for the chickens - their FIRST treats from the colony!

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Bin #2 is coming along nicely - larvae of all sizes, mostly small but active and hungry. Bin #3 was under the beetle bin collecting eggs, and has now been moved to a holding slot with the others, and fed the first veggies. Bin #4 - my last - has been moved below the beetle bin to collect eggs.
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The Beetle Bin is doing well, also - though they are beginning to age out. There are some dead beetles, maybe 10-20%. When I lifted their tub, I discovered lots of little clusters of stuff that looked like tangled spider webs hanging from the bottom of the screen (egg clusters!!!) I was worried that putting wheat bran in the beetle bin would prevent eggs from falling through the screen, but it doesn't seem to matter. I rarely find larvae in the beetle bin (unless they're eating them). I read that the beetles burrow under the substrate to lay their eggs. The screen I'm using is a tear-and-puncture-proof pet screen made of nylon - so the holes are a little bit bigger than standard window screen:

Very soon, when the new beetles start to emerge in the pupa bin, I'll feed all the old beetles to the chickens (actually, this might be their very first treat) and shake what's left of their substrate (and eggs!) into Bin #4, then start fresh with new substrate and beetles in the beetle bin. It was hard to get a good picture because they're all very camera-shy. As soon as the light hits them, it's always a mass escape to hide in the wheat bran or under cover of the cardboard egg cartons:

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I mostly remove old vegetable matter and re-water them once a week or 10 days, with a variety of things: potatoes, sweet potato, apple slices, banana peels, celery, carrots, and the occasional lettuce leaf. Nothing has ever gotten moldy - so far - and I haven't been removing the scraps until it's completely desiccated and almost gone. It's always fascinating to see how the larvae pull the veggies under the substrate within minutes of me putting fresh food/water source in their bin! This photo was taken about 30 minutes after feeding them about a pound of veggies and fruit, laid on top of the bran:

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So, my friends, that's where my colony stands today. I'm thrilled with the outcome, so far, after starting with a mostly dead batch of worms and only a handful of survivors. Pretty good, I'd say!
See you next time!

 

[LovePBandJ]

I checked my colony yesterday. Most of my mealworms were still alive. About 6 dead. I saw several shedded exoskeletons, but I didn’t see any pupa. Did I not look hard enough?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I checked my colony yesterday. Most of my mealworms were still alive. About 6 dead. I saw several shedded exoskeletons, but I didn’t see any pupa. Did I not look hard enough?

It will take some time, and yours are still very new, correct? I've read it can take anywhere from 1 to 4 months for the larvae to pupate. It all depends on temperature and humidity. They'll shed the exoskeleton about 20 times before they pupate. When they're about ready, they'll be about an inch long. In my conditions, it has taken about 2 months for the first pupae to appear.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Never had luck keeping those alive

 

[BarnyardChaos]

You may want to invest in a pupae sifter. The little buggers are hard to see, since they are about the same color as cornmeal or wheat bran anyway. The curved pupae can't fit through the gaps, but the larvae do - so it's much easier than hand-picking pupae.

I have this one:
https://www.spacecoastmealworms.com...28098&pr_ref_pid=4403326156898&pr_seq=uniform

Along with this size mesh sifter - 1/4" mesh. It's also good used alone to sift dried vegetable matter out of the substrate - worms slip right through.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008B0T5Z2/ref=dp_iou_view_item?ie=UTF8&th=1

There are other sizes for sifting worms out, too. I have the 1/8" for that purpose:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008B0TJAI/ref=dp_iou_view_item?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Perris]

Progress report: I now have all 6 bins in production. Yay!
-----------------------------------
The tower setup in a garage bathroom shower stall is working fine. I have a small radiant space heater in there, that keeps the temperature (so far) at 65-70 deg-F. Outdoor (and garage) ambient temps have been in the 30s-40s. I've kept a tub of water on top of the tower and dampen a bath towel with water once a day or so, and that is keeping humidity at a reasonable 50%.
View attachment 3346017
According to "iha" on Aboutagric.com:
https://aboutagric.com/what-temperature-should-mealworms-be-kept-at/

Mealworms are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity.​

"It’s important to note that mealworms are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. They should be kept at 70-80 degrees Farenheit (21-26 degrees Celsius), with a relative humidity of 60 percent or above. Mealworms will enter a state of torpor called diapause if the temperature drops below 65 degrees Farenheit (18 degrees Celsius) for more than seven hours or rises above 90 degrees Farenheit (32 degrees Celsius) for more than four hours."

