Bluebird Feeding - Raising Mealworms (Part 2)

In addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website: 

• Feeding bluebirds by Linda Janilla Peterson (including the bluebird banquet recipe)
• The cottonseed meal recipe for bluebird food
• Bluebird feeder sketches by Linda Janilla Peterson
• Mealworm feeding
• How  To Start And Maintain A Mealworm Colony by John Thompson
• FEEDING MEALWORMS - Solving the Problem of Mealworm Getaway By Nola Aiken
• Peanut Butter Pudding by Katherine Smith
• The Smith Meal Worm Feeder by Katherine Smith
• Feeding bluebirds by Jan Alhgren

From: kj4cn"at"juno.com
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 09:00:59 -0500
Subject: Mealworms are Candy for Birds - How to raise them

Cameron,

Here is a link for you and any other inteerested in raising mealworms. I usually feed my blues about 20 to 30 a day. I will feed more when they begin to raise.

http://birding.about.com/library/weekly/aa021401b.htm 

From: "Phil Kenny" PhilKenny"at"cox.rr.com
Subject: Raising Mealies
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2002 21:04:53 -0400

I have been having great success with feeding meal worms to a pair of EABL in my backyard. They are using a box and have five eggs, too! I've been trying to get a program going of raising the mealies, rather than purchasing, and I am starting to have a lot of questions. For instance, how long should I allow the adult beetles to stay in the container? Are the beetles eating the newly hatched worms and larva? I've read everything I can find on the net, but it all seems a little on the introductory side. Does anyone know of a book or other resource where I could find more in depth information on raising mealies? Or is there anyone on the list who wouldn't mind a few pesky questions every now and then? Thanks in advance,

Phil Kenny Vienna, VA

P.S. My brand new 17 box trail has two EABL nests with five eggs each and two CACH nests: one nest with 6 eggs the other with 4 babies and 2 eggs. I had four CACH nests wiped out by HOWRs last week.

Hi Phil,

I have been raising my own meal worms for a year now. The beetles are not eating the eggs or larvae.

Leave the beetles as they are. After they mate they soon die, then discard.

If I get too over run with live beetles I feed them to the birds.

I feed my meal worms corn meal, apples peelings, and lettuce leaves. They are plump healthy looking worms. I figure that the better I feed them then the better they are for the birds.

I feed them to all cavity nesters. Especially during cold spells and rainy days when I know the parents have chicks. In New York we have very cold Spring weather. " My opinion " is that it is possible that feeding meal worms can mean the difference in a pair not abandoning their young in order to save themselves only during cold and rainy spells. Others might disagree.

When I can see that the adult worms are full grown I put some of them in a cool whip container filled with corn meal, poke holes on the top of the lid for air. I then place them in the refrigerator. This slows them down from going into beetle stage. Once a week or so I bring them out for a day to warm up and feed. Then return them to fridge.

For me being a Wild Life Rehabilitator for cavity nesters, I need worms on hand at all times. Just in case! :o) You may e-mail me with any questions. Questions are important and are never "pesky".

Kathy Bennett
Central NY

From: "Pauline, Mountain City TX" bluebirds"at"austin.rr.com
Subject: Re: Mealy worms / Scorpions - CAUTION
Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 09:45:54 -0500

The last thing I expected to find when I just raked my bare hand across the wheat bran where I "grow" my mealworms was a scorpion. I'd pulled out several mealworms when I noticed movement and saw a scorpion. I jolted back and saw TWO scorpions in with the mealworms. Maybe this happens only in South Central Texas, but there are apt to be other "things" to watch for in other parts of the continent.

Pauline Tom, with heart beating fast from quite a fright! Mountain City
(no mountains) TX

Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 10:58:04 -0400
From: "Pat Haught" PAHaught"at"mail.wvu.edu
Subject: Re: Mealy worms

Herb and All,

You can raise them yourself. We've been doing this for the past several years. You can get information online about how to raise mealworms. I think that Haleya had posted the website in years past. Haleya, do you still have it? If so, would you post it again?

Patty in WV

Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 17:56:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: The Doctor sytyf"at"yahoo.com
Subject: raising mealies, EABL flegdlings

Hi all,

I am trying to raise mealies. I have had hundreds of Blacking beetles for nearly 5 weeks now. The beetles seem very lively but I haven't seen little mealies yet. The beetles are in a bed of primarily rolled oats in the basement (about 62 degrees). Any insight as to when I might expect little mealies.

... Bob Sitarski a.k.a The Doctor, Jackson County Indiana ( 385244N 086023W ) & Clay County Illinois ( 384008N 0882908W )

From: "david calhoun" dlcdmd"at"bellsouth.net
Subject: question on raising mealworms
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 17:11:08 -0400

I am trying to raise my own mealworms. I have a lot of adult beetles, but am unsure on how to get them to lay eggs (or even how to tell if they have already laid) .They have been adults for over 3 weeks. Should I add more moisture (peelings) ,change the bran ,or what? Thanks (in advance) to anyone who has raised mealworms and can advise.

David.

From: "Jim McLochlin" bluebirdbox"at"cox.net
Subject: FW: Bluebirds
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2002 19:57:06 -0500

To all bluebirders who feed mealworms, can you help out Denise?

Please respond to the list as well as directly to Denise as she is not on the list.

Jim McLochlin
Omaha, NE ...

-----Original Message-----
From: MooDns"at"aol.com [mailto:MooDns"at"aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, July 27, 2002 7:49 PM
Subject: Bluebirds

Help!!!!!!! I have been raising mealworms for the bluebirds here. The birds wait for me each morning to bring them to the feeder. Somehow the containers the worms are in have some sort of a small mite all over them and they have left the containers and are all over a table in a spare bedroom. Do you know what they might be? How do I get rid of them. Yes, I removed the container from the room. Thanks for any help you can give.

Denise

Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2002 22:14:27 -0400
From: Arlene Ripley aripley"at"nestbox.com
Subject: Re: FW: Bluebirds

Denise,

I've had this experience once and it was one time too many. I don't know what the mite is, but when I first got into feeding mealworms, I went to my local pet shop and bought a small jar with maybe 500 worms. They came in bran and I left them in the original container which I kept on top of my freezer in the laundry room. Several days in to this venture, I noticed that something that looked like the "blob" exuding over the top of the container and had oozed all over my freezer. Yech. I grabbed the container and threw it in a bucket with hot water and bleach and then proceeded to wipe down the whole freezer with a bleach solution (wear gloves). Thankfully the mites didn't seem to get on me or anything else. It took me quite a while before I wanted to have mealworms in my house. Since I have been ordering from Grubco, Rainbow and NABS, I've never had a problem like this and it's been at least 10 years since that incident.

Arlene Ripley
Calvert County, MD

From: "Keith & Sandy Kridler" kridler"at"1starnet.com
Subject: mealworm mites
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 08:03:42 -0500

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas

There are many insects that are attacked by other parasitic insects. There are tracheal and Varoa mites that can wipe out honey bee colonies. Mites can be a problem for mealworm growers IF they get contaminated stock or keep them for a long period of time. Some mites have a 10 day life cycle so they can emerge from an egg, mature quickly and begin laying eggs again in 10 days!

Now I am totally guessing about getting rid of the mites and keeping the worms BUT I THINK you could buy the mite insecticide strips that are used in honey bee hives and follow the directions on how to use them and possibly be able to save your stock of mealworms and still not harm the birds eating the worms. I am guessing that if it can be used with the bees and their honey that goes into human food that it would be safe for the birds. It is ALWAYS dangerous thinking this way!

Small batches of infested mealworms should probably be dumped, containers sterilized (hot soapy water) and not keep mealworms for about a month in that area. Mites should quickly die out without a host to feed on.

Mites don't fly so you either bought the mealworms with the mites already present OR you put them in a bran/grain mix that already contained some weevils or weevil larva that were infested with mites OR you had a moth or weevil or some other host insect infested with mites land in your mealworm mix! If the mealworms were totally infested with mites in a month or less you can bet you bought them with the mealworms and your supplier has a MAJOR problem!!

I talked with Jack Finch the other night and he also mentioned that mice and rats LOVE to eat mealworms so if you keep yours in the garage make sure they are in rodent proof containers. Jack says you need to sterilize with heat all of the bran/grain that you place them in to prevent these mite infestations or the possibility of spreading a disease spread by fungi or bacteria. I don't raise mealworms so I did not ask how "hot" or how long it takes to do this. Jack ships his mealworms in freshly popped popcorn (microwave) as a "sterile" shipping media/food source. You can kill most insects in flour or bran by placing it in a sub zero freezer for several days.

Nearly all the grain products in your pantry contain some weevil or insect larva. It is strange to think that there might be some of them diseased or with parasites that could "harm" the mealworms we are trying to raise in this grain to feed to the birds! The world is filled with tiny checks and balances to curb massive population explosions of even the tiniest species on the planet. While we shudder to think about these "horrible" mites invading our house they are probably saving millions of tons of grain around the world by feeding on grain eating larva in grain silos and railroad cars every day.

Just think! We are the only species on the planet that has overcome most of the natural checks and balances that can truly limit our population growth! KK

From: "CJ Hazer" CeeJaaHzr"at"starband.net
Subject: Mealworm storage
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 07:04:02 -0500

Hey All!

I've successfully gotten a rather large colony of mealworms raised. However, I've used chick feed and oatmeal as their food/storage source to raise them and it's too hard to dig them out. I'm wanting to use the material that the large suppliers use to ship them. It's obviously the same material they raise them in.

I've emailed Grubco & Rainbow to see if they can help me. But I thought what better forum than the Bluebird-L to get help.

What is the very fine sandy-like material is it I'm looking for. It's so easy to sift the worms out for feeding and/or cleaning their boxes out.Any & all help would be greatly appreciated.

CJ Hazer

From: "CJ Hazer" CeeJaaHzr"at"starband.net
Subject: Mealworm Storage/Food
Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 07:20:13 -0500

Me again! I've found what I needed! I was surfing different websites when I found one that had the material I was looking for.

Thanks anyway!

