Well, I got bored the other day and decided that once my website was up and running then I'd add a tutorial on how to raise your own mealworms. I've taken everything I've learned from a gazillion different websites and from personal experience and have made a simple tutorial.
Here it is:
Quote:
How To Raise Mealworms
Getting started
Container: I prefer to use a clear plastic, 7-drawer unit from Wal-Mart. It has 3 large draws in the bottom(I use 1 for storing extra bedding and the other 2 for beetles. It also has 4 smaller drawers on the top, which I use for storing the different stages of mealworms.
Bedding: wheat bran, powdered skim milk, and dry Brewer’s yeast
Other necessities: sifter (you can get a fine mesh sifter at Wal-Mart in the kitchen department), tweezers (if you’re like me and don’t like to touch the bugs), something to put the food on(plastic lid, butter dish, etc…)
Mealworms
Bedding: 2/3 wheat bran, 1/3 powdered skim milk, and a small amount (maybe 5% or less) of Brewer’s yeast. Fill container with about 2-3 inches of bedding.
Food: Potato, oranges(peeled), grapes(washed), kiwi, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, sweet potato, a slice of bread, etc… Stay away from most fruits because they mold too quickly. When feeding fruits/vegetables with skins it is best to peel them first to prevent any pesticides from getting to the mealworms. Make sure the food doesn’t touch the bedding or it will cause the bedding to rot. Put it on a plastic lid, piece of foil, folded paper towel, butter dish, etc…
Temperature: 75-80 degrees is ideal. If it’s too hot it will negatively affect the growth rate and size of the mealworms.
Moisture: Keep moisture high by making sure that there is always moist fruits/veggies in the container or by putting a paper towel over the top of the bedding and misting it lightly each day. You can also place a bowl in the bedding (high enough from the surface to prevent the mealworms from getting inside) and put a paper towel or sponge inside and soak it with water. Replace the paper towel with a new, soaked towel once or twice a week. If the moisture is too low it will slow the growth rate and overall size of the mealworms. Be sure not too have too much moisture, however, because you don’t want the bedding to get moldy.
Light: mealworms prefer the dark and should be kept out of direct sunlight. However, studies have shown that mealworms develop faster when provided with light, so, feel free to experiment with it.
Pupa
Bedding: plain wheat bran. It only needs to be 1/2” -1” deep Food: none because they don’t eat at this stage
Temperature: 75-80 degree
Moisture: keep the moisture high by placing a bowl of water in the container with the pupae. Make sure that the beetles that emerge cannot get into it.
Light: doesn’t matter
Beetles
Bedding: 2/3 wheat bran, 1/3 powdered skim milk, and a small amount (maybe 5% or less) of Brewer’s yeast. Fill container with about 3 inches of bedding. Add an egg carton or newspaper for the beetles to lay their eggs on.
Food: Potato, oranges(peeled), grapes(washed), kiwi, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, sweet potato, a slice of bread, etc… Stay away from most fruits because they mold too quickly. When feeding fruits/vegetables with skins it is best to peel them first to prevent any pesticides from getting to the beetles. Make sure the food doesn’t touch the bedding or it will cause the bedding to rot. Put it on a plastic lid, piece of foil, folded paper towel, butter dish, etc…
Temperature: 75-80 degrees is ideal.
Moisture: Keep moisture high by making sure that there is always moist fruits/veggies in the container or by putting a paper towel over the top of the bedding and misting it lightly each day. You can also place a bowl in the bedding (high enough from the surface to prevent the beetles from getting inside) and put a paper towel or sponge inside and soak it with water. Replace the paper towel with a new, soaked towel once or twice a week. Be sure not too have too much moisture, however, because you don’t want the bedding to get moldy.
Light: *same as mealworms*- mealworms prefer the dark and should be kept out of direct sunlight. However, studies have shown that mealworms develop faster when provided with light, so, feel free to experiment with it.
Maintenance
Check your farm every couple days and remove any dead beetles/pupa/worms.
Replace the bedding once it begins to look sandy (that means it’s all been eaten and is now frass/waste) or if it smells.
Sift all the beetles every 2-3 weeks. Put the old bedding in a new container (this bedding contains eggs and baby mealworms) and give the beetles new bedding. Be sure to also replace the egg carton/newspaper and put the old one with the old bedding as well because it too contains eggs.