So my conditions are NOT ideal, but they're working. It's the best I can manage with the resources I have available. I am concerned about the whole colony going into diapause when outdoor temps fall below 30-degF and I cannot maintain 65+ in that bathroom. I will watch this closely, and keep you posted over the winter months.
----------------------------
Last night, I sifted about 100 pupae - my first batch from worms I hatched from eggs - out of Bin #1 last night, and into the Pupa bin they went. I'm using the top of a clear plastic egg carton for a pupa tray. It was flimsy, so I put it over one of the sections that holds eggs and taped it together, sealed the bottom and edges to keep beetles from hiding inside, and added a masking tape surface to make it less slippery. I like the little raised edges that keep the pupae from wiggling off the top, but still low enough for beetles to crawl over and fall off:
View attachment 3345991
------------------------------------
Bin #1 is still full of larvae at various stages - lots of big ones about to pupate. I found NO - ZERO - NONE dead larvae!!! I'll keep this going for the next month, and whatever's left (I don't expect much, yet) will go into a tub in the fridge for the chickens - their FIRST treats from the colony!
View attachment 3346018
------------------------------
Bin #2 is coming along nicely - larvae of all sizes, mostly small but active and hungry. Bin #3 was under the beetle bin collecting eggs, and has now been moved to a holding slot with the others, and fed the first veggies. Bin #4 - my last - has been moved below the beetle bin to collect eggs.
------------------------------
The Beetle Bin is doing well, also - though they are beginning to age out. There are some dead beetles, maybe 10-20%. When I lifted their tub, I discovered lots of little clusters of stuff that looked like tangled spider webs hanging from the bottom of the screen (egg clusters!!!) I was worried that putting wheat bran in the beetle bin would prevent eggs from falling through the screen, but it doesn't seem to matter. I rarely find larvae in the beetle bin (unless they're eating them). I read that the beetles burrow under the substrate to lay their eggs. The screen I'm using is a tear-and-puncture-proof pet screen made of nylon - so the holes are a little bit bigger than standard window screen:
View attachment 3346019
Very soon, when the new beetles start to emerge in the pupa bin, I'll feed all the old beetles to the chickens (actually, this might be their very first treat) and shake what's left of their substrate (and eggs!) into Bin #4, then start fresh with new substrate and beetles in the beetle bin. It was hard to get a good picture because they're all very camera-shy. As soon as the light hits them, it's always a mass escape to hide in the wheat bran or under cover of the cardboard egg cartons:
View attachment 3346021
----------------------------
I mostly remove old vegetable matter and re-water them once a week or 10 days, with a variety of things: potatoes, sweet potato, apple slices, banana peels, celery, carrots, and the occasional lettuce leaf. Nothing has ever gotten moldy - so far - and I haven't been removing the scraps until it's completely desiccated and almost gone. It's always fascinating to see how the larvae pull the veggies under the substrate within minutes of me putting fresh food/water source in their bin! This photo was taken about 30 minutes after feeding them about a pound of veggies and fruit, laid on top of the bran:
View attachment 3346038
--------------------------
So, my friends, that's where my colony stands today. I'm thrilled with the outcome, so far, after starting with a mostly dead batch of worms and only a handful of survivors. Pretty good, I'd say!
See you next time!

that's looking great! I'm glad the mealworm farm is working for you - and your chickens will be even moreso!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Jan. 7, 2023 update:
I fed my very first batch of home-grown mealworms to the chickens today! It's a celebration for me and the chickens!

So after starting this colony in August, last night I collected the first full tray of mealworm larvae and rotated it to back to its start position #1, under the beetle bin to collect eggs again. I've gone one full cycle (4 worm trays) in 4 months. I weighed about 22 ounces, or 4,125 mealworms, from this first tray - not counting the pupae I've moved to the pupae bin over the course of the last month.

