Just a part of the world of growing mealworms. We have used many different ideas for giving our mealworms a water source. This is what we do that seems to work best for our colony.
Just a reminder some folks can build an alriagic reaction over time to meal worms. you can hold that off by wearing a mask with a filter on it and using gloves with overalls to work with them. the same for people doing rat breeding. you can develope a reaction over time to rat poo and rats. even though you didnt start with it. if you use a mask with a filter from the start you can avoid develope the reeaction from the get go.
I can attest to this both personally -from my own experience involving feeder crickets and roaches- and also as part of the medical community (albeit as minor a role as a vet tech ultimately plays in the medical community) having witnessed both respiratory problems and contact dermatitis being developed due to the excessive and careless repeat exposure to airborne particulate fecal "dust" created by basically any insect or rodent
I have mealworms myself. Im breeding them too. I give them a lot of different vegetables. I want them to be the best quality possible. But i know they are picky. One apple is not as good as another apple. Last week i gave them an apple slice, and they all attacked it basically and after 3 days it was all gone. But that had never happened before, i always need to throw away vegetables. So i put in a different kind of apple, and that one seems to be less delicious of some sort, because theyre not attacking it like last time. They really liked the apple i gave them last week.
Oh and to back up what you said about frass. If you use a layer of frass in miro greens. the black larve frass you can get mold problems down in large scale micro greens grows . if you are in a legal weed state frass works well on weed plants.
I used to keep mealworms and superworms in a little plastic cup I learned it the hard way then you can't keep them in something like that what's 200 worms in a cramps cramped space the cup would get extremely moist to the point that you could touch the walls of the inside of the cup and it will be slightly wet every time I would put any kind of fruit inyhere Liking The oatmeal at the bottom of the cup would get moldy fast and that inevitably ended with me cleaning it more frequently than I liked to be The first time I kept mealworms and superworms I made some not so wise and a lazy decisions like one time back when I was keeping mealworms and superworms and a little plastic cup I didn't do much research on how to care but I heard that they get their water from fruit I was too lazy to put any fruit in there so I decided it would be more convenient to spray the oatmeal what I got was moldy oatmeal and Dead mealworms and superworms I learned my lesson after a very long painful cycle of changing oatmeal every time I put fruit in there and it got moldy because of fruit juice and so many worms in one spot mixed with oatmeal So after learning my lesson I moved the mealworms into a bigger tank the tank is so big a bearded dragon would be comfortable in there I filled it with oatmeal and I ordered 1000 superworms on Amazon Now when I go to the pet store to get crickets for my frogs I always try to get two or three cups of superworms usually the 50 count to keep a supply Now I don't use direct water anywhere near the oatmeal in the tank and I give them fruit I put a whole Apple in the tank and by the next day they've already started eating into it
Thank you so much for this video! How much wheat bran do you put in each container? I think I am putting way too much however when you sift out each week do you have to keep the new eggs and frass seperately? I think I have way too much but am afraid if I get the frass/eggs seperated I am afraid that if I get it too deep they will suffocate? I sure plan of following you and look for more in the future! Well done!
have you ever used moist paper towels as a water source? i have been raising meal worms and super worm and i prefer to use moist paper towel as a water source, but you have to use a lid to prevent it from contact with the substrate and causing mold...your worms will love the wet or moisten paper towels.. they will crawled into it and to me it seems they grow faster and healthier too... to clean all the frass, i just use a vacuum and hold it to a point(6-7'') where it won't suck up the worms and its super fast and easy to clean, try it if you haven't?!!
how do u not oversoak the bread? Because im afraid that it will mold because i have oatmeal in my bin.... But i use carrot and stuff too and they only take bits out of it... they are eating ore oats than the stuff i put in there! so maybe i will try the flatbread cause they really dont eat the potato or carrots.
I just started raising mealworms, have about 100 right now and noticed some of my beetles have parasites, do you have recommendations on how to keep them healthy?