It’s important not to allow any of the bedding or fruits/vegetables to get moldy! If anything gets moldy then you will have to toss it out along with the entire container of worms/beetles because any bug that ate of the mold can be harmful to your gliders.
Life Cycle
Eggs: 1-2 weeks
Mealworms: approx. 10 weeks
Pupa: 1-2 weeks
Beetles: 2-3 months
That covers just about everything. If you have specific questions feel free to contact me.
I know that most sites just jumble all the info of each stage so I tried to separate out each stage since each one has different needs.
What do you think? IS there anything I missed?
I know there are alot of methods for raising mealies and there are tons of different bedding substrates that you can use, but this is the easiest method I've found and have had the best results with. Wheat bran is the easiest to sift through and super cheap. Mixed with powdered milk and Brewer's yeast is REALLY nutritious. The healthier the mealies are, the better they are for the gliders.
Last edited by Guerita135; 05/23/0804:40 PM.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#556144 05/23/0804:41 PM05/23/0804:41 PM
Oh yeah, since the proof is in the "pudding", here's a pic of my mealies.
I just grabbed some so I could keep track of their sizes. I'm going to try and breed for size with my next cycle of mealies. I'm waiting for the old beetles to die and, in the meantime, I'm feeding the gliders any "aliens" that are small and refridgerating any big ones. My hopes are that in about 3-4 months I'll have even BIGGER mealies!
*The ones in the pic aren't quite full grown, they still have a couple more molts left.
I bought my first 1,000 mealworms in January, so it took a little less then 4 months to get full-grown mealies of my own.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#556508 05/24/0808:44 AM05/24/0808:44 AM
My husband has had a mealworm farm going for more than 2 years now and right now we are getting LOTS of mealworms, now that it is warming up outside. Gliders are HAPPY!!!
Jen
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#556591 05/24/0812:09 PM05/24/0812:09 PM
Thank you. I think I might have found one in my living room. I had lost a mealworm in there a couple nights ago because Mica tried to steal it from Calliope and crabbiness ensued. It was a horror to stumble upon.
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#556612 05/24/0801:31 PM05/24/0801:31 PM
I forgot to add this under the beetle section in "moisture":
"The higher the moisture, the more eggs the beetles will lay."
According to one of the sources I read, beetles with low humidity laid as few as 4 eggs as day, while beetles with higher humidity laid over 100 a day!
Also, I corrected a grammer error.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#560536 05/30/0809:06 AM05/30/0809:06 AM
Guerita....thank you so much for taking the time to put this into order...I was wondering when you change the beetles bedding (every 2-3 weeks correct?) do you put the old bedding into a new container each time or do you add the frass to an already existing container...do you have any experience with oats in the bedding mixture (some web sites recommend this)....is there anywhere to buy wheat bran in bulk?...thanks again
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#560787 05/30/0803:32 PM05/30/0803:32 PM
I put the bedding in a new container. Sometimes I'll mix it with the last container I put the beetle bedding in, since those mealies will still be super small, but if you put it in a container with larger mealies then they'll eat the eggs and babies.
I tried oats and do NOT recommend it. The oats will not sift through a sifter, thus making it impossible to sift the beetles out of their old bedding you'd have to pick em out one by one. :/ Same goes for the adult mealies.
I buy my wheat bran from bulkfoods.com . They've got the best prices I could find online. Check for feed stores around you first thoguh, because I've heard that they sell it alot cheaper. Although, personally, I prefer the food-quality over feed-quality. You can also buy the Brewer's yeast in bulk on bulkfood.com. I got a big container of yeast for just $8!
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#560908 05/30/0807:40 PM05/30/0807:40 PM
thanks again for all the information....I am going to change everything over tomorrow....did you make extra holes in the drawers for air exchange or do you find there is enough space above the drawers
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#561101 05/31/0801:04 AM05/31/0801:04 AM
Ok, I'm having an issue with my farm and could use some suggestions - I use pieces of potato but here lately it's getting fairly humid in the house and I'm noticing the the potatoes pieces look just enough like the beginning of mold that I'm having to throw them out not very long after putting them in. That leaves the mealies with nothing for moisture until the next time I put something in - I'm having the same thing happen with carrots. Suggestions??
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#562571 06/02/0809:12 PM06/02/0809:12 PM
Ok, I'm having an issue with my farm and could use some suggestions - I use pieces of potato but here lately it's getting fairly humid in the house and I'm noticing the the potatoes pieces look just enough like the beginning of mold that I'm having to throw them out not very long after putting them in. That leaves the mealies with nothing for moisture until the next time I put something in - I'm having the same thing happen with carrots. Suggestions??