CJ Hazer
Farmington, MO

From: "Michelle Martin" shell7"at"cox.net
Subject: caring for mealworms for Eastern Bluebirds
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 11:12:50 -0400

Hello all , I just recieved my mealworms and have had them before, but I didn't get adults, so I did something wrong I guess. I just 2,000 mediums, and have them in an oatmeal/cornmeal mixture of 1 inch deep as the information sheet that came with it required. Now, I have them in a huge tote (rubbermaid) that is a 45 quart size ( 1ft 10.9 x 1ft 5in x 10.4in ) Is this adequate space for the 2,000 ??? Please give me any advice on raising these. I have 5 bluebird eggs, and this is the 4th day of incubation, and I also have 7 day old mockingbird babies. I am not sure as to how to get the mealworms to become adults (the temp) , and how to transfer bedding without losing eggs if I can get them to adult stage. And do I have this part right -- don't feed the whitish worms right? Those will be adult soon after turning white ? As you can tell , I'm ignorant to this raising worms thing, but need to learn, and soon ! ...

Michelle Martin
Port Allen, LA 70767
shell7"at"cox.net

From: "david calhoun" dlcdmd"at"bellsouth.net
Subject: re:caring for mealworms
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 17:04:04 -0400

Michelle. Your rubbermaid is big enough. If you buy another one, get what is called I think a sweater box ,the kind that is for storing stuff under your bed. These are longer but shallower. I assime the box is uncovered or has holes in the lid. It's relly too late to start breeding them for this year. I would suggest to anyone wanting to breed them to start in december. Maybe you can fatten these up a bit. I dont know that the color of the mealworms makes a diference. Would suggest that you put your state in any Messages- can make a difference in how to answer questions sometimes.

David Calhoun. Louisville, Ky.

From: "Phil Kenny" philkenny1"at"cox.net
Subject: Help: Mites in my Mealworms
Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 22:53:46 -0400

Help! I have ten containers with mealworms in various stages that have been infested with mites.I first thought there was a fungus growing on one of the containers. Then I noticed it had spread to other containers and then, upon closer inspection, I see thousands of tiny tan mites moving around. Does anyone have any suggestions? Has this happened to anyone else before?  ...

Thanks, Phil  Phil Kenny 1731 Killarney Court Vienna, VA 22182-2133 philkenny1"at"cox.net

From: "Keith & Sandy Kridler" kridler"at"1starnet.com
Subject: Re:Help; Mites in mealworms
Date: Sun, 18 May 2003 09:37:00 -0500

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas
I don't raise or feed mealworms but have talked with some of the commercial suppliers of mealworms.

Mites: MANY insects can get devastating numbers of parasites like these mites. There is a possibility that the mites on these mealworms began multiplying from those you introduced into the containers with either whatever you are feeding in the way of bran or grain but more likely the supplier that you purchased them from has gotten infected with mites in their breeding bins.

You can still feed the mealworms to the birds but huge infestations will quickly kill the mealworm larva or adults by sucking them dry. I would think that placing them in a deep freezer will kill all the worms and mites and you can continue to place a few frozen worms out each feeding without exposing your self to the creepy crawly feelings of these pests.

You might get some of the commercial suppliers to reply to you about this question and I would write personally to the suppliers you have purchased from in the recent past to see if they are aware of any problems or if they can offer you better advice on this.

Shaking the container vigorously and then quickly screening out the worms and discarding the bran would remove most of the adult mites. Wait five days and repeat this process as many mites have about a 10 day life cycle....

You might want to contact Dr. Terry Whitworth the blowfly expert that is referred to on this list from time to time. I believe his address is still listed correctly in "The Bluebird Monitor's Guide." He is a wealth of information on insects IF he has the time to respond. He is still actively working on blowfly research and has an under graduate student assisting him in Texas this year for help in the south central portion of the US. Contact me and I will forward on this students address if you still want to send in nests for Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and possibly Louisiana. KK

From: "Michelle Martin" shell7"at"cox.net
Subject: mealworn-pupa question
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 11:25:27 -0500

How many pupa 's can I put in a shoebox container ? And I need to make sure I do this correctly - 2 inches of bran/meal and some newpaper for laying eggs , and how long does this particular process take? I'm getting an abundance of pupa so I'm now putting almost all of my worms in the fridge . I'm afraid I'll end up with nothing but adults...this is getting a little frustrating for me. Please help me out - I would appreciate it. I know I must be bothering you all with this worm stuff. But this is the 1st time to try raising them, and it's getting a bit nerve racking.

Michelle Martin
Port Allen,LA
shell7"at"cox.net

From: barryw"at"juno.com
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 12:33 AM
Subject: Re: Bluebird Food, meal, and Mealworms

On Tues, 14 Oct 2003 20:34:38 -0400 "Fawzi P. Emad" writes: "...The best way to make sure the eggs don't hatch is to freeze the seeds or flour in original bag (or put in plastic bags sealed tightly if the feed came in paper.) Freeze for a couple of days. When you take it out of the freezer, let it warm up in the plastic bag, this prevents moisture from forming and allowing the feed to go bad."

Another idea for killing insects in meal or bran is to microwave it in manageable-size batches till the insects are extinguished. Be sure the container is microwave-safe and not airtight. This works for adults, and it might work for eggs also. Does anyone know for sure? Do you know if anyone on the list is growing mealworms now? This is the right time of year to set up new cultures so they will be producing well in the spring, right?

Yours, Barry p.s., Have you seen my "Mealworm Farm" on eBay? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2361449024

From: stevec, stevec"at"cctc.net
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 9:24 PM
Subject: Fw: mealworms

i have considered raising my own mealworms virsus purchasing.can i hear experiences from people that have tried this.it it just easier to buy?any pitfalls to raising?i have 3 esbb here and they come in for the birdbath 2 or 3 times a day.but have too many HOSP . i put my nest boxes (2) up last Feb. the HOSP or wrens beat the EABB to them. I'm determined to keep the EABB here that i see daily. they must be nesting in a cavity to a tree. i live on an acre with 76 trees and open pastured south of me with heavily wooded are on the other 3 sides of my property.is anyone familar with using fishing line and fiol to detract HOSP and how does that work theresa hughes eastland,texas

From: Haleya Priest, mablue"at"gis.net
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2004 9:32 AM
Subject: Re: mealworms

You'll find so many opinions on this one. I used to "grow my own", but personally I think it is extremely tedious and takes months and months and months to produce mealworms large enough to feed to my blues. I've taken to purchasing them from experienced growers. There are plenty of folks out there who really enjoy growing their own. There is so little money involved in growing your own - that it sounds like you might start off by growing your own and deciding from there. The energy output is not in $, but in time and patience. Good luck! :-)

Haleya Priest Amherst MA

From: bellzerr, bellzerr"at"comcast.net
Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2004 5:15 PM
Subject: Re: mealworms

I am in Haleya's camp on this one. I've also raised mealworms successfully. It does takes months to get them started, after that it becomes an almost daily discipline to harvest and store mature worms, and to continually rotate your bins. They make it sound easy to keep one bin for new eggs, one for beetles, and one for mature worms. It's not. Before long you'll have beetles mixed in with your worms, dead beetles all over the place, and bins that sooner or later need to be emtied and started again. You can't just add more food forever because the waste piles up on the bottom of the bin. I will say that my worms were fatter and healthier looking than any I've ever purchased, but I too have dumped the worm farm in favor of buying them when I need more. Good luck.

From: Michelle Martin, shell7"at"cox.net
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 10:38 AM
Subject: large mealworms Michelle Martin Central Louisiana

I'm wondering if large mealworms from www.rainbowmealworms.com will be ''breeding'' material ? I have lots and lots of mealworms going, w/ lots of beetles, but the worms aren't large enough for feeding yet :( I'm thinking I should leave the new order of large mealworms in the fridge and seperate from my ongoing breeding ones - am I correct on this ? Please advise me - thank you !!

From: ken"at"wildlanders.com, ken"at"wildlanders.com
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 3:04 AM
Subject: From a professional mealwormer (RE: Mealworms)

Michelle and others, Some of the larger king sized mealworms will not reproduce. Get the normal sized worms (Tenibrio molitor). They should be about an inch long. Note that I raise LOTS of mealworms for my business ...

To raise the worms, I use Quaker Oats from the store. I put about 4 cups in old plastic containers with lid. You can use just about anything really. Lots of holes or just leave the lid open as I do. So far, I have had no problems with the worms trying to escape. My container is about 2 gallons in size and the oat meal only covers an inch or two at the bottom. Feed them potatoes and lettuce. This is how they get their moisture. Remove/replace them every other day or so. Peel the potatoes to remove any pesticides that may be on the skin. Same with the lettuce. Or use organic. I use two pieces of potatoe 1 inch square by 3 inches long for each 1,000 worms and replace them every 2-3 days. Keep the worms warm while they are tiny and growing. Refrigerate when they are the right size (3/4 to 1 inche) - this to stop them from growing any more or turning into beetles. You keep out a dozen or so to reproduce keeping them warm through their whole life cycle (never in the frig). A warm room at 70 degrees works just fine. More info, go here: http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/misc/ef002.htm

Or search for "raising mealworms" on the Internet.

Ken Boettger Wildlanders.com ...

From: PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 8:50 AM
Subject: Re: Large Mealworms

Michelle, I read your post and had to go back to some of the websites to make sure I remembered correctly. If you are talking about "giant" mealworms, they cannot reproduce. Here is a quote from the following site: http://www.nyworms.com/mealworms.htm "We do not, nor will we ever, carry "giant mealworms". They are merely the "common mealworm" that has been treated with an insect growth hormone to discourage them from morphing into beetles, thus they grow significantly larger. Some will morph into beetles, however they are sterile. This growth hormone was developed for fly control in dairy and horse farms. While this treatment would not adversely affect those being used for fishing, we strongly feel that they should not be used as a live food source for reptiles, mammals or birds." Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio

From: Haleya Priest, mablue"at"gis.net
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 8:16 PM
Subject: Kinky kind of beetle question Haleya Priest, Amherst MA

A question I cannot answer. However, Ken has grown mealworms for a long time:

Dear Haleya, Can you tell me how to "sex" a beetle? I seem to have same sex relationships in 2 of my cultures ...there are so few offspring. Thanks, Ken

From: Michelle Martin, shell7"at"cox.net
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 8:44 PM
Subject: Re: Kinky kind of beetle question Michelle Martin Central Louisiana

...the female beetle is significantly larger than the male beetle.