@@ISeeDeadGamers grain mites are a nightmare. Always, always, freeze your oatmeal/wheatmeal well, before use! You might do best to chuck away that culture and start again. Thoroughly wash and dry your mealworm containers.
i don't have them Split peas ground up into a powder takes care of the problem swiftly. i don't put carrots in my wheat bran anymore i just spray the bran with water only enough so they can consume, i am adding 2 pound of wheat bran every 4 days i have 10 containers working on getting more it a good little side hustle and the chickens love them. @@S.Trades
I have gotten very very small mite like bugs in my meal worms.what are they and will they harm worms or get in my house.they appeared on potato that molded and now are really bad.how do I get rid of them.
as Cole Panike said, they are grain mites, likely from the bedding you used. It's best to freeze the bedding (bran, oats, or whatever other grain you are using) at least overnight before adding it to your bin(s). This will minimize the risk of grain mites infesting your colony.
I do that now. If the mealworms lose interest in the bread because it's too dry I will dip it in the water and give it back. They are doing much better with this method.
by adding water,, you risk that ALL the OATS-WHEAT BRAN IN THE BOX START TO MOLD. BY ADDING A vegetable PPIECE its easyer to keep it seperate and the worms can pick and choose. Cind of like humans dont mixt say chips and coke until its in the mouth. hehe
@@samkom33 Well, that might be the case with Wheat Bran . I use just Oats, and have no top and been feeding them fruit/vegetable, plus a light mist of water every other day for the past 8 years without a problem.
@@MegaTechno2000 yes if the top is open and the air is dry,, a mist of water shouldnt be a problem,,, also the thickness of the layer of food matter,,, if you have say a big box with 1 to 2 inches of bran and just a tiny air hole your almost asking for trouble, even without extra water. hehe
Meal worms can eat styrofoam and it’s perfectly broken down into compost and does not hurt then worms! Look it up. Just spray with water to feed. Makes a good system
You get worm food from the food bank?? Why?! I think you might be better off using your own food and leaving the food bank food for people who actually need it. That's horrible.
This is food that the food bank would be throwing out, not feeding to people - it's stale food that is no longer suitable for human consumption. A very good way to use up spent food rather than let it go to waste.
I have 6 mealworms ready to turn into pupa and in going to start breeding them for my breaded dragon
Nice !
Just a reminder some folks can build an alriagic reaction over time to meal worms. you can hold that off by wearing a mask with a filter on it and using gloves with overalls to work with them. the same for people doing rat breeding. you can develope a reaction over time to rat poo and rats. even though you didnt start with it. if you use a mask with a filter from the start you can avoid develope the reeaction from the get go.
interesting
Fish breeding gave me allergy to dirty water
I can attest to this both personally -from my own experience involving feeder crickets and roaches- and also as part of the medical community (albeit as minor a role as a vet tech ultimately plays in the medical community) having witnessed both respiratory problems and contact dermatitis being developed due to the excessive and careless repeat exposure to airborne particulate fecal "dust" created by basically any insect or rodent
I have mealworms myself. Im breeding them too. I give them a lot of different vegetables. I want them to be the best quality possible. But i know they are picky. One apple is not as good as another apple. Last week i gave them an apple slice, and they all attacked it basically and after 3 days it was all gone. But that had never happened before, i always need to throw away vegetables. So i put in a different kind of apple, and that one seems to be less delicious of some sort, because theyre not attacking it like last time. They really liked the apple i gave them last week.
Same it happens idk why
Uny Just A Girl lol thanks for the word APPLE i remember theres an apple in my bag😅
Dang dude! How many critters you feeding with 30,000 worms in each bin? You got a zoo in your backyard or something lol....
Oh and to back up what you said about frass. If you use a layer of frass in miro greens. the black larve frass you can get mold problems down in large scale micro greens grows . if you are in a legal weed state frass works well on weed plants.
I used to keep mealworms and superworms in a little plastic cup I learned it the hard way then you can't keep them in something like that
what's 200 worms in a cramps cramped space the cup would get extremely moist to the point that you could touch the walls of the inside of the cup and it will be slightly wet every time I would put any kind of fruit inyhere
Liking
The oatmeal at the bottom of the cup would get moldy fast and that inevitably ended with me cleaning it more frequently than I liked to be
The first time I kept mealworms and superworms I made some not so wise and a lazy decisions
like one time back when I was keeping mealworms and superworms and a little plastic cup I didn't do much research on how to care but I heard that they get their water from fruit
I was too lazy to put any fruit in there so I decided it would be more convenient to spray the oatmeal
what I got was moldy oatmeal and Dead mealworms and superworms
I learned my lesson after a very long painful cycle of changing oatmeal every time I put fruit in there and it got moldy because of fruit juice and so many worms in one spot mixed with oatmeal
So after learning my lesson I moved the mealworms into a bigger tank
the tank is so big a bearded dragon would be comfortable in there
I filled it with oatmeal and I ordered 1000 superworms on Amazon
Now when I go to the pet store to get crickets for my frogs I always try to get two or three cups of superworms usually the 50 count to keep a supply
Now I don't use direct water anywhere near the oatmeal in the tank and I give them fruit
I put a whole Apple in the tank and by the next day they've already started eating into it
My favorite thing to eat when I watch this video is scrambled egg
At 8:08 you can hear them chewing soo cool I'm gonna breed meal worms for my D'anver chikens and my fish.