Are your potatoes turning black? If so, I think that's normal cause that's what mine always did. It gave me the heebie jeebies so I just stopped feeding potato. I use sweet potato instead.
As for moisture, I just add a small plastic container to each drawer and plop a wet paper towel in each plastic container. I just have to resoak the towels once a week or so and that seems to be sufficient.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#568852 06/12/0806:44 PM06/12/0806:44 PM
No, they aren't black, they actually do look like they are starting to mold, I think the inside of the drawer is too humid even though I have holes drilled on the outside for air.
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#583244 07/05/0804:59 PM07/05/0804:59 PM
Wowie! What magnificent instructions. So you don't recommend oats because of the sifting. Just curious: why the powdered milk and brewer's yeast? Something more the mealies to munch on besides th food you toss in?
When I leave my mealies out to eat, they keep turning into aliens, so I put them in the fridge. I used to feed them to the turtles and ducks in the lake outside, then discovered my babies loved them. But maybe I should start a mealie farm. After they've been in the fridge, they can come out (just like mealies) and be part of the farm cycle again?
Your instructions have given me the courage to perhaps try this!
Forever owned in my heart by my "Eight is Enough" colony:
Hi! Thanks for the instructions. I used most of your advise, I especially love the plastic 7 drawer container from Walmart! Our farm is going well, this is our first time, and we got our first alien about 3 days ago Now we have about 35! each day we have about 10 or so even though there is no sign of them yesterday! You are going to think I'm weird, but this is fun! My 6 yr. old son is having a blast too. It's like our own little science project. (we also have a cricket farm, and that's fun too!)
One question for anyone out there using oats: We had to use oats to start with, didn't have wheat bran. So we used advise from another site, and added uncooked oatmeal, corn meal, wheat flour and grinded flax seed. It is working well, but in order to sift, Guerita is right, you can't. We have been having fun "picking through them" but it's about to get old. MY QUESTION: Can we grind the oats and still get all of the nutrition out of them? This seems like a simple fix, but I was wondering if we will loose anything in the process?
After they've been in the fridge, they can come out (just like mealies) and be part of the farm cycle again?
Once they are in the fridge, aliens or mealies, as long as they are still alive, you CAN put them back in the farm! The alien stage only lasts about 1-2 weeks, so I don't know how long you could slow down the process in the fridge? Probably NOT indefinitely?
I think you should go for it! It's so intersting, and when you are not so intrigued anymore, it's just habbit, and it takes no time at all from your schedule, and you have a healthy source of food for your gliders! (and the ducks, and the birds...)
Just curious: why the powdered milk and brewer's yeast? Something more the mealies to munch on besides th food you toss in?
The powdered milk is for food/nutrition and the yeast is for the baby mealies to eat so they grow bigger/faster(studies have shown that Brewers yeast will make them grow bigger/faster).
Sari, you can grind up the oatmeal, I can't imagine that it would do any harm.
Also, you're right, it's intersting and fun to farm mealies. In fact, my hubby got jealous cause I'm so good at farming them that yesterday he "stole" about 200 beetles from my farm so he could start his own farm and see if he could do it better then me.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#583680 07/06/0802:33 PM07/06/0802:33 PM
Oh yeah, I finally set up my new website and have the mealworm farm instructions on there. Here's the link if anyone wants to bookmark it(so you don't have to keep searching for this thread, lol):
Where to get the powdered skim milk? I found non-fat powdered milk only @ my publix.
Also im going to buy the Brewer's Yeast @ Bulkfoods, but i was wondering to, regular dry yeast doesnt work as well? Cause i didnt find the Brewer's yeast @ publix almost bought the regular yeast, (cause bf said it was all the same, told him i didnt think so. He said "I went to culinary school babe." Only for 3 semesters!!!)
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#587369 07/11/0802:52 PM07/11/0802:52 PM
Yikes! Lotsa questions! I've gotta check this thread more often, lol.
To answer everything:
*Yes, you can tell when they eat the food-it disappears, lol
*No, you cant't use regular yeast
(here's what I told someone else, hopefully I got my facts straight, lol)
"Brewer's yeast is what's left over after brewing beer. It's "dead" yeast(non-active). Active yeast is what was put in the beer to ferment it, but the fermenting process killed it, thuss elaving Brewer's yeast, the dead stuff.