From: C & G STATTON, statton"at"mdvl.net
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 9:27 PM
Re: Kinky kind of beetle question Chris Statton, NWPA

Haleya, I recently wrote an article about how to raise mealworms. While having done so for ages I knew the easy part of the process . how to raise mealworms. But, I realized that I knew little of the background of these interesting critters. In doing research, what I found about the gender of darkling beetles . the only way to tell is to dissect them under a microscope. Of course, that means dead and useless beetles. I don't know the circumstances of "Ken's" bins, but suspect something other than "same-sex relationships". Last year was the worst ever around here for trying to raise mealworms. I don't think that had anything to do with any consideration of "same-sex relationships". I came to find that, last year, tons of folks had poor outcomes in their bins. This year, the bins are booming - way out-stepping the blues' demand. Of course, I have my theories. None of them include consideration of "same-sex relationships". :-)

From: Phil Berry, mrtony8"at"mchsi.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 6:16 AM
Re: Mealworm question

[reply to question on how to raise mealworms.]

Mealworms are easy to raise, requiring only a grain source such as wheat bran, cornmeal, chicken mash or oatmeal. Add a piece of potato, apple or banana peel on a piece of paper towel or cardboard about once a week to provide moisture. Avoid letting the meal itself become too moist.

Mealworms can be kept in a shallow plastic container with a capacity of 2 to 5 gallons, that is covered with a lid that provides good air circulation (a cover of screen or perforated metal can be used). Keep the container in the dark, because as the name darkling beetle implies, they prefer darkness.

If you plan on raising mealworms, a piece of cloth can be placed over a portion of the grain to provide a surface on which the adult beetles can lay their eggs. The mealworms will burrow below the surface of the grain and undergo a series of molts. Their development is most rapid at the optimum temperature of 80° F.

After the last molt, the larvae come to the surface and metamorphose into naked white pupae for 6 - 18 days and then into beetles. Adult beetles have wings but rarely fly. They lay their eggs 9 - 20 days after emergence and then die. Egg incubation is 4-19 days. Eventually, waste products or "frass" will build up and a slight odor of ammonia will be detected. At this time, the grain needs to be sifted to separate the worms and adult beetles from the old grain; the container washed and new grain added. Dry cat food can be added to the grain to enhance the protein value of the mealworms for the bluebirds. Mealworm metabolism can be slowed down by keeping them in the refrigerator for a few weeks, up to several months (remove the vegetable matter first). this is from NABS website.

Phil Berry

From: RJFandal"at"aol.com [mailto:RJFandal"at"aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2004 5:47 PM
To: Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Another newbie with a question

... I have kind of started a trail on land shared with my parents and sibs.  I gave them each a box, which each family has put up, and we are each busy monitoring our individual boxes this first year to "see how we do."  Then we'll put more across our 15 acre field next year if we see we can do this effectively.  I am happy to announce that I have 4 eggs in my box.  The mom isn't incubating yet, so I am hoping and praying for 6! I began by putting up a feeder type stand to attract a pair to my yard.  I ordered 2000 mealworms and started feeding 10 -12 mealworms twice, then 3 times a day. I attracted several pair of BBs actually, and since they seemed more concerned about running each other off, I think they all went elsewhere to nest because from what I have read on here, southern Louisiana BBs should be about ready for a second nest by now. 

Anyway, I think the pair I have must have been uprooted by Starlings from the BBs nest somewhere nearby.  I had NEVER seen these birds before (and I am an avid bird feeder and watcher in my large backyard). The darn things actually seemed to be after the BBs.  Strangest thing I have ever seen.  Well, I ran to chase them off, then put some mealworms out.  I put a few in the nestbox as an added attraction for the BBs, meanwhile I sat & watched with my pellet gun in hand just in case the Starlings came back--it's great to live in the country! =)  The rest is history . . . I have my BBs now! ;-)  This spring I have not only had those Starlings, but I have been overrun at times by House Sparrows.  Thank goodness they haven't stayed around, but for those of you wondering about ranges of these birds, they are definitely in southern Louisiana.  Maybe they always have been, but until this year, they have avoided my yard. Anyway, thank you all for discussing in detail some ways to be prepared for these birds trying to take over a BB nest, because I am ready for them! Now to my question:  Even though my husband insists I worry more about those BBs then him and my children (Ha!), he and I have undertaken the job of raising mealworms.  I haven't read anything about anyone on the list actually raising them, how to be successful at it, etc.  I have read everything I can find online, but nothing really advises when to move the beetles to a new container, how many will be produced, when new worms will be ready to be removed as feed, etc.  Would some of you actually doing this please advise us.  Thank you all so much for all the wonderful help and information you provide all of us!

From: RJFandal"at"aol.com [mailto:RJFandal"at"aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2004 10:06 PM
Subject: Raising Mealworms

Tammi, Pearl River, LA Debbie, I've been at this a little over 2 weeks and so far it is so easy and actually I'm having fun.  I don't have any beetles yet to lay more eggs and thus, more mealworms, but that stage should be coming soon. 

I used a rectangular clear plastic container.  It's a little larger than the shoebox size, but Phil said he uses the shoebox size with a loose fitting lid.  I have newspaper over mine right now, but need to switch to something more substantial before I have beetles. I started with 100 (+ -) mealworms.  Then today I added about 100 more.  I keep the container in a dark corner of my living room . . . kind of hidden behind the sofa.  The online info says to leave them alone, but I like checking mine.  I recently added 2 stale whole wheat hamburgers buns on top of my growing medium, and it's been fun watching them tunneling through them.  (I'm a nurse that used to be a school teacher, so I guess I'm kinda nuts for the science stuff. ;-))

To start, I mixed all kinds of stuff for my growing medium . . . an old box of Chex cereal I had in the pantry (I crumbled them up and dumped them in), some corn meal, grits (all dry, of course).  Today I added some oatmeal. They seem to love it all.  On top of this, I periodically add the core of an apple; the end of a yellow squash; a strawberry top; or whatever I have available (I haven't tried a slice of potato yet, but it works too).  They get their water from these types of sources . . . just be sure to remove it, if necessary, if it begins to become a gooey blob.  I still keep several hundred mealworms in the fridge from which I feed my BBs.  I don't want to take from my "breeders" to feed my bluebirds yet until I have completed the mealworms' cycle of life at least once.  I will keep you posted on how things go.  I plan to put my beetles in a new container for starters just so I'll kind of know what's going on since I'm new at this. So far, I'd say this is the way to go to get mealworms.  I don't spend a penny, other than my initial mealworm investment, because they eat "leftovers," so to speak.  Try it   . . you might even enjoy it. ;-) Tammi

From: Phil Berry [mailto:mrtony8"at"mchsi.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 8:34 AM
Subject: Re: Raising Mealworms

i follow NABS recommendations regarding raising mealies, with a small piece of cloth on top of the material for them to lay eggs on. once weekly i add 1/4 of an apple for humidity, and an occasional handful of cat food for protein, for the bluebirds, that is. the worms absorb the protein from the cat food. Phil Berry

From: Dottie Roseboom [mailto:rosedot"at"mtco.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2004 7:37 PM
Re: Stop feeding mealies in August?

Haleya, I agree with you - that a bit of supplemental feeding isn't going to undo years of instinct. However, sometimes instincts change because of long-term environmental changes. And of course, if a person finds 1 dead hummingbird or bluebird in a snow storm, they might use that as "evidence" that late feeding is harmful. Because my veterinarian warned me not to allow our dogs to eat cat food (too high of protein), I use the semi-moist CATfood for my mealies. They grow big & FAT. I have often wondered if there has been any research done on the mealworm's digestion, as they might not even be capable of utilizing the protein in either dog OR cat food. I know that the tropical fish diet has been studied extensively. Perhaps a side study was done on the mealworm, as it's sometimes its used as fish food. Dottie Roseboom Peoria IL (central - zone 5) NABS member

From: SCooke [mailto:ncw001"at"nc.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 7:21 AM
Subject: Raising mealworms

Hi, Dottie I am in the process of raising my own mealies and now have a container of darkling beetles. What's next? Do I just leave them alone until I start seeing mealworms? Should I remove the beetles that have moved on to beetle heaven? Should I add fresh meal or leave them alone for now? Thanks, Sharon in NC

From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 7:55 PM
Subject: Mealworm Gurus

For all you mealworm gurus, I have some technical questions regarding raising the little devils. I bought 5,000 from Jennabird last March and many of them pupated and did the beetle thing. I decided to keep these in a separate container, hoping for lots of little worms.

Well, it is now almost 5 months later and I have a few 1/2 inch long worms in there, but really not impressed with their output. Most of the beetles are still alive and apparently cheerful. They are in oatmeal. I have a piece of cotton rag for them to hide under and pieces of paper. I feed them apples in addition to the oatmeal. Are the adults possibly eating the little ones? Am I doing something wrong?

Now, here are some things I HAVE learned about mealworms. If you order them from different suppliers, they package them differently. When I get them from Jennabird, I have to pick the package up at the post office and the personnel there look at me funny. When I get them from Grubco, the UPS man secretly delivers them on my porch in their nice little muslin bags. I recently ordered some from reptilefood.com and they FedExed them. The delivery guy came to the door all bright-eyed and asked, "What's ya feedin'!!?" He seemed a little disappointed to learn I was only feeding bluebirds. I think he was hoping for a large Kimodo Dragon or something...These worms were packaged interestingly - not in nice muslin bags and were kind of crawling out at the edges. That delivery guy may have had a little thrill when he got back in his truck after all.