Those are more mealworms than I needed to see in my lifetime 😱
What do I feed baby mealworms and what do I keep it on so the bedding doesn't get moldy? All my babies are drying up.
Any fruit or vegetable that isn't wet. Carrot, apple, potato, pepper. You can put it on some newspaper, paper towel or cardboard.
Thank you so much for this video! How much wheat bran do you put in each container? I think I am putting way too much however when you sift out each week do you have to keep the new eggs and frass seperately? I think I have way too much but am afraid if I get the frass/eggs seperated I am afraid that if I get it too deep they will suffocate? I sure plan of following you and look for more in the future! Well done!
How do you get started.
have you ever used moist paper towels as a water source? i have been raising meal worms and super worm and i prefer to use moist paper towel as a water source, but you have to use a lid to prevent it from contact with the substrate and causing mold...your worms will love the wet or moisten paper towels.. they will crawled into it and to me it seems they grow faster and healthier too...
to clean all the frass, i just use a vacuum and hold it to a point(6-7'') where it won't suck up the worms and its super fast and easy to clean, try it if you haven't?!!
I dip the bread in water and they attack the bread. They also consume the bread so my frass is clean when I sift it out.
Who else got the chills? Just me? Okay
not me as i ate half of lemon pie while watching this video.
Nice operation you got there!
great video!
When they're thirsty they're all so hungry
Very useful method, I just subscribed
Is that OK to feed them with ginger?
cucumber
I though those were biscuits....
i don't mind the 4 dollars for the hundred mealworms at my local petstore.
how do u not oversoak the bread? Because im afraid that it will mold because i have oatmeal in my bin.... But i use carrot and stuff too and they only take bits out of it... they are eating ore oats than the stuff i put in there! so maybe i will try the flatbread cause they really dont eat the potato or carrots.
I just started raising mealworms, have about 100 right now and noticed some of my beetles have parasites, do you have recommendations on how to keep them healthy?
Madbrahmin how can you tell they have parasites?
use split peas grind them up to powder what you have is grain mites.
@@ISeeDeadGamers
grain mites are a nightmare. Always, always, freeze your oatmeal/wheatmeal well, before use! You might do best to chuck away that culture and start again. Thoroughly wash and dry your mealworm containers.
i don't have them Split peas ground up into a powder takes care of the problem swiftly.
i don't put carrots in my wheat bran anymore i just spray the bran with water only enough so they can consume, i am adding 2 pound of wheat bran every 4 days i have 10 containers working on getting more it a good little side hustle and the chickens love them. @@S.Trades
@@ISeeDeadGamers are you saying ground up split peas, kills grain mites? Who found that out?
Are mealworms sensitive to mold? Should moldy bread be removed immediately or is a little bit ok?
not that I know, but we originally were removing chunks of moldy food since they were not eating all the potato or carrot.
How often do you give them moist food?
every day
@@NWRedworms Thanks. You feed them every day and they eat so voraciously. That's amazing.
How do you get started
i was wondering if you have problems with the beetles getting out?
good I like
How often do they need a water source?
What is the food looks like tortilla ??
Very nice video. Thank you. What do you do with all these? Do you have a website?
yes, northwestredworms.com
how do you separate the larvae from the pupa
we either pick them out or set the bin aside (if they are mostly all pupating) and let the bin hatch out.
Time for me to do this again.
I have gotten very very small mite like bugs in my meal worms.what are they and will they harm worms or get in my house.they appeared on potato that molded and now are really bad.how do I get rid of them.