The nutritional value of each is completely different.
From my understanding of it, Brewers yeast is any kind of yeast used in brewing (live/active and after it is dead - but the types of yeast used in brewing are more nutritious than some other kinds which is why they are preferred). The used/killed yeast is high in B vitamins, though, so maybe that is what you are referring to. Maybe different people refer to it differently. I know someone that works for a brewing company and that is how he explained it (again, that I remember, without all the technical stuff that I don't )
~Gretchen
If we never loved, then maybe we would never feel pain. Love anyway. It's worth it.
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: sugarlope]
#587482 07/11/0805:20 PM07/11/0805:20 PM
Thanks. I'm not familiar with all the details, I just knew that one was live had little nutritional value, but the other was dead and highly nutritious, lol.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#592115 07/18/0802:20 PM07/18/0802:20 PM
What does the transition from larva (mealworm) to pupa (alien) look like? What are the characteristics??? Do they seem like they are dead or will they move. Mine have gotten rather large. However, some have surfaced and seem almost dead?
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#592117 07/18/0802:26 PM07/18/0802:26 PM
When they're about to change to pupae then usually come up to the surface and lay on their sides in a "c" shape or some of them just stick their heads above the surface.
They won't move unless you poke em and even then they just jerk and twitch, but won't normally crawl away.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#592156 07/18/0803:19 PM07/18/0803:19 PM
I have got to try this. My son inlaw brought me a 50 lb bag of wheat bran from Alpine since we cant get it here. Doesnt make since but anywho...now my order of mealies are lost so they say they will reship. Cant wait to get started on farming. whoohoo...
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: morksmom]
#592292 07/18/0806:52 PM07/18/0806:52 PM
has anyone ever heard of freezing the unused portion of the wheat bran to keep it fresh and bugs out?
I have to use netting/screen on my farm containers to keep pantry moths out.
A couple of years ago I had bought a 50lb bag of cracked corn for the outside squirrels and kept it in my pantry. Well, no one told me not to bring it in the house because it will hatch pantry moths or to freeze it to kill them. I still have not managed to get rid of every single one of those buggers and don't want to give them any more food sources.
Debra Two sons in the U.S. Army Slaves to: Mikki, Loki & Thor dogs: Morgan & Isabella Bunnies Bob & TMan RIP Wellington, Minnie & Dazzle bunny, Willow July 6 2013, Squirtle 7-24-09, Maggie May 12-14-10
I buy 25lb bags of wheat bran and I store mine in the basement. I have not had any issues with moths. I don't know about freezing it, as it may get moist from freezing and then unfreezing, then you risk mold growing.
I just split up 15 pounds into ziploc bags. That ought to last me for awhile. I also ground some oatmeal with my magic bullet to add in to the beds since I used to use the whole old fashioned oats as bedding. Getting serious now! Sifting only! No hand picking except for aliens and beetles of course!
Debra Two sons in the U.S. Army Slaves to: Mikki, Loki & Thor dogs: Morgan & Isabella Bunnies Bob & TMan RIP Wellington, Minnie & Dazzle bunny, Willow July 6 2013, Squirtle 7-24-09, Maggie May 12-14-10
i have 1,000 mealworms and i put a slice of sweet potato 3 hours later it was gone.
i have 150 giant mealworms in another container and the seet potato is still there. most of the giant mealworms are at the surface and just laying there, some on thier side and other upside down.
im worried im not dowing something right. are they more active when its more humid. are they getting ready to change to aliens? or is it just too hot for them , and they dont feel like crawling around?
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#593691 07/21/0809:53 AM07/21/0809:53 AM
We use sweet potato as well for our mealies....they go through phases where the potato will vanish over night and then sometimes the don't touch it at all.......sorry don't know anything about the giant ones....
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#593712 07/21/0810:33 AM07/21/0810:33 AM
I've read they come to the surface of the bedding and go into a "C" position right before they turn into aliens. They also like it humid. Not too much, you dont want mold though. It is a balancing act it seems. If you pick them up, do they still wiggle? If so I wouldn't worry about them. Just keep a source of moisture in there (your sweet potato) and you should be fine.
If they are dying you'll see them turning dark brown, then black and they should be removed. I think I read temps shouldn't be too high like not over 88 or something? But there are people here in FL that have no trouble with them on screen porches outside.