I have discovered that when you open your package of mealworms to transfer to their new container home(s), some will inadvertently drop out. If you do this over your dining room rug, they will immediately burrow into your rug. This is fun. I do not like to store mealworms in the refrigerator. I am afraid that doing this would make my already too dependent family even more so. They are already frightened to open the freezer because of the HOSP stored in the freezer door. By placing mealworms in the refrigerator, I fear they will abandon this compartment as well and I will have to carefully prepare every morsel that crosses their lips. Both of my children are near fledging age and I am trying to teach them to fend for themselves more. I do keep my mealworms in the house in containers in the (you guessed it) dining room. I have learned to never get large mealworms because they pupate too soon. I generally order half small or medium, and half minis. This way they grow into feedable worms without my violating the refrigerator compartment. Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio

From: Stan Merrill [mailto:stan1bb"at"frontiernet.net]
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 9:22 PM
Re: Mealworm Gurus

... Not being a Mealworm Guru, guess I shouldn't even be responding; however, I will comment that if your family is distasteful [pun intended] of mealworms and HOSP in the refrigerator and freezer, may I suggest a separate refrigerator and/or freezer. I hinted that a "college-size" [2 cu. ft. approx] refrigerator would be a good Christmas gift for Stan; and Santa came through "with bells on" [pun intended!]; and so I keep my mealworms in the garage. The mealworms are inside our Townhome "only in TRANSIT" -- from garage to the deck to the mealworm feeder for my black-capped chickadees, as I carry them [20 to 30 or so] in a 3 oz. paper cup. You've got my curiosity aroused. Why the HOSP? Perhaps you need to e-mail your answer to me individually??? Happy "mealworming!" Stan

From: Ann Bigger [mailto:abigger"at"charter.net]
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 9:57 PM
Re: Raising mealworms

Just stand back they know what to do !!! BTW the next thing you will know will be that you are over-run with them*smile* Ann Bigger

From: Haleya Priest [mailto:mablue"at"gis.net]
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 11:37 PM
Re: Raising mealworms Haleya Priest Amherst MA

Ann -you couldn't be more accurate that they know what to do. This is truly a case of the birds and the bees. Ain't no stoppin' what's about to happen! :-) H

From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 9:37 PM
Re: Mealworm Gurus

Stan, Good idea about the little fridge... HOSP are humanely dispatched and immediately frozen for recycling at our local wildlife rehab center. The Cooper's Hawks really enjoy them and it makes their stay at the rehab center somewhat more tolerable.. A recuperating mink seemed to enjoy them as well. Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio

From: DottyRogers"at"netscape.net [mailto:DottyRogers"at"netscape.net]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 10:13 AM
RE: Mealworm Gurus

What a funny post!!! I only played with these guys for a year or two (and am NO guru) but the thing that surprised me was the length of time for their full lifecycle. I became despondant after many months (EABLs; no MEWOs), and finally dug down into the frass; there were gazillions of itsy-bitsy mealies - but it took half a year or more. --These ain't fruitflies! ... Dot

From: Dottie Roseboom [mailto:rosedot"at"mtco.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 10:23 AM
Re: Mealworm Gurus

Paula, I can't understand why you don't have oodles of worms - LOL What's the room temperature? Around 72 - 74 is great.

Did you by chance replace the oatmeal (thus throwing away eggs & itsy-bitsy mealies)?

Moisture is needed - so the apples are being replaced as they disappear?

Direct sunlight can kill mealies

And I know that this isn't your problem, BUT mice, cockroaches, and spiders love mealies.

I never sort my mealworms & have never seen any evidence of cannibalism. When I ordered from Jenna, they delivered to my house. Would have to look up my records to see if it was the P.O. or UPS www.bestofbbml.audubon-omaha.org/feedingmealworm.htm

Dottie Roseboom Peoria IL (central - zone 5) NABS member

From: Kerry Sweet [mailto:ksweet3450"at"yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 3:40 PM
Re: Mealworm Gurus

Paula, I used oatmeal once and it seems I lost track of the worms! At first they are microscopic so it does take several months before you see anything. A large bag of Wheat Bran from the local Grain Elevator worked great. Handfuls of food like (crushed) cat food, dog food, oatmeal, baby carrots or potatoes were also easy to add for nutrient and moisture.

The warmer the worms are the faster they grow. My mealworm farm started in the guestroom shower behind the shower curtian. :)) I separated mine at first then they got out of control and became one big happy family :) all in the same bucket.

Summer I kept them in buckets (with lids due to the mice) on the covered porch outside, they also winter outside and will go dormant but they can't be frozen.

I would send a bucket to the local rehabber for their Bat ... the Ferrets also enjoyed them. My daughter has a Bearded Dragon Lizard that eats them and we also order crickets by the thousands. In this small town ... people are talking about how that Sweet family is growing more than cows out there. I have fed the left over crickets to the Bluebirds in the winter once the Dragon starts his Brumation. I would gather them up in a ziplock bag and place them in the freezer for 2 or 3 minutes making them immobile then put them in the feeder ... The Bluebirds loved them. Kerry in NE okla.

From: Dottie Roseboom [mailto:rosedot"at"mtco.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 5:31 PM
Re: Mealworm Gurus

Kerry, good post! And for Debbie (I think that she's the one who asked about mealies) I've also used wheat flakes, as well as a mixture of bran, germ, ground-up cereal, you name it.

I've read where many people use buckets. I stumbled across some long plastic boxes on clearance at Menards ($1.00!) (22" x 42") I use about 2" deep of REAL oat flakes, topped off with an 1" of the wheat bran & whatever.

Most people don't recommend such large boxes, but I love bargains. Also, the waste doesn't spoil the mix as rapidly.

I place 3 plastic lids from small peanut butter jars, on top of the mixture, to hold apple slices. The worms will gorge on the apples, up, out of the bran, making them very easy to harvest for the bluebirds. I use 2 other plastic lids for the cat food.

Oh, yeah, I also cover the bran surface (and apples, catfood) with several single layers of newspapers. Many times, large worms will crawl between the newspaper layers to pupate. Good way to harvest the big mealworms. However, leave a few for the next generation.

Like Ann posted, they know what to do! Some interesting links:

www.bestofbbml.audubon-omaha.org/feedingmealworm.htm www.nyworms.com/mealworms.htm http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/jtextd?jafcau/50/1/abs/jf010691y.html

Dottie

From: KCBSP"at"aol.com [mailto:KCBSP"at"aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 10:07 PM
Re: Mealworm Gurus

Just wanted to add two things... I would put the mealies in the frig to keep them from changing into beetles so fast (when I bought them).. But if you do... remember to get them out of there once a week at least and feed them. They are dormant not dead. I would throw in high protein dry dog food in the burlap type bag whatever it was made of.. and they were in there with crumpled newspaper. They chow down for a day and back to the frig they went! Kathy

From: Dottie Roseboom [mailto:rosedot"at"mtco.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 10:39 PM
Re: Mealworm Gurus

Yes, good point Kathy, especially for people wanting to feed mealies, rather than raising more. Be sure to do as Kathy says - leave them out of the refrig while they are eating. Then remove any leftovers and return mealies to the frig. Sometimes I freeze the huge mealworms just before they pupate, rather than refrigerating them. (spread mealies, 1 layer deep on a jelly roll pan, freeze 1 hour, then place mealies into freezer bag.) Bluebirds will eat frozen mealies in the wintertime (guess that most berries & bugs are cold). Boy, don't we pamper out bluebirds! BTW, most of my adult bluebirds will eat the pupas, but the nestlings have trouble with them. Dottie Roseboom Peoria IL (central - zone 5)

From: "Haleya Priest"
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 6:18 PM
Subject: What is the distance of 5k mealies Haleya Priest Amherst MA

Ok all you math wizards out there..... If you lined up 5,ooo mealies, say a decent medium size - what would be the length of the string of mealies? How many mealies would it take to circle the earth??? :-) H

From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 10:00 PM
e: What is the distance of 5k mealies

Well, you had to ask. I have some nice sized mealworms right now. They were diffficult to measure at first, but I threatened to withhold their apple slice if they didn't obey. They are 1.25" long. 1.25 X 5,000 = 6,250 inches 6,250/12/5280 = 0.099 miles (or 520.83 feet) is the length of your string, Haleya. The circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,901.55 miles. 24,901.55 X 5280 X 12 / 1.25 = 1,262,209,766 mealies to circumnavigate the globe if they behave and stretch out. Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio

From: Lawrence Herbert [mailto:lherbert"at"4state.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 7:24 PM
Subject: Tenebrios

Let's say the medium size mealworm is two cm. So, 50 of em' in a meter times 5K = (I guess) 25,000... If 12,750 K circumference of earth: = 63, 750, 000. Those are my final answers.... (see Larry, it doesn't hurt to be wrong once in a while)! Mealworm = Darkling Beetle = Tenebrio molitor. Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO.

From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 12:01 PM
Re: Mealworm Gurus

Thank you Dot, Dottie, Kerry, Christy and anyone else I forgot for such excellent tips on mealworm farming. Another idea I've tried and seems to work well. In the summer, my large plants go outside and have no need for their big saucers which catch the water indoors during winter months. Mealworms are living in the saucers right now. I put plastic or cardboard cups in the meal and can stack the saucers - sort of a tower of mealies. My worms are not covered because they are indoors and nothing in here eats them (as far as I know..). Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio

...I've been putting out mealworms for my Red Bellied Woodpeckers and White Breasted Nuthatch. They love them. The Blue Jays act like vacuum cleaners around the mealworms. The are real gluttons when it comes to mealworms and peanuts.

My mealworm raising is coming along pretty good now. I has 1600 adult beetles laying eggs on a daily basis and have roughly 50K of mealworms at different stages. So I'm feeding some of the winter birds, especially the woodpeckers and the nuthatches.

Regards,
Larry A Broadbent
Chatham, ON
Canada

What is your set up Larry? I keep telling myself I'm going to give mealworm farming a try, and haven't dived in yet. Last year I spent hundreds on mealworms with 6 families "vacuuming" them up, so I need to look at alternatives. I was thinking about putting my old 125 gallon reef tank
aquarium to use. But I can't figure out who I would go through the sifting out the crud part.

(Yes, I know it's not necessary to feel mealworms - I do it for my own enjoyment, because I do think it helps them "weather" hard times, and because I'm a sucker for blues.)

Bet from CT

Mealworm raising

A few people on the list have emailed me personally, asking me about my Mealworm raising.
I apologize that I have not had the time to reply. If you will email me again, I will do my best to answer any questions I can.

I started last year 2004, raising my own mealworms. I started from approximately 500 mealworms.
I now have 2000 Beetles laying eggs on a daily basis. And more beetles being added on a daily basis.

I have aprox. 50,000 mealworms of various sizes, in several Rubbermaid containers.
And containers of Pupae.

I'm trying to increase my numbers so I can become a supplier here in Ontario Canada.
I'm trying various blends of different brans and cornmeal. My own recipe, so to speak.

