Anybody keeping mealworms? I'm curious what the basic accomodations are for, say, 5,000 of them - space requirements, amount of wheat bran bedding, supplements, et cetera. Do they reproduce rapidly? I've found some real basic info on the web, but am hoping to touch base with someone who's got personal experience with the little guys. Anybody? Thanks, Sean.

-- Sean (rougan@rcn.com), April 17, 2002

Answers

I haven't thought much about mealworms in years. My grandmother(now deceased) raised them for years. She and her husband were avid fishers and used these as fishbait. As a child I remember seeing her grow them in a little screened cage in a back hall of the house. She raised them in corn meal and she always had lots of little squirmmers in there. I couldn't begin to give you the details on what she did...but it sounds like a good project...wish I had paid more attention as a child to a lot of the things she did around her house. Maybe someone else has some info about mealworms...I would be interested in knowing more also!

Evelyn

-- Evelyn Flesher (etflesher@netexas.net), April 17, 2002.

Found this by doing a Google web search:

Meal Worms

Meal worms come from the Tenebrio Beetle. They are easy to breed and keep. They are best kept in plastic containers. I use either plastic ice-cream pails or deep, flat rubber maid containers. Air holes are drilled through the tops of the containers.

You can start your meal worm culture either with the beetles, larvae or actual mealworms. If starting with the actual worm you will find that the worm will, after some time, pupate and eventually metamorphosing into a fair sized black or brown beetle. The beetles in turn lay eggs that eventually hatch into meal worms. If you are interested in breeding a meal worm culture you will have to provide a medium in which they can breed and sustain themselves. I have found it best to have a layer of either bran or wheat germ flakes. The layer can be 3 to 4 inches deep. My own preference is to use wheat germ flakes. I keep a piece of apple in the container for both food and moisture for the little critters. If the container starts to get damp I then make more air holes and will even make a hole in the ends of the container, cover this with wire screening for better air circulation. I also cover the entire culture with loose layers of newspaper. This affords then more darkness as well as absorbing dampness. In addition to the apple I will feed carrot peelings as well as spinach leaves. I believe in the adage, “you are what you eat”, therefore I don’t feed raw potatoes as I feel the birds will benefit from a worm fed on wheat germ flakes, apple, carrot and spinach.

I have found the secret to raising a meal worm culture is heat. The culture can be forced or slowed down depending on the amount of heat where it is located. I place the container near the furnace or any other warm spot in the house. Currently I keep my containers in a high spot in my heated outdoor aviary where the temperature can often be in the seventy degree range. If you want to slow the culture down place it in a cooler area. When you have enough worms for you needs you can collect them in containers and place them in the fridge. They go into a hibernation like state and are completely dormant. If I need a dozen or so I simply remove them from the container located in the fridge, let them warm to room temperature and feed them to the birds. Some people will scald them at this stage however I feed them as is, as the birds seem to be attracted to their movements. When I get too many beetles I start another culture. At any one time I usually have half a dozen cultures on the go in order to have a continuous supply of meal worms. One other thing to remember. Have a good fitting lid on your breeding container.

Mike Crawford

Candor Aviaries

-- Shari (HelixHi76@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

The article Shari posted was great. It covered the basics pretty well. I will add that I raise mine in oatmeal. They don't grow quite as big it seems, but it's easier to get around here than bran. I started out keeping my mealworms directly in the oatmeal box but they quickly chewed through it. Now I use a 10 gallon aquaruim with a screen top made for keeping lizzards and snakes in. As for speed of reproduction, once you have a few beetles things speed up pretty quickly. I don't know how many eggs a beetle lays, but it must be a lot.

-- Les Vaughn (rocketcaver@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002.

I've keep mealworms for various bird rehab patients for many years....I keep them in a bran/oatmeal mix, and feed then a thin slice of sweet potato or apple every week or so....they do very well on this...reproduce and make more meal worms......(beetles too, that do *their* thing..) smile

-- Birdlady (A_Birdlady@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Ihave meal worms in a large horse barn Can any one tell me how to get rid of these things. we hate them and would give some one all they can find.WE have done a lot of things to kill these creatures.

-- jay vance (jay.l.vance@worldnet.att.net), April 18, 2002.