Wow, there seems to be alot to do to farm your own mealworms. The place where i bought my snake sells Superworms @ 15 for $1.00. Is it really worth it to farm my own mealworms or should i stick to buying them at the store?
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#593765 07/21/0812:09 PM07/21/0812:09 PM
It depends on how many gliders you have. If you buy worms in bulk it is much cheaper then buying them at the store. You dont necessarily have to farm them . But if u buy in bulk and u can maintain them , fatten them up. You need the necessary tools to keep them.
Last edited by tigiris1721; 07/21/0812:13 PM. Reason: spelling
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#593781 07/21/0812:34 PM07/21/0812:34 PM
has anyone ever heard of freezing the unused portion of the wheat bran to keep it fresh and bugs out?
I have to use netting/screen on my farm containers to keep pantry moths out.
A couple of years ago I had bought a 50lb bag of cracked corn for the outside squirrels and kept it in my pantry. Well, no one told me not to bring it in the house because it will hatch pantry moths or to freeze it to kill them. I still have not managed to get rid of every single one of those buggers and don't want to give them any more food sources.
I have a HUGE problem with grain moths, too. They came in with some bird food, and there is just NO getting rid of them! They find any small bit of grain to reproduce in. Between the bird food and the meal worm farm ... it is constant!
Good idea about freezing the wheat bran ... I'll do that.
Alden "Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally speaking, they are ignored." Alice Walker
Mom to Valhalla; 6 cats; 1 macaw; 2 hedgehogs; and very many great gliders!
(plus the 2 skin kids) valkyriegliders.com
Kyrie, nothing will ever fill the hole you left in my heart.
What size container are your giants in? They generate more heat than the other sizes and the heat will kill them. I actually had to put a fan on mine (I lost alot of them). I notice they only seem to eat the bedding, only a couple even touched the potato I put in (the giants/mighties, the smallers ones eat it in a matter of hours! lol)
[quote=vagraphix]has anyone ever heard of freezing the unused portion of the wheat bran to keep it fresh and bugs out?
I just put one of the smaller bags of bran in the freezer, so I guess I'll find out what happens to it...............
Debra Two sons in the U.S. Army Slaves to: Mikki, Loki & Thor dogs: Morgan & Isabella Bunnies Bob & TMan RIP Wellington, Minnie & Dazzle bunny, Willow July 6 2013, Squirtle 7-24-09, Maggie May 12-14-10
hmmm i thought aliens turn dark brown and then black/beetles? As of the past three days i now have 9 aliens total. When i pick them up i don't notice them wiggling. Am i doing something wrong???
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#595494 07/23/0808:26 PM07/23/0808:26 PM
i have 32 aliens yeah!!!!! 2 beetles in the fridge 1,000 meal worms
i plucked all the aliens yesterday from the mealworm bedding and placed them in thier own drawer. I have medium aliens and giant aliens.
I know its said that the giant mealworms are steril. But is it only that they dont reproduce much cause some are sterile (and the fact that not all make it to the beetle stage?)? If the giant mealworms are not entirely sterile, can't the medium's and the giants reproduce together?
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#595719 07/24/0808:41 AM07/24/0808:41 AM
Your going to see that with the giant mealies that some dont morph right. And the ones that do turn into pupa, alot are going to die as pupa. And the pupa that actually turn into beetles, are HUGE beetles and they dont always look right. Like their wings are strange and always sticking up, and the bodies are still soft and white like the pupa bodies. At least this was my experience with accidently letting a bunch eat until they morphed.
The thing with the giants is they are fed a growth hormone to keep them growing in the mealie phase and that is what keeps them from producing eggs (or VERY little) as a beetle. Or so I read.
So what I got out of this was, those beetles I did get from the giants are going to not produce any eggs but be capable of eating the eggs produced by the regular mealies-beetles I got from exotic nutrition. So I've started putting those beetles into a seperate drawer just in case.
How long does it take for the beetles to lay eggs and the eggs to turn into mealworms?
From the instructions I've read it says about every 2-3 wks you want to put the beetles into a new drawer so the new born mealies/eggs are safe from the beetles and they have the opportunity to grow/finish hatching.
Well i moved from previous house to a new house with a rommie. And i couldnt keep meal worms in his fridge. So i keep them in a critter keeper. with no intention of farming. (these were with giant mealworms) when i finally went through the critter keeper.
I found dead (giant) baby mealworms that were half eaten. So giant mealworms can reproduce.