I'd like to hear from those raising mealworms about the Beetles & egg laying.
Specifically:
- what size containers are you using for your Beetles
- how many Beetles per container do you have
- do you put any paper, cheese cloth, etc. in with the beetles to lay their eggs on, or do you just have the bran or bran mixture in with the beetles?
- how often do you sift the bran in these containers? - every 2 or 3 days? - once a week? twice a month?
- what do you find the easiest way to sift the bran / eggs from the beetles?

Some of you have mentioned feeding dried cat food to your mealworms. This makes sense, as it will increase the protein count in the mealworms.
Although it may not make that much of a difference, could you tell me which brand of dried cat food(s) you purchase?

I now have to buy my bran(s) and cereal grains in much larger bulk.
I now mix up a 5 gallon bucket full of my bran / cereal grains recipe at a time.

Looking forwards to your input.

Regards,
Larry A Broadbent
Chatham, ON

From: Elizabeth Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 6:32 PM
Subject: Raising mealworm info

I decided to start a mealworm colony (as a learning experience if nothing else - also because I read that someone raises them for about 10 cents per 1,000, instead of the 7 bucks/1,000 I'm buying them for.)

I did a bunch of research and compiled the info at http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm. I sure would be interested in some feedback from people who have successfully maintained colonies, if you see anything that is wrong/could be improved.

I learned something interesting things - adding skim milk to wheat bran increases weight, adding brewers yeast increases protein content, 80 degrees is the ideal temp, and some people use dried mealworms in lieu of raisins, chocolate chips or nuts in recipes. Also that mealworms make excellent fish bait (esp. ice fishing.)

Bet from CT

From: Larry A Broadbent [mailto:rockets"at"mnsi.net]
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 8:47 PM
Subject: Re: Mealworms

Hi Bet,
When I say Superworms, I am not referring to the genetically altered large mealworms.
The genetically altered mealworms, should not in my opinion be feed to Bluebirds or any other critters.

I am however referring to Superworms as follows:

Superworms are an excellent part of a varied diet for many reptiles and amphibians and are probably one of the most commonly used prey item next to crickets. You can purchase superworms from your local pet store or even bait shop, order them online or even raise your own colony. They are much larger and definitely more active than your standard mealworms (Tenebrio molitor). The body of a superworm is less chitinous than that of a mealworm, thereby making them softer and easier to digest.

They are scientifically known as Zoophobas mario and are the larval stage of this particular beetle. As with several other worm species, superworms have four life stages:

Egg (about 1/20th of an inch in size)
Larva (this is the worm used as your food source)
Pupa (looks like an alien out of a science-fiction movie)
Beetles (these are what breed and lay the eggs)
Superworms will reach a maximum length of approximately 2.5 to 3 inches.

Regards, Larry A Broadbent

Re: Mealworms at Walmart.

Hi,
I just learned about mealworms in the past few months...
and I was so intrigued that I started raising them myself.
I started in November 04 with a few dozen a friend gave me and now I have a zillion little worms about 1/3" long. I had no idea it was going to take so long to raise them to "lunch-size" but at least it's very easy. All I do is make sure they are well fed by keeping them in a bed of oatmeal and cornmeal with a layer of crumpled newspaper on the top and then I put slices of apple and potato on the newspaper. I remove the food slices when they are eaten. I make sure there are always fresh slices in there since this is where they get their moisture. Walmart - eat your heart out! *S* Bev W.

I've received some really good information on mealworms from Kathy & Sheila who are on this forum. Here is some of the information that's passed between us. I thought you would all be interested.
First of all I sent this to Kathy.......it's info from a friend of mine who is an entomologist.
*/1. Once in a while I buy a hundred at the pet store and dump them in.
Just to prevent her over harvesting. I put in an apple core and/or peels or potato peels once in a while for moisture or they (larvae &
adults) will cannibalize the defenseless pupae. I keep them in a small
open plastic tub. No lid or screen. They don't climb or fly. I also
use corn meal, mostly. They will eat any thing, but oatmeal and often bran will clog the piece of plastic needle point that I use as a screen-strainer to fish them out. When I see a lot of shed exoskeletons or dead beetles I take a couple of minutes to remove the carcasses. I really don't do much of anything. A former prof had a culture going for years in a lard tin on his back porch. Used 'em for fish bait. His thrived on total neglect. The real secret is to have lots of all stages
-- eggs, differently sized larvae, pupae, & adults at all times. Then the population is unlikely to crash. / **/ 2. Damaged or deformed wings are common. In nature they would be gobbled up and removed from the gene pool. In captivity, they are allowed to propagate or at least survive. Don't worry about them.

I think I used to cover the surface with a paper towel, until one day it was partially knocked off and the beetles climbed out on it. I don't bother now.

I'm learning too much with the million adults that I have. Voracious is an understatement. I MUST constantly keep fruit in there and they devour it. Just for fun, I put in ONE nugget of dog food. Slowly they are nibbling away at it. They will cannibalize, but if you are keeping them well fed and hydrated, and it sounds like you are, they may be recycling the dead that have died of old age. Do also keep in mind that we are forcing them to concentrate in a small area. I may stop at the Dollar Store for a bigger container. See what you've done to me! Even in the bottom of our old corn crib that was completely cleaned out and painted this summer, the beetles and mealworms were NOT concentrated.
My well behaved cockroaches will consume the dead or dying. /
*
/*3 Yes, do keep all the stages together. One could move the adults to another container to lay eggs (which you'll never see), but I really don't know why any one would bother. To start another container, just move a bunch of adults, add some petstore worms, a couple of smallish worms, and a couple of scoops of grain (with invisible eggs). The frass
(droppings) look like tannish fine corn meal. Don't try to remove it -- just add more grain meal. It always contains eggs. If you really want, you can leave just a few worms in a tub that is mostly frass and move them to a new container after a while. Then throw away the almost no meal-frass mixture after most of the eggs have hatched. I rarely do this -- maybe once a year -- when the Good Housekeeping bug bites me...
or when there isn't much more room to add more cornmeal. And never
close the container! I set everything up all nice and full of grain and a couple of potato peels and set the lid on loosely when I went on a trip. Someone closed the lid. The humidity was too high and everyone died & rotted. YUCK -- _that_ was gross! Some eggs did hatch later, but I really had to start over. I've since drilled a couple of fine holes in the lid. I do take them with me when I do buggy
presentations. Oh -- watch out for mice. They will harvest all your
bugs overnight. That is a good reason to have a lid with fine holes!. */

/*4. I revised my mealworm culture a week or two ago. I have my main culture of larvae & pupae in a plastic shoe box of cornmeal & oatmeal (that's what I had a lot of, I do prefer straight cornmeal). Perched on the ridge in the inside of the shoe box in a smaller container of meal are adults. As I see little mealworms, I'll transfer them to the larger space. Already I see more living, uncannibalized pupa in the larger container. The pupae are so vulnerable -- and the adult beetles are so exceedingly voracious.

I don't expect to see babies in the adult container for a while. I put all of the old meal with eggs into the larger box with larvae. I know the beetles are mating, eventually there will be babies. Finally some adults are dying of old age. I think I'm glad to see the adult population reduced. Two adults were in the larvae-pupae box this morning, so I moved them into the adult container.

If you really want to increase your mealworm production, ask your local pet store if they have any adults.

Kathy, My friend the entomologist says that canibalization is natural to some degree but if it is excessive then it may mean your boxes are too dry.
It may help to pull beatles out into their own boxes but they will still canibalize since that is how they get some of their protein I guess. Ugh.
Bev

Hi,
I've been raising mealworms also since the fall - and also have zillions of new mealworms.
Here's my question - what do you do about changing the oat and corn layer as the sandy mealworm "poopie" builds up? I've tried several things but have not found an easy way to do it?
Also, what do you do about removing the beetles so they don't eat the young?
Thanks for any help/guidance you can provide!
Kathy

From: Elizabeth Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net]
Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2005 3:28 PM
Subject: RE: Mealworms

I'm way behind on emails, but a list of mealworms suppliers is available at http://www.sialis.org/bluebirdstore.htm#mealworms. I use Reptile Food.

Bet

> I keep them in a small
> open plastic tub. No lid or screen. They don't climb or fly.

Am I misunderstanding something? My mealworms climb out if I'm not careful.
I keep them covered with a slotted lid. One time I made the slots too big and for a couple of days I was finding mealworms in our cats' food bowls.
The cats weren't quite sure what to make of this.

Rebecca J.

Rebecca

I've been raising meal worms almost 2 years. I have the worms/beetles/ pupa/ in 3 different containers. Which I bought 3 " sweater bins". I cut a large square hole out and put "window screen" in the inside and tape it with Duct Tape( works great) I keep my worms and all in the house in the summer ( to hot in Redding, CA)

I have many worms/pupa/beetles, so I need a large containers, it's a very long process to get new worms; you just have to be patient:)

Every day I check for new Pupa's, I can get 15-20 a day sometimes. Beetles I can find maybe 4-5 a day( they lay their eggs- just hang around and then " drop dead":)

I move them, for they will eat each other for moisture, always keep some kind of fruit/ vegs. going. If they aren't eating it...move it out and replace with fresh, mold grows without refrig and then you get " nats":(

Does anyone know if you can raise mealworms using fine bran instead of coarse bran? I'd really like to hear from someone who has actually done it, if possible. I am trying it experimentally in a couple of my containers and am beginning to wonder if it packs too compactly for the beetles to dig through.

Or alternatively, does anyone know if you can raise them in rolled oats - not oat bran - leaving the rolled oats whole?

I'm asking these questions in an effort to come up with a better sifting method than I am currently using.

Thanks for your help!
Kathy Johnson
Flemington, NJ

Hi Kathy, I have not used bran but some worms were given to me in it and it was ridiculous to try and seperate them from the bran. I use rolled oats and corn meal and dry dog food and they do just fine. They are not very fussy what they eat. Just use what is good for them and easy for you to seperate them for handling. Chick starter from a grain store is good and
not expensive. Just be sure and get the non-medicated kind. They also
like carrots, potato, apple, lettuce and banana skins, which give the needed moisture, too. Ruth Edwards, Westport, MA

Yes you can use the fine bran or oatmeal(rolled oats). Leave the oats whole. I switched to oatmeal several years ago and like it better than bran and feel it works exceptionally well. I usually throw a piece of apple in for moisture. ~Shirl

I've read both - some people think it matters how much space between the top of your food and the top of your container (at least 2 inches) and that the container walls are smooth. I use the smooth clear plastic containers from the pet store meant for lizards - the width and length are similar to a shoebox but the sides are about a foot high. They do have lids - I've never been convinced I need them, but use them so I can stack my bins - I just started #13.

