Mealworm farming

[pinkmartin73]

TSC calls it wheat middlings. The bag is kind of a beige and white. They only sell 50 lb bags but it's inexpensive-like between $9-10, & that's alot of meal.

Thanks. I will ck it out! I wonder would it hurt to add a bit now and then to the girls' scratch? So I don't get stuck with a ton more than I can use.

 

[Lynn Manes]

Whole wheat flour, corn meal, chicken starter ( non medicated), and ground dog food in equal parts...
This is my first rodeo though...started with 250 mealies July 15, and have 10 Beatles and 20 pupa so far!!!
Last week the word of the week for my 6 yo son was PUPATE!!!

I'll try your recipe for our worms but will buy a less expensive dog food bc what I give my dogs is costly. Can I get just use a cheap brand of dry dog food from somewhere like Walmart for the worms?

 

[unclekb]

Yep...any dog food...higher protein dog food will produce higher protein mealies I suppose... Don't know that for sure...YMMV...

 

[Arielle]

As far as I know, animals dont chnage their % protein based on the %protein they eat. Meaning. you can feed a ton of protein and it might grow faster thanif it was shorted on protein, but most creatures are preset on how they grow and what they will become. Only a few livestock have pushed the limits with some sucess: hogs and chickens. Others are beef, lamb and rabbit. Again, meaning thru selection certain varieties have excelled ( due to selection) more than other varieties.

Sorry if this is boring. ANimal Science background.

I buy bran from the feed store in 50 lb bags. rebag it and freeze it. Cheapest source of bran.

As for using dogfood, realize what you use is what you get. Dog food is cheap for a reason. It is by products. Usually vegetable protein is the cheapest protein ( compared to meat source) so is widely used. ie talapia .

Higher protein diet might increase the rate of growth but at some point it becomes a waste of money as the protein is used for energy and not making protein on the mealworms. Was going to say " meat " or " muscling" but somehow that just didnt sound right. lol


Unclekb-- yeah, great way to teach. My kids grew up on a breeding far, so knew and saw all manner of "production" activites including looking at "swimmers" under a microscope. I remember he was so little I had to lift him up to look in the scope on a table. lol Never too early to learn the science of stuff.

 

[Bloommagical]

I've never thought about raising mealworms before... they're so expensive, I'll definitely look into it!

 

[Lynn Manes]

I'll try your recipe for our worms but will buy a less expensive dog food bc what I give my dogs is costly. Can I get just use a cheap brand of dry dog food from somewhere like Walmart for the worms?

Can I use another kind of flour bc I am gluten intolerant and shouldn't handle it? There's all kinds of gf flours out there-rice flour being the most available.

 

[Kusanar]

Can I use another kind of flour bc I am gluten intolerant and shouldn't handle it? There's all kinds of gf flours out there-rice flour being the most available.

People have had some success using oatmeal for them, I would think that would work better than using rice flour (or any flour actually), the worms tunnel under the bedding/food, so you don't want anything that will pack very tight and flour has the potential to smother the worms (I would think) while they are tunneling around.

 

[ladyearth]

I buy bran from the feed store in 50 lb bags. rebag it and freeze it. Cheapest source of bran.

Arielle which BRAN do you buy and freeze???
thankyou

 

[Latestarter]

Can I use another kind of flour bc I am gluten intolerant and shouldn't handle it? There's all kinds of gf flours out there-rice flour being the most available.

Though you CAN use flour, as another stated, it isn't recommended... it packs down and you definitely want air space in the substrate for a variety of reasons. You can use oatmeal (I have) but it doesn't seem to "satisfy" the worms the way wheat bran does. Others have used corn meal, though I have not and can neither recommend for or against its use. It is a grain and that's what they eat, so I'm reasonably sure it would work. I think many of us make it much more complicated than it really has to be... It's really NOT rocket science... Good luck with your choices!

 

[Lynn Manes]

Though you CAN use flour, as another stated, it isn't recommended... it packs down and you definitely want air space in the substrate for a variety of reasons. You can use oatmeal (I have) but it doesn't seem to "satisfy" the worms the way wheat bran does. Others have used corn meal, though I have not and can neither recommend for or against its use. It is a grain and that's what they eat, so I'm reasonably sure it would work. I think many of us make it much more complicated than it really has to be... It's really NOT rocket science... Good luck with your choices!

Thank you for your input