But i didnt know that the giant beetles would eat the medium beetles eggs!!!!
Last edited by tigiris1721; 07/24/0809:03 AM.
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
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#605034 08/05/0805:03 PM08/05/0805:03 PM
I read that i have to take out the beetles after two weeks cause they have eggs in the tray. Then transfer the bettles to another tray. now hat do i do with the empty tray that has the eggs? do i place a towel and mist the paper. do i leave alone and do nothing and wait for them to start to grow?
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#605061 08/05/0805:50 PM08/05/0805:50 PM
I would not mist the paper at all in any of the trays/drawers, I would be afraid that would be too risky as far as increasing your chance for mold.
You just leave the tray/draw alone pretty much the eggs hatch and the teenie tiny mealies keep eating and eventually get big enough to see. I do add a papertowel with whatever Im feeding the other drawers (romaine lettuce, celery, etc.) just incase they are big enough to eat that. But my drawer(s) with the babies seem to be doing just fine like that. I just swap out the food item every couple days because that drawer really isn't big enough to eat it yet.
What great info! I had some of this organic cereal,so I used it along with brewer's yeast and powdered skim milk to make bedding. I've got tons of mealies now, but I just wanted to ask everyone if the cereal mixture is okay for the gliders.
Thanks!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#623801 08/29/0808:48 AM08/29/0808:48 AM
My only concern is the need to keep it frozen or refridgerated while not being "cooked". Probably due to the wheat germ in the cereal. Wheat germ spoils at room temp evetually, so it needs to be refridgerated which is why it doesn't make the ideal bedding for mealies.
Only roasted wheat germ spoils at room temp. The glass jar you buy in the cereal aisle - that's roasted. If you go to a health food store & go to the bulk aisle, you'll find raw wheat germ, this can be stored just like your whole oats - and you don't have the same worries as with the more common, roasted variety.
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#623813 08/29/0809:09 AM08/29/0809:09 AM
With your particular product though it recommends storing frozen or refridgerated so that is why I would wonder about its ability to function as a bedding if it needs to be kept cold. Would be worth a call or email perhaps to the company to find out if the wheat germ is roasted or not, since it doesn't say on the product details.
Okay, I did some research on wheat germ. And here's what I found:
Raw Wheat Germ: Spoils very quickly, very rich in oils and needs to be frozen if not used immediately! Says this must be vacuum packed as soon as extracted from the wheat to prevent oxidization and spoiling from occurring.
Fresh Wheat Germ: Is the same as Raw and spoils very quickly, very rich in oils and should be frozen if not used immediately. Again packaging same as above.
Toasted (Roasted) Wheat Germ: Seems to be the most stable form, usually found in glass jars in the cereal isle at grocery and stays good in jar if unopened for up to a year on the shelf. If opened it must be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container and can be stored this way for up to 9 months.
Most sources say to check often for spoiling by smell, good wheat germ smells like toasted almonds and spoiled germ smells musky.
All very interesting about wheat germ. Didn't know alot of this.
Plus, I have a question. I have started a farm, and all my mealies turned quickly into aliens and even more quickly into beetles. I did separate the giants into their own drawer. And as noted, I've found many were "deformed"; mostly, their wings were split funny, showing what looked like their alien bodies. I picked those out and tossed them in the lake for the ducks.
I've so far only had them in regular wheat bran. I get it bulk at Sprouts (69 cents a pound). Whole Foods also has it, but more expensive. I'm going to the store to get the other ingredients for the healthier bedding.
Question: When the beetles lay eggs, what do the eggs look like? I had paper towels on the top of the bedding, and the beetles spent the bulk of their time on top of the towels, munching on carrots. There is a lot of reddish/orange granules (no doubt colored from the carrots). Is this beetle poo or eggs? I'm currently storing that stuff from the paper towels in a separate container, but if it's just their waste, I'm tossing it!
Forever owned in my heart by my "Eight is Enough" colony:
If I'm correct in my theory then beetle eggs are clear/whitish. If you dump a beetle drawer then you'll find litte "bumps" stuck to the bottom of the container. Those are eggs with bedding stuck to them.