Kathy Johnson
Flemington, NJ

Hi Marc - if you're going to try to RAISE mealworms, don't refrigerate them. It will stop metamorphosis.

I compiled a bunch of info from books and websites on raising mealworms here: http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm.

The webpage has sections on timetable and lifecycle , stock, container, ventilation, temperature, light, moisture and relative humidity , food, supplements, cloth/newspaper covering, cleaning, separating out worms, colony cycling/maintenance, storage, freeze-roasting, dusting, uses, nutritional value, problems with mites, and other species.

I'm new to this farming thing, and am not sure how long I will stick with it, but wanted to try to it learn more.

Keep in mind that you won't even get any beetles from worms for about 3 mos.

Bet from CT

From: Larry A Broadbent [mailto:rockets"at"mnsi.net]
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 2:56 AM
Subject: Re: Advice on Mealworms...

Chuck,
Yes, I raise the mealworms at room temperatures, and once they are at a size I want, I count them out and place them in 4.0 Liter Rubbermaid containes in a thick bed of cornmeal, then into the fridge.
They will keep in the fridge like this in a low metabolism / suspended animation state for a few months.
When mealworms turn into pupae, the pupae are removed on a daily or every other day basis, and placed in a separate bran / cereal grain mixture 4.0 Liter Rubber maid tub with small sponges under the lids.

When the pupae hatch into beetles, they are removed on a daily or every other day basis and placed into a separate 4.0 Liter Rubbermaid container.

In other words, a separate container for each - mealworms, pupae, and beetles.

I've got 5,000 beetles in several containers laying eggs on a daily basis. I change the beetles containers with the bran and eggs every two weeks. These 5,000 beetles produce a LOT of eggs, which produce a LOT of mealworms.

When my mealworms start getting larger, I feed them a supplement of either non medicated Chick Starter or non medicated Turkey & Pheasant starter. Currently I'm using the Turkey & Pheasant starter. This provides an added protein boost content to the mealworms.

Regards,
Larry A Broadbent
Chatham, Ontario
Canada

From: Sheila Rogers
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 9:45 PM
Subject: Re: Advice on Mealworms... BB List

From: Larry A Broadbent [mailto:rockets"at"mnsi.net]
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 3:02 AM
Subject: Re: Advice on Mealworms... BB List

Shelia,
A quick reply.
Yes, I raise the mealworms at room temperatures, and once they are at a size I want, I count them out and place them in 4.0 Liter Rubbermaid containers in a thick bed of cornmeal, then into the fridge.

The beetles go into separate 4.0 liter Rubbermaid containers. I put in a layer of mixed white bran, red bran, wheat germ, and cornmeal. I use small plastic lids off of potato chip cans, and place grated carrots on the lids. This keeps the bran mixture from getting damp.
The beetles lay their eggs in the bran mixture. Lids have holes in them and two small sponges under the lids to provide the proper humidity content.

They will keep in the fridge like this in a low metabolism / suspended animation state for a few months.
When mealworms turn into pupae, the pupae are removed on a daily or every other day basis, and placed in a separate bran / cereal grain mixture 4.0 Liter Rubber maid tub with small sponges under the lids.

When the pupae hatch into beetles, they are removed on a daily or every other day basis and placed into a separate 4.0 Liter Rubbermaid container.

In other words, a separate container for each - mealworms, pupae, and beetles.

I've got 5,000 beetles in several containers laying eggs on a daily basis. I change the beetles containers with the bran and eggs every two weeks. These 5,000 beetles produce a LOT of eggs, which produce a LOT of mealworms.

When my mealworms start getting larger, I feed them a supplement of either non medicated Chick Starter or non medicated Turkey & Pheasant starter. Currently I'm using the Turkey & Pheasant starter. This provides an added protein boost content to the mealworms.

Regards,
Larry A Broadbent
Chatham, Ontario
Canada

From: Sheila Rogers [mailto:sheilarogers"at"charter.net]
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 11:36 PM
Subject: RE: Number of TRES broods per season

Well Bet
I've been raising the mealies also, I can definitely and "Agree" ...100% that the Beetles GROSS me out completely:( Worms don't bother me at all, long as I don't touch them:)

Have you found many " decapitated" beetles in the bin? I guess this is usual thing with them? Larry is raising them, can you advice?

I have lots of moisture/food.

Sheila/Redding,CA

From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net]
Sent: Saturday, May 28, 2005 9:07 AM
Subject: RE: Number of TRES broods per season

Decapitated beetles = cannibalism. What I’ve read says they eat each other because they don’t have enough moisture, so I don’t know. Maybe it’s too crowded?

Bet from CT

From: Larry A Broadbent [mailto:rockets"at"cogeco.ca]
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 12:09 AM
Subject: Superworms

Dear List members,
My questions have to do with raising Superworms.

Has anyone had success in getting their Superworms to morph into Pupae, then into Beetles?
If so, could you contact me off list? This would be greatly appreciated.

I understand that Superworms should be individually placed into confined containers such as plastic 35mm film containers, once they have reach their maximum size, and left there for +/- 30 days to morph into Pupae.

Regards,
Larry A Broadbent

From: Larry A Broadbent [mailto:rockets"at"cogeco.ca]
Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 11:02 PM
Subject: Raising Superworms

Dear List members,
This is some of the information I have gleaned from the Internet for raising Superworms zophobas morio.
Unlike mealworms, Superworms must be individually separated, and placed individually in small plastic containers such as 35mm film containers, in order for them to turn into Pupae.
Raising Superworms
The scientific name for the Superworm is zophobas morio. The Superworm is also known by another common name, Kingworm. Superworms are used for feeding reptiles, birds, and for bait. They take much longer to pupate than the mealworm. Superworms do not require refrigeration, AND SHOULD NOT BE REFRIGERATED!
NOTE: Refrigeration will kill the Superworms.
How to raise Superworms.
Many people ask me how to breed this worm. It is difficult, but it can be done. The Superworm requires bedding. We have found that wheat bran bedding works best. We also use some chicken egg layer mash ( common poultry mash) as an additive in the bedding. This mix in bedding makes the worms grow large. Some commercial growers also use brewers yeast so that the worms will put on size quickly. We do not do that. We believe that the yeast does put on size quickly, but that the worms are not as healthy as they are when we grow them out naturally at their own pace.
Once you have found the bedding you will need a container. For the small hobbyist a Rubbermaid container will work well. A ten gallon bin will hold three hundred worms nicely. The bedding mix should be placed on the bottom of the bin. 1 to 4 inches of bedding is fine. Place the worms on the bedding, and they will quickly disappear.
The worms will eat the bedding, but do require a great deal of moisture for drinking. This is the dilemma. The worms need the water, but too much water will get into the bedding, and the bedding will ferment. The fermentation will create a nice home for bacteria, and this will kill the worms. We have found that if we use potato, and/or apple slices that we have had the best result. The worms drink from the slices, and the bedding stays dry.

CAUTION: The worms will devour each other if they do not have moisture for drinking. Can you imagine that? You're on a train, and the guy next to you gets thirsty, so he bites into you and sucks the moisture from your body. Anyway, keep them with something to drink.
The Superworms require warmth. Room temperature in a heated house is fine for keeping the worms, but they need 70 degrees and up to breed. The worms will not breed in the worm stage. The must become beetles to breed. The must morph into beetles. The worms will first go through the pupae stage. The worms will pupate, and become beetles.

How do we get them to pupate? Tricky, but it can be done. The best way is to separate the worms. They will morph if placed under stress. We have found that if you take the worms and place them in a film container with a little bran and Cover the container with a cap the worms will pupate in a couple weeks. Check back every week. The worms will curl up, which is good. This means they are morphing. If they are straight and still they are dead. Keep checking until they morph into pupae, and then into beetles. When they become beetles place them into a bin with bran, and slices of potato. When the beetles die in a few weeks remove them, and leave the bin in 70 plus degree warmth. The new worms should be visible in about a month or two after the death of the beetles. Repeat as you wish.
Regards,
Larry A Broadbent
Chatham, ON
Canada

From: Trish Culpepper [mailto:trishkcully"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 2:33 PM
Subject: Re: raising Superworms

Trish - Frankston, TX
Hi Larry! Just do an online search on mealworms and you'll find lots of info. Here's one link I found.

http://www.nyworms.com/mealworms.htm

Hi Trish,
I wasn't asking about mealworms. I raise large quantities of mealworms which I sell to Bluebirders and pet stores. I've even given speeches at our Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society (OEBS) on raising mealworms.

My question was specifically about raising Superworms. Not mealworms.

Regards,
Larry A Broadbent

From: Chuck Jensen [mailto:cjensen"at"dts9000.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 8:56 AM
Subject: RE: Raising Superworms

Has anyone tried cricket jell for feeding moisture to the worms, be they meal or Super? Available at some pet stores, the gel is a polyacrolyte that absorbs water (think baby diapers). The key here is it absorbs, but does not chemically bind the water, thus the water is still available for worms/bugs/crickets, but it will not wet bedding or feed material. The consistancy is similar to jello. I do know it is used to feed water to crickets which have the same watering needs. This would replace apples, wet sponges, et al.

Worth a try.

Chuck

According to Tim Vocke, The Nature's Way:

"Cricket jell works to provide moisture for mealworms."

The Nature's Way is one of two mealworm companies that offer a 15% discount on mealworms to current NABS members.

New NABS members receive a coupon in the mail for 1,000 free mealworms, redeemable through either The Nature's Way or Sunshine.

For details, visit www.nabluebirdsociety.org .

Pauline Tom
Membership Chair, North American Bluebird Society pauline"at"NABluebirdSociety.org

From: Larry A Broadbent [mailto:rockets"at"cogeco.ca]
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 11:35 PM
Subject: Superworm raising - Update
Superworm raising - Update

Since I've been very successful in raising mealworms, I decided to take the plunge and try to raise Superworms zophobas morio.
Having read as may online articles on Superworms as I can, I started my project.

