Raising Your Own Mealworms

[CHlCKEN]

For a few years I’ve been raising my own mealworms. It’s pretty rewarding and cheap. My girls really enjoyed getting fresh live mealworms and beetles, instead of dried bagged ones! Unfortunately, this summer my mealworms ventilation was blocked by something, and they molded while I was on vacation

I was wondering what you do. Do you raise your own mealworms? or do you buy bagged ones?
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I started raising mealworms 3 years ago for my chickens. Its a simple set up, and they sustain themselves easily. First off, you need a good sized plastic bin with a lid. You can put this in a feed room, your barn, or a shed. Then you will cut a hole in your lid for ventilation, and cover that with hard wire cloth. Then you fill the bottom with oats (I used Quaker) and a couple paper towel tubes. (These tubes are useful since the worms will gather in them. When you need to get worms for your girls, you pick up the tube and slide the worms into your hands or a jar!)

Once you have it set up, you can order live mealworms online, and give them fruits and vegetables. After that, you simply refill their oats and vegetables often. The worms will reproduce after they grow up into beetles, and create more worms. Chickens like the beetles to!
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I just wanted to share my simple set up! What do you do?

 

[HappyDuckie]

Thanks for sharing your setup! I used to have a mealworm farm, and want to make another one soon. Do you have any pictures of your setup?

 

[CHlCKEN]

Thanks for sharing your setup! I used to have a mealworm farm, and want to make another one soon. Do you have any pictures of your setup?

I do! Let me find some.

 

[CHlCKEN]

Not the most beautiful photo, just a video screen shot. Mealworm Bins are not the most amazing subjects (I took the video to show some family members how to take care of them/ feed them to the chickens. while I was in Wisconsin)

My paper towel tubes where the hotspot! Inside, underneath, and around. Sometimes I would put a carrot in there and it would be gone quick! You can see them in different stages of life in my photo. Mealworms, Pupa, “young beetles” and adults. The chickens aren’t picky about what you feed them. It’s always a feast! (Ducks love them to!)

(Internet image)

 

[Phneyda]

Hi! I love your set up! Do you find it difficult to keep everyone in the same bin? A lot of what I read says to use a tiered system, but those seems high maintenance. The reason for the tiers is to prevent that beetles from eating the larvae. How do you deal with that?

For anyone looking for contactless mealworms, I ordered 1k of mealworms for our leopard gecko and quail from
Brand: BASSETT'S CRICKET RANCH on Amazon. It was a great experience with them.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Do you feel you've actually saved money for this? Have you ever calculated your spending? How much hands on time to you spend on this project in a day? In a week?

I'd like to consider raising mealworms, but I already have so many projects going on.

 

[Phneyda]

Do you feel you've actually saved money for this? Have you ever calculated your spending? How much hands on time to you spend on this project in a day? In a week?

I'd like to consider raising mealworms, but I already have so many projects going on.

I’ll just mention that your return on investment depends on how much it costs to buy mealworms in an area and how far you have to travel.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I’ll just mention that your return on investment depends on how much it costs to buy mealworms in an area and how far you have to travel.

That is really just the startup costs. Assuming you don't kill them all your first try, your first purchase of mealworms should be your last. And Amazon ships them for free. Ongoing costs would include feeding them and other supplies.

 

[CHlCKEN]

Hi! I love your set up! Do you find it difficult to keep everyone in the same bin? A lot of what I read says to use a tiered system, but those seems high maintenance. The reason for the tiers is to prevent that beetles from eating the larvae. How do you deal with that?

For anyone looking for contactless mealworms, I ordered 1k of mealworms for our leopard gecko and quail from
Brand: BASSETT'S CRICKET RANCH on Amazon. It was a great experience with them.

I had the tier system going at first, and it does work, however it didn’t fit well where I was keeping it and so I didn’t keep using it. I only had the Mealworms in this new bin about a month (in the picture) so I don’t have experience with those issues since it isn’t something I observed. Sorry! (I am not an expert, but I made this thread to see other people’s experience if I decide to start again)

 

[Allthefloofs]

This is my setup. I have “brooder” boxes that are screened at the bottom and they sit on top of my grow out boxes. I rotate the boxes every few weeks, changing out media as I go. This way I have small worms for my little girls, big worms for my bug girls and I always have beetles for my brood boxes.