Even if you can't see them, there may be eggs on the paper towel. Just keep it in the "egg" drawer for about a month and then shake off any baby mealies and toss it out. There's no harm leaving it in there. That's one reason, however, that I use plastic lids for food, because then I can KNOW if there are eggs on it.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#673063 11/12/0808:07 AM11/12/0808:07 AM
Wow and gosh, thanks so much for all of this info. I have been raising mealies for about a year now, started with 500, I have so far raised thousands for feeding, but a few months ago I bought some see through plastic boxes with lids from wallyworld and forgot to punch holes in the top of the lid. I placed about 100 beetles in one of them and placed them with their bedding and potato in the closet in my office, it gets morning light, only to then forget about them as they got covered up in the closet. When I found the box yesterday, there are still hundreds of beetles and everything is blueish green from mold. But the beetles are alive and looking for a meal. I tossed the box a bit and low and behold, the bottom is full of baby mealies. There are literally thousands of them. So, I have not fed them, used only oatmeal and powdered rice baby food with 2 slices of sweet potato when I set them up and then forgot about them. Only to find they did great all by themselves. So, where does that leave me? With the moldy stuff I mean. Can I clean out all the mealies as best I can and raise them for feeding? What can I do with the beetles since they of course have been eating the moldy stuff. Can I take all of the beetles out and start over with new bedding?
I have included two pics, one of a new bunch of beetles in an aquarium.(I am running out of space to raise them) and another of one batch of baby mealies that I am raising from a huge batch of beetles that where in one of my bins. Many have already been fed.
Last edited by Their_mommy; 11/12/0808:08 AM.
As time goes by and my loves pass. I will forever be greatfull for the time we had together. I will see you soon my loves.
Its important not to allow any of the bedding or fruits/vegetables to get moldy! If anything gets moldy then you will have to toss it out along with the entire container of worms/beetles because any bug that ate of the mold can be harmful to your gliders.
Last edited by tigiris1721; 11/12/0810:24 AM.
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#673391 11/12/0808:09 PM11/12/0808:09 PM
Ok thanks, I did however remove by hand each and every mealie, and beetles from the container. There are no longer in the container that went bad and I am not going to feed them to the kids, instead will let them reproduce, then toss the beetles out.
It took me over 4 hours to do, I just can't toss them. I have gotten my 6 drawer walmart thing set up to, funny thing is, I have had it for years, left it sitting in my office empty for over a month and then hubby said he wanted it, but it still sat there for a few weeks, so after reading about using it for the mealie farm, I took it back:) Now it is set up, beetles in one drawer, saucers with food in one and wet paper towel in the other saucer. And the baby mealies are in another big drawer. Ready to get good and fat for feeding. I have also discovered a way to get all of the good mealies out of the aquarium. I have moistened paper towels and laid them flat on top of the bedding, low and behold there are literally thousands of mealies in the tank. They are around 1/2 to 3/4 inch long already. I had removed all of the beetles a few weeks ago and put them in another container for more eggs. So I am taking the paper towels out, shaking them over a container and then dumping the babies into a drawer with new food and bedding to grow up. I am so thankful that it was mentioned about using the drawer thing. It will get rid of 5 containers in my office, leaving me room to walk, lol.
As time goes by and my loves pass. I will forever be greatfull for the time we had together. I will see you soon my loves.
You really need to toss them out, along with any new baby mealies.
I've been told that aflatoxins, which is what mealies/beetles can get from eating moldy food/bedding, can be passed on to the offspring. So, that would mean that the new, baby mealies, would still have the risk of having aflatoxins.
It may have taken you 4 hours to pick them all out, but it'd be much more of a loss to lose a glider then just 4 hours of labor.
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#673555 11/13/0803:05 AM11/13/0803:05 AM
Oops. I should have kept all those paper towels. Well, next time. Thanks for the description of the eggs! I guess I can toss my container of beetle poo.
Forever owned in my heart by my "Eight is Enough" colony:
we use oats. and they work pretty good. we just grind them up in a coffee grider and then use a metal mesh drawer organizer to sift the worms and beatles out.(found at wal-mart also) it has a little bit bigger holes than a sifter and it allows the bedding to fall through. we use frozen vegetables and they dont mold and last for several days for them to eat on.
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#695724 12/19/0801:23 AM12/19/0801:23 AM
"My doctrine is this: that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and we do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." ~ Anna Sewell, English Novelist
Yes, but Nicole said Brewer's Yeast because it was more nutritional than normal active yeast. The other stuff is better than Brewer's Yeast though, which is why I asked.
"My doctrine is this: that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and we do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." ~ Anna Sewell, English Novelist
The "Nutritional Yeast" and the "Brewers Yeast" seem like they could be used either or. They are not the "Active Dry Yeast" used for baking.