It is very difficult to get the Superworms to morph in pupae in a tub type container.
It is necessary to place one large Superworm per plastic 35mm film container, and then place the 35mm film containers on a Rubbermaid type tub.

I started my project on Saturday night July 16-05.
- I put 37 Plastic 35mm film containers per Rubbermaid 1.1 gal, containers x 4 = 148 Superworms
- this web article illustratres things well http://www.hanleysherps.com/htm/superworms.htm

- my first Superworm morphed into a pupa on Wed. July 13-05.
- this #1 pupae morphed into a Beetle on
- this #1 pupae turned into Beetle on Sun. Jul 24-05. That's 12 days

So far I have 20 Superworms that have morphed into Pupae. I had 13 morph into Pupae today alone.

- the Adult beetles are much larger than the Mealworm beetles. And they change color like the adult mealworms beetles do.

- I have a separate larger Rubbermaid container with a bran / cereal grain mixture set up for the adult Superworm beetles.
- it is very Important that the Superworms and the Beetles have an adequate supply of moist potato, carrots, etc in a dish on top of the bran mixture.
They are very cannibalistic, and will eat each other if they do not get enough moisture on a daily basis.

I will keep the list posted on my project, and hopefully will write an article and submit it to Beth Zimmerman for her website, so anyone wanting to try and raise the Superworms for themselves will have all the necessary steps.

Cheers,
Larry A Broadbent
Chatham, ON
Canada

From: lviolett [mailto:lviolett"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2005 11:09 PM
Subject: Lazy Mealworm Kit

Since we are in the slow winter months, I've been trying to come up with some type of self-sifting mealworm kit. We have hundreds of inventive folks on the List and we should be able to come up with an alternative to the standard storage box. Mealworms held in a storage box have to be periodically sifted to remove feces.

If we were able to devise a mealworm container that would allow the very fine mealworm feces to fall through a screen or cloth into a debris basin, the mealworms would stay perpetually clean. With a self-cleaning system, all we would need to do is periodically add fresh carrots and bran.

Window screen material is too porous, clean bran falls through the screen along with feces/frass. Stretched nylon stockings are about the right mesh size to let only feces pass through.

My latest attempt in this direction was to push a 1-gal plant container (with drain holes) into a nylon stocking. And that was pushed into another 1-gal plant container (drain holes aligned) then filled with mealworms, carrot slices and bran. Six of those kits were set over a plastic storage box where, theoretically, only feces would pass through the drain holes.
Doesn't work as planned (mealworms are escaping out of the containers into the debris pan).

Anyone (Larry?) have any ideas on how we can economically achieve a self-cleaning mealworm container?

Linda Violett
Yorba Linda, Calif.

Hi Linda,
As someone who raises and sells mealworms and superworms to Bluebirders and
pet stores her in Ontario, Canada - this is an interesting topic.

I hope I can lean and share some ideas.

I'm getting into Silkworms, waxworms, and butterworms as well.

Cheers,
Larry A Broadbent
Ontario, Canada

Does anyone use a suitable, more-coarse-than-bran substance that would not sift through window screen?

Pauline Tom, Mountain City (no mountains) TX

From: Don Edwards [mailto:pinecrestfarm"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 8:28 PM
Subject: Re: Lazy Mealworm Kit

I don't have time right now but I am going to make a wood frame that will fit onto the floor of the mealworm container. Across it I will tightly stretch some curtain -like material that I will have tested for opening size to let the frass through. Maybe bridal veil netting will be the right size.
I think the whole concept is a great idea and I'm sure something is going to
work. Just need to work out the best way to do it. Ruth Edwards,
Westport, MA

From: lviolett [mailto:lviolett"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 11:25 PM
Subject: Re: Lazy Mealworm Kit

Yes, Pauline, oatmeal wouldn't fall through window screen material. But oatmeal isn't ideal for the "Really Lazy" kit if we still want to be able to scoop out a "clean" handful of mealworms in a hurry using a sifter.

Linda Violett
Yorba Linda, Calif.

Susan Bulger, Fullerton, CA

I had an interesting experience last week. Was checking a few boxes and found one with a dead bee colony well wrapped in white webbing. Brought it home and set it aside thinking all was dead. Couple days later I scraped out the mess and found some white cocoons of various sizes and then some worms that looked like waxworms. I had quite a job getting them all out.
Before I saw the worms I was vacuuming and washing with soapy water but I kept finding more and more. My husband was using the pressure washer so he washed the inside of the box splintering out bits of wood which revealed neat tunnels similar to termite work. After using the soapy water I didn't want to feed the waxworms to the bluebirds though I know they love them.
The experience made me think the waxworms were pretty difficult to work with. My friend, the bee keeper, said the bees couldn't deal with the wax moths who bored into the wax so the grubs can eat the bee brood droppings and that the cocoon secretes something that dissolves the wood creating the tunnels I saw. He said they can ruin a box which I could see was true. I
would like to hear from Larry how he manages these little critters.

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas A cold 25*F morning!
These are the larval form of a moth. I believe there are actually a couple different species of moths that will eat the old cocoon skins of the pupating honey bees. These are the same species of moths that will eat the animal hair or skin on fur coats or clothing. They also can eat some types of wool clothing.

I always thought the worms simply chewed their way into the wood. I wonder if the meal worms can eat through or dissolve cloth sieves? There are all different mesh sizes of screen available commercially in brass, aluminum and stainless steel. I would expect Grainger's and McMaster-Carr would have the correct screen mesh size for building a state of the art "Lazy Man" meal worm container.

For collecting seeds I have several different screen sizes in large sieves to quickly remove hulls and debris from various sized seeds or daffodil bulbs. KK

I bought a package of two 9 x 13 x2" foil pans with clear plastic lids at the grocery store. Used the two lids as one and cut out three rectangles from the top leaving support strips across. With hot glue I attached some fiberglass [probably] window screening to the inside being careful not to burn holes. Turn the lid upside down within the foil pan. There will be about 1/2" space between lid and pan. Add mealworms, bran and veg. It is sifting nicely into the foil. Problems: frass will collect at the edges of the lid because of the scallop edge and quick workmanship, pan too small for usual amount of mealies, flimsy for washing, small bran flakes also fall through. A pair of litter trays and a finer screen, careful workmanship and spacers between pans if needed would be worth trying. I quickly searched Keith's suggestions of Grainger's and McMaster-Carr but I could not find plain screen and also did not know what size holes I needed.
There were some nice sieves but expensive. I might check our local screen door shop.

Susan Bulger Fullerton, CA

From: Sara Ann [mailto:sawright"at"direcway.com]
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2006 9:51 PM
Subject: Newly hatched mealworms escaping!

(I've been away for awhile and am just now returning.)

Started raising mealworms. Now have several containers with worms in various stages. My first container of beetles eventually started having a light tan layer of....fuzz? bran dust? all over the inside walls, especially around the air holes. Finally, this 'fluff' was on the outside of the walls and the lid. I would wipe this off, thinking it was probably bran dust. This week, however, some fell onto a white countertop, fell apart, and.........started CRAWLING!!! Truly, these little things aren't as large as a dust mote. But I evidently have thousands upon thousands of infant mealworms getting loose. I even found a layer under the container.

Why, do you suppose? I add potato slices regularly. Could the beetles be laying their eggs on the sides of the containers? I'm stumped.

(BTW, we won't tell hubby. He's less than thrilled having 'worms' in the house.........though he does love the BB's!)

Sara Ann
Missouri

From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 9:15 AM
Subject: Re: Newly hatched mealworms escaping!

You don't have Baby mealworms escaping you have parasitic MITES eating your mealworms. For EVERY living creature on earth there are hundreds of organisms that depend on them for food or a home!!!!! If you get a microscope you will probably find other smaller organisms feeding on the mites!!!!

Clean up with soap and water and move the containers out of doors. They will not harm you or the birds if you continue to feed them but just the thought will make you itch and scratch!!!! I would not tell your husband or kids either!!!!!

If you bought these from a supplier then I would bet that their entire operation is contaminated with these mites and they came in the shipment already feeding on the larva!!!!

... Keith Kridler

As the List might remember, I've been experimenting with easier ways to maintain/raise mealworms.

My goal is to have bins that are "self-sifting."
And I don't want to have to pick out beetles, etc, per most mealworm instructions.

Several large plastic storage containers were purchased and most of the bottom portion removed and replaced with double layers of wire screen. The screened container is placed over another storage container to catch mealworm debris falling through the upper screened mealworm container. If overly large containers are used, the screen will sag so you can put a strip of wood between the containers to help support the screened area.

Allow a "mother" container of mealworms to mature to the beetle stage without separating anything. Keep beetles, mealworms and pupae together.
Add some paper towling into the mixture to provide nooks and crannies and keep adding fresh bran and carrots as needed. If there are beetles in the container, there will also be mealworm eggs in the debris which falls through the screen of the bin. Periodically empty the lower debris
container into a plain kitty litter box or storage container. Add carrots
and some fresh bran to that "egg" bin and set aside. Collect each week's debris from the mother beetle colony into a different kitty litter or storage container and keep adding some fresh bran and carrots as needed.

When a kitty litter container has a good batch of small/med mealworms, it is time to transfer the mixture to a screened bin so the used bran/debris can fall through the screen and be discarded. Periodically add fresh bran and carrots. Use the mealworms or let the bin mature to the beetle stage to add to the "mother" colony.

I'm sure there will be modifications as I find better (lazier) shortcuts but this circumvents the need to pick out beetles and pupae that most mealworm raising instructions describe.

Linda Violett
Yorba Linda, Calif.

I raise mine in a fish tank (aquarium). Ihave thousands at any one time, from small mealies to the darkwing beetles. I use corn meal, but if one adds a bit of dog food (dry) once a week, they are more nutritious for the bluebirds. If one plans on raising them, it takes a long time to get started. You may think everything is dead in there for over a month, or even longer, before you start to see new growth. After that, it is merely a matter of housekeeping.
Phil Berry

Lana,

I hardly ever refrigerate my mealworms. I actually have a couple of tubs
(cultures) in my basement right now. They were in my garage last summer.
If you keep them out like you are doing, they continue to develop. That is what you saw when the one larva (worm) shed it's shell. It was getting bigger and needed to develop a new skin. When the worms are white and soft like this (right when they shed), they are an especially delectable treat for baby birds or birds in general I've been told. They will continue to do this throughout their life cycle, shedding their skin, growing a little, shedding again, until they become a pupae. The pupae looks like a miniature "alien" from the movie Aliens to me. Some will wiggle violently when you touch them and they are loved by little boys and hated by little girls :) After the pupae state, they become an adult beetle. When they first become a beetle, they appear brown and the wings are all wrinkly, but then they turn black eventually. Then they lay tiny little eggs that I cannot see and a while later (I'm talking several months unless temperatures are very warm), you will see really tiny little mealworms in there. We are talking about an eighth of an inch long little guys. These then grow and grow as before until they are of feeding size.