Helen Crowe Grain mites. Throw out the batch and start again I'm afraid. There no saving it and they'll infest your house.
Helen Crowe b
as Cole Panike said, they are grain mites, likely from the bedding you used. It's best to freeze the bedding (bran, oats, or whatever other grain you are using) at least overnight before adding it to your bin(s). This will minimize the risk of grain mites infesting your colony.
So you add water/moisten the bread?
I do that now. If the mealworms lose interest in the bread because it's too dry I will dip it in the water and give it back. They are doing much better with this method.
Thank you. I tried regular bread. I’ll look for flat bread like in your video.
Where do you get your trays?
Mealworm Farm looks like cement mixing tubs they work great for this as well as snake breeding and mouse or rat breeding
beetles need water also?
yes they do. u can put what he put but i use potato carrot apple and stuff like that
I left oatmeal to rot it turned green then black then mealworms came out
More likely fly maggots than mealworms.
You can just give them a light mist of water every now and then.
by adding water,, you risk that ALL the OATS-WHEAT BRAN IN THE BOX START TO MOLD.
BY ADDING A vegetable PPIECE its easyer to keep it seperate and the worms can pick and choose.
Cind of like humans dont mixt say chips and coke until its in the mouth. hehe
@@samkom33 Well, that might be the case with Wheat Bran . I use just Oats, and have no top and been feeding them fruit/vegetable, plus a light mist of water every other day for the past 8 years without a problem.
@@MegaTechno2000 yes if the top is open and the air is dry,, a mist of water shouldnt be a problem,,, also the thickness of the layer of food matter,,, if you have say a big box with 1 to 2 inches of bran and just a tiny air hole your almost asking for trouble, even without extra water. hehe
@@samkom33 Yes, when I first started out I used a top and got grain mites.Took the top off and let everything dry out, and the mites went away.
The meal worms I bought to start my colony were twice as big as the ones I have now. What am I doing wrong?
I think it's a good thing. the mealworm is growing and soon will turn into pupas
What?
Brent S they will soon turn into bugs
some meal worms are treated with hormones to keep them growing in the larval stage.
What's all the dust on the boxes
its the frass aka the mealworm poop
I feel bad for the insect larvae, they get killed and eaten without ever becoming pupae or adults.
It’s the circle of life and for them it’s a pretty long life
At what point should you add a water source to the just hatched baby mealworms?
Olive's Play and Learn TV immediately
Not real water just fruits and veggies full of moisture
I add the water source immediately lest they cannibalise each other looking for moisture.
Why you feed them pancakes?
Not pancakes flat bread. Did you not pay attention he said what they are for
NWRedworms,
Can you use mealworm frass to feed your redworms? I know that redworms eat BSFL castings.
You can use a little at a time in a small bin. But it better to use it in your soil mix to feed the living biology to include the worms in your soil.
Meal worms can eat styrofoam and it’s perfectly broken down into compost and does not hurt then worms! Look it up. Just spray with water to feed. Makes a good system
I have a few setups for this
@@dylandoyal9091 what do you use the styrofoam for....not plants i hope....styrofoam isnt organic is it.
Are you still doing this?
Yes, but I am scaling it down.
Do you sell them? If so I would like to buy some if you ship to ND
It also depends on the price
@@bettabreeder9307 yes we do, www.northwestredworms.com/all/mealworms
wow! duwow! of this echo whatcowow! of this done what you feed him?
What?
Food bank for worms?
Lili Grapendaal - I know it sounds awful and like he's cheap / taking advantage
Ugh, NO, he said its food they couldn't use as in out dated stale ect. Jeesh people.
Waring:d0 n0t watch this while when you eat dinner
Or your will ded
🗿
Why on earth do need to grow up these things....?🤤🤤
Some people fry and eat them,I use them to feed my lizards and chickens
i use to feed them to my hedgehogs
Chickens loves them
use water crystals
Barbarian King do they mold?
Water crystals are not as good because they are not natural. Sometimes mealworms die from them.
You get worm food from the food bank?? Why?! I think you might be better off using your own food and leaving the food bank food for people who actually need it. That's horrible.
This is food that the food bank would be throwing out, not feeding to people - it's stale food that is no longer suitable for human consumption. A very good way to use up spent food rather than let it go to waste.
He says in the video its food they was throwing out. Jeesh !