Generally speaking from just a little bit of looking into Nutritional yeast, it is specifically grown to provide extra nutrients (like for vegans). Higher protein content, vitamins, etc. Seems to be good stuff. I might make a little farm and experiment with it as its some-what similar to plain brewers yeast.
Thanks Kinue. I think you're the only one that actually read my post!
"My doctrine is this: that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and we do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." ~ Anna Sewell, English Novelist
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#697226 12/21/0811:03 PM12/21/0811:03 PM
I'm sorry - I did read your post, but I didn't scroll down on the link you provided, so I didn't understand that the first items on the page were not what you were referring to! The first ones are Active Yeast. I didn't know the Nutritional Yeast was at the bottom of the page.
Now - I don't know! So - sorry. I stand corrected.
Alden "Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally speaking, they are ignored." Alice Walker
Mom to Valhalla; 6 cats; 1 macaw; 2 hedgehogs; and very many great gliders!
(plus the 2 skin kids) valkyriegliders.com
Kyrie, nothing will ever fill the hole you left in my heart.
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#697248 12/21/0811:41 PM12/21/0811:41 PM
I haven't read this entire thing.. But could someone tell me how to start a breeding colony? Please PM me or write on here.. Please.
Read the first post in this thread!
To get your breeding stock - order about 2000 LARGE mealworms (not giant or mighty) from one of the online places, and then - follow Nicole's directions.
When I'm starting with 2000, I put about 1500 in the fridge, and then add another 500 to my "farm" each week or so. In theory, you'll have many at different life stages that way.
Alden "Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally speaking, they are ignored." Alice Walker
Mom to Valhalla; 6 cats; 1 macaw; 2 hedgehogs; and very many great gliders!
(plus the 2 skin kids) valkyriegliders.com
Kyrie, nothing will ever fill the hole you left in my heart.
I did read the first post! Am I blind?? I was wondering how many to start with?? How do I START it.. I'm sorry.. But I'm so lost..
That first post has the basics of how to start a really GOOD farm. (mine is not THAT good. I have just been raising them all together, all stages, in a tub of oatmeal. But I plan to convert it all to THIS way after Christmas and do it AWESOME!!!)
Maybe you didn't notice the instructions on how to make a mealworm farm *scroll down*?
But if it helps you any, she has the same super awesome info on her WEBSITE right here.
I'm just wondering how to get it started.. As in how many mealies do I get 2,000 like Alden said? Then do what? Put them where? I'm sorry.. I guess I'm too tired.. I'm just so lost lately.. dunno where my brain went?? I'm not making any sense am I??
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: ]
#697421 12/22/0808:40 AM12/22/0808:40 AM
It tells you that she uses a plastic 7 drawer cart from Walmart. She puts the mealies in the drawer with the bedding.
"My doctrine is this: that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and we do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." ~ Anna Sewell, English Novelist
I started with 1000 of the large mealies. My farm is doing quite well.
I experimented as well with the Giants/Mighties. But no longer have them. So I actually have a FULL 6 large drawer farm going (2 of the 3 large drawer units).
"Super Worms" are another species of worm than our normal mealies and are harder to farm IMO.
The "Giants or Mighties" are SUPPOSED to be sterile but I found them to be otherwise. I really think the level of sterility depends on how much of the hormone or pesticide they are treated with as I was able to complete their life cycle for many generations. I did end that farm though.
I'm just wondering how to get it started.. As in how many mealies do I get 2,000 like Alden said? Then do what? Put them where? I'm sorry.. I guess I'm too tired.. I'm just so lost lately.. dunno where my brain went?? I'm not making any sense am I??
How many worms: I started with 1,000 large mealworms and once they were all gone/changed into beetles I bought 1,000 more. You will need a total of 2,000-3,000 mealworms to last until you have full-grown mealies of your own. However, if you prefer to start with fewer then you can buy them in smaller quantities or simply refridgerate some of them to keep them from growing.
It's not too long, just read it over and it should answer all your questions.
Also, you can get everything you need between Walmart and www.bulkfoods.com .
~Nicole~
Proudly enslaved by lots of silly suggies, 3 crazy kitties, a huffy hedgie, and a pretty puppy!
Re: How to Farm Mealworms :)
[Re: Guerita135]
#697531 12/22/0804:00 PM12/22/0804:00 PM