Since I feed so many in the spring/ summer months, I usually order them a couple times a season (5,000 like you did). I like to order small or medium worms so I can let some grow without pupating and feed these to the EABL.
If I get a lot of large ones, I will refrigerate some to keep them from pupating and keep them at feeding size. I let some go on to the beetle/egg laying stage and continue on in their bin of oatmeal or cornmeal so I always have some babies in there brewing. It saves money on buying worms all the time if I let them reproduce some on their own. I also put an apple wedge (or carrots should do nicely) in there for moisture needs.

Things to be careful of are watch out for mealy moths (I think that is what you call them) and other meal eating pest insects. If you get mealy moths in your culture, they make a sticky web almost like cotton candy. You sometimes find them in old bird seed. If you have your mealworm culture in your house, you then risk the chance of infestation into your flour bin and cereal boxes. My husband once ate a bowl of cereal that contained some such flour pest that I truly did not intend to feed him :) For this reason, I like to keep my mealworm culture in the garage during summer months. You will find that the hot summer temperatures speed up worm development considerably as well. I only bring mealworm cultures in the house in the late fall if they are pest free.

Paula Z
Powell (Central) Ohio

From: Sara Ann [mailto:sawright"at"direcway.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 1:44 PM
Subject: MEALWORMS: what am I doing wrong?

I now have to pitch (to the birds) my last two containers of mealworms due to mites. groan. This is the second time this has happened.

I have two new shipments due this week from two different suppliers, so I am in desperate need of advice.

Here's how I've been doing it:
5-gal containers with lids (immaculately cleaned and aired first)
plenty of airholes
bran from grocery store, some fish flakes
originally used potato slices, then read can cause mites
now using carrot slices
container with beetles had damp sponge attached to lid
keeping containers inside for warmth

So. Should I spray the floor for bugs? I HATE using insecticides in the house, but I will this once.
I will definitely keep new mealworms in separate rooms to prevent cross-contamination.
Our spring temps are still unpredictable; can still have freezes at night.

This should be so easy, but I feel like I've been pouring money down the drain so far! And just when my BB started using the mealworm feeder in the yard..........SOB

Thanks for any advice,
Sara Ann Wright
Thayer MO

From: Trish Culpepper [mailto:trishkcully"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 2:08 PM
Subject: Re: MEALWORMS: what am I doing wrong?

Sara...maybe you are getting mites in the bran from the grocery store. I've had problems with weevils in flour or corn meal from some grocery stores. Try a different store. I use cornmeal for my mealworms and don't have any problems. I've never used bran, so can't comment on that. I understand your frustration, though. I once had a problem getting rid of weevils in my pantry due to bringing some home from the grocery.

Sara,

I'm not sure I mentioned it the last time we discussed mites, but I read somewhere that placing the container in a shallow pan of water will prevent mites from getting to it in the first place. It's worth a shot, though you'll want to do everything possible to make sure you've gotten rid of what you can. They can be very difficult to see outside of their "cloudy" appearance enmasse.

Blaine

From: RLJ [mailto:ebecca"at"comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 4:27 PM
Subject: RE: MEALWORMS: what am I doing wrong?

To avoid weevils, put anything that’s prone to them – flour, cornmeal, etc. – in the freezer for a week or two after you buy it. This will kill any eggs present. Then you can safely take it out and store it in the cupboard.

Rebecca J.

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Mites are going to be host specific. The Red Spider mites and the two spotted mites in my plant room feeding on plants would starve to death in a tub of mealworms or their food.

Nearly all insects have some sort of mite that lives and feeds off of them. Honey Bees have the Varroa and Tracheal mites that can wipe out their whole colony. They have other species of mites that live on them but are not as harmful to their colony.

Beetles: Capture these outside and inspect the spaces between their body joints and under their wing covers and you will often find them covered in mites. All types of weevils can have mites and commercial mills and food plants often have hidden populations of all kinds of insects hiding and living in warehouses, up in the rafters where milling dust settles and in any nook or cranny.

If you are getting mites on your mealworms then they are probably coming in with the shipment in the first place. IF you are going to raise these on to adult hood you want to STERILIZE all of the dried bran, meal or whatever you feed them with heat. The deep freezer might work on mites and does seem to work for weevils but we keep our flour and meal in the freezer all of the time but many insects or their eggs can survive the -60*F temperatures in Canada every winter.

Microwaves don't kill all insects and their eggs. Most insects cannot tolerate temperatures above about 160*F. I would heat the flour, meal or bran for the mealworms to 200*F for 20>40 minutes in a shallow pan after it comes up to temperature. Jack Finch uses popcorn cooked in a hot air popper to keep his mealworms free from contamination found in most other mealworm food sources

There is also the possibility that the mealworms come in clean and the bran is clean but then weevils, moths or other insects come into your house carrying the mites and then enter through the holes in the containers. Most mites only have a 7>10 day life cycle and eggs can be laid nearby on many different surfaces. I doubt if the mites can survive very long without their first meal. I doubt if the potato is going to help the beetle mites but some larval forms of mites eat a totally different food source as larva than they do as adults. The Red Chigger is a red mite and only the larval form of this mite feeds on blood, the adults feed and breed on organic materials.

If you plan on raising your own mealworms take a few of them and get them inspected at your local high school or college in the science department. NEVER mix new shipments or new batches in with your older batches as you can always import more disease and remember that the longer a supplier raises mealworms the more likely they are to have problems.

Honey Bees have a couple of "miticide" insecticide strips that you can place in the bee colony and this will kill the mites on the bees but they need to be removed after a few days to keep from harming the bees. There is now a Small Hive Beetle that is devastating the Honey Bee colonies in the Southeastern States. They probably have their own species of mites living on them. KK

Remember those last two batches of mealworms that got mites? One container was filled with the beetles and I sifted them out this morning.

My BB's have visited the mealworm feeder regularly and have nibbled at the worms, coming and going throughout the day. However, when I put the beetles in the feeder, the BB's stayed and chowed down. I suppose this is an indicator of something.............I have two Carolina wrens that come to a little dish on the windowsill. They stand and stare at me whenever they want some mealworms. I put some of the worms/beetles in their dish. The first wren picked out beetles and slung them out of the way to get to the mealworms. Then, the second wren came along and ate the beetles. (It doesn't take much to entertain me.....)

Too, I had added some crumbled cuttlebone to the worm bin (I had read that the worms would nibble it, thus getting calcium, eventually, into the BB's), and the beetles were swarming all over it as I removed the bedding. I suppose that calcium is good for their eggs also.

That's my small contribution of information for the day.

Sara Ann Wright
Thayer MO

Hi folks! Any farmers know why mealworm beetles die almost immediately after turning from pupa into beetle form? The farmer I'm corresponding with is using open trays and large pans without lids.
The temperature in the room is about 75-78 degrees. She is supplying bedding and moisture.

Lately mine have been croaking too.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Bet from CT

(Info on raising mealworms at http://www.sialis.org/raisingmealworms.htm )

From: Lana Hunt
Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 8:33 AM
Subject: Re: dying meal worm beetles

Bet,
Mine will not die! I have them in large trays with screened lids with corn meal and a carrot. I keep waiting for them to die to harvest the eggs. They have been beetles for at least three weeks now.

I've been feeding them the Carolina wrens, the adults eat them but they don't feed them to the nestlings.

Lana Hunt

Interesting about the wrens. Are you giving them live ones? Anybody else have birds eat beetles
(live or dead ones)?

This farmer indicated she is supplying moisture.

I have mine in a room that is sort of cold, so I figured that's why they were dying (almost as soon
as they convert from pupa.) They did fine last year.

One person suggested mites. If there were mites, wouldn't they impact the worms too?

Bet from CT

Female beetles lay their eggs 9 - 20 days after emergence. They lay for two or three months, and then die. Each beetle lays about 275 tiny, bean-shaped white eggs - about 40 per day. The eggs are seldom seen because they are sticky and rapidly become coated in substrate. They are about the size of a period at the end of this sentence - you would need to line up 20 to equal an inch.

From: denisefarmer"at"comcast.net [mailto:denisefarmer"at"comcast.net]
Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2006 5:17 PM
Subject: Mealworm farm report and thoughts for Bet

Bet and all,

Bet, earlier you asked about the meal worms that were dying. I just checked my three drawer compartment and my beetles are still going strong. I have tons and tons of baby worms in the compartment. I also have numerous potato slices that I slice fairly thin and the beetles and worms are all over those. The more I have thought about this, the more I think moisture may have been a problem for your friend.

now that I have so many baby worms, I have separated the beetles and moved them into a new compartment with about 5 or 6 slices of potatoes. then I put several spoonfuls of baby worms in the other drawer which I will allow to grow into pupae. This drawer also has 5 or 6 potato slices. The remainder of the worms, when large enough will then go to the birds and again with all these worms I have about 8-10 slices of potato. This method seems to be working great for me and you can pass that on to the friend you had that wrote about his beetles dying.

So luckily for me, no problems yet with the mealworms, beetles or pupae

Denise
Parkville, MD

Cher,

I keep mine in a smal aquarium in my home office and they reproduce readily.

I use corn meal as a medium, and add 3 slices of apple every Saturday. My colony is three years old now and I always have plenty of mealies for the blues. NO UPKEEP is required other than I mentioned.

Phil Berry

Phil, don't you have to sift out the frass? I've always been afraid to try raising them because once I accidentally inhaled some frass and suffered with chronic sinus trouble for months after that. Don't they smell funny? Even the ones in my fridge get gamey after about 3 weeks.
Maybe you have very polite mealworms . . . LOL Can you send me some from your gene pool? Dang, it sure would save money if I didn't have to buy 'em at $25/5K!

Cher

Contined in Part 3