I'll be able to feed the chickens an appropriate amount (about 10 worms per bird) about twice a week for the rest of the month. I'm hoping the rate increases as I fill the beetle bin more - and by summertime I hope it's up to about 5 pounds per month, or 15,000 worms. That will allow me to give them each about 10 worms per day, every day. I'm about 1/3 of that capacity now. Great progress!!!

From these 4000+ worms collected, I barely saw any dead ones at all. They are all mostly fat and sassy. I've been feeding them veggies about once a week, keeping the temperature at about 75-deg +/-, but still struggling to keep humidity up.

 

[Janice Fields]

Is anyone else growing mealworms to feed to their chickens? I think mine are dying! I've just started a mealworm farm a couple of weeks ago, with no prior experience at all - just what I've learned online, and from my son who has grown oodles of mealworms for his reptile pets. Anyway, when I received the mealworm shipment (5,000 mealworms supposedly), I found that about 1/4-1/3 of them were dead already. I didn't contact the seller, just decided to work with what I have and I'd grow plenty. But tonight I sifted through them to move the first pupae to their separate bin, and I found that maybe 3/4 of the mealworms are dead!

I have a plastic bin tower setup with 6 drawers. They are opaque (no light gets in), about 13" x 21" x 8" deep. I use wheat bran I got from our feed store in a 50-lb bag. I've been putting pieces of carrot, potato, celery, and occasionally apple slices in with them for moisture - and replacing those pieces before they get moldy. The top drawer will be for the beetles when they emerge. This bin has a screen bottom. The next drawer below is to catch the eggs and hatch new larvae. Next is the pupae bin with its first group of inhabitants on top of a plastic container inside the bin. Then three more worm drawers for growing larvae - only one of these is in use at the moment with the surviving mealworms.

For the first two weeks or so, I had the worm farm set up in my basement. I knew it was too cool down there (maybe 68-deg-F), but had read this was OK - they just wouldn't grow very fast. That was OK. I needed time to figure out a better location with proper heat and humidity. So a few days ago, I moved the farm into a shower stall in our garage. It stays 75-90 degrees out there; and here in Missouri, humidity is naturally pretty high year-round. I have a small oil-filled radiant heater in that bathroom that we use in the winter, so it should stay about 68-72 degrees even in January.

What might have gone wrong? Some of the dead worms were dried up, others were mushy-soft, and others looked alive but their heads or tails were dark and some had a dark ring around the middle. I don't know if the wheat germ has DE in it; I didn't remember to ask the feed store and there's nothing listed on the label. But wouldn't that have killed them all? While sifting, I found a few small pieces of carrot I missed that had turned moldy - but those were very small and dried up. Would that have done it? The only other thing I can think of is I may have had the wheat germ too deep - about 4", per some instructions I had read. My son said that was TOO MUCH. Maybe most of the worms couldn't find the vegetable pieces on top? So it's now been corrected, where the survivors have only about 2" of fresh, clean feed. I stocked them with plenty of veggies tonight, in case dehydration is what's killing them. I moved the dead worms and all the feed with them into bin #3, and stocked that with veggies too, in case there are survivors I missed.

I hope to be able to give my chickens fresh, live mealworms year-round. And I have about $150 invested in this project so far. I don't want to lose them! Any ideas, suggestions or advice will be appreciated!

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I just started my mealworm farm January 3. I read somewhere it is normal to lose 10 percent of the worms. I'm just now getting pupae. They seem small. I am having trouble getting humidity high enough. I have them in spare bedroom on a heating pad. I place cup of water in the box.
Good luck with your farm

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I just started my mealworm farm January 3. I read somewhere it is normal to lose 10 percent of the worms. I'm just now getting pupae. They seem small. I am having trouble getting humidity high enough. I have them in spare bedroom on a heating pad. I place cup of water in the box.
Good luck with your farm

Good luck with the humidity. I'm really struggling, too - to the point I've ordered a cool mist humidifier, arriving Thursday I hope. I've been soaking and wringing out a bath towel, and hanging it over the mealworm tower. It helps, but dang! Running a heater out there as well, just sucks what little moisture there is in the air, out.

My latest setback are all those beautiful pupae I collected last month - mostly dead, and the few beetles I'm getting are deformed. I'm sure it's due to dry air. I've added a couple of sponges into their bin, but too late to save most of them. The larvae however are doing fine. Thirsty little buggers, but still thriving.