Mealworms are expensive but easy to cultivate

13 years ago

We've been feeding our bluebird pair mealworms. Unfortunately, we also have a nesting pair of mockingbirds who learned where the 2 feeder dishes are kept & they aggressively defend their "food source." We tried a bluebird mealworm feeder but the bluebirds haven't figured out how to get into it. We end up using around 100 mealworms each day to feed all 4 birds. This can get expensive, so my husband did a little research on the web and now we cultivate our own.

We purchased 5,000 mealworms from DrFosterSmith for $39.99 plus $20 for live shipping. My husband bought a plastic upright drawer unit for $20 at KMart, drilled holes in the top drawers for the beetles to lay eggs that drop into the lower drawer. The bottom drawers are for the worms to transform into larvae, which then turn into beetles. Each drawer is lined with the substrate: oatmeal, corn & bran meal (food), a little flour (for iron), fresh slided carrots (for moisture). To keep the worms from transforming back into beetles,keep them cool (40 degrees) in a "warm" refrigerator to slow down their metabolism.

We're lucky that the cardinals, woodpeckers and bluejays haven't figured out the mealworm trays are open but raised off the ground.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

allan_2009
13 years ago
Try Southeasterinsecturies in Georgia (on web) MUCH cheaper plus 2 day guarantied shipping for @ $2-3!!
craftylady6
13 years ago
I was wondering a few things..

What size drawers did you get?

Could you elaborate on the holes you put in so the eggs drop down into another drawer? This would help not "handleing" those aweful beetles!

Sandra
Related Discussions
Any ideas for an easy to sell crop?
Q
Comments (9)
One suggestion is fruit trees but one time I think I read you have bears around your property? My folks, many years ago, homesteaded acreage. After clearing it, they planted 100 fruit trees. A beautiful variety of cherries, plums, apples, pears, three different types of nuts. Being in the far outskirts of the town and with the whole of BC, lakes and mountains, in the back yard, they were plagued with black bears. They are beautiful animals --- but they eventually ruined the orchard. At one time they could be shot, folks took the bodies to eat or can for dog meat, another fellow tanned the hides. This kept the number down. Then rules came out "no shoting". The bears multiplyed. They would come into the orchard two or three at a time and would reach up and pull down the branches and break them, when they couldn't reach, they would climb up the trees and break the rest of the branches. At one time when you pulled the hammer of the rifle back, it clicked and with their fantastic hearing, they would run, only to return right behind the two large dogs that had chased them. Today, I live in a waterfront subdivision, both houses on either side of my line, are only a couple feet from the line and each year, I have to pick my fruit so early, before it is ripe and keep fixing the fence that the bears have crawled over, as the area is crawling with over confident bears, not afraid of a thing. Bears will eat strawberries and raspberries, too. One good thing for you to grow to sell is corn. Raspberries & boysenberries are easy. I love to go to the Fraser Valley and pick strawberries. Good Luck and let us know what you decide to do.
...See More
Saffron Cultivation
Q
Comments (10)
blakekr- I live in Western NY State. I planted saffron this last year - not enough to amount to much but I'm a plant junkie and I find I learn alot about a plant just by growing it. I'm not sure how it will fair through the winter - that is yet to be seen, but it did sprout and has held its leaves through the winter. I would really go with what ksrogers said. Try near to your house, on the most sheltered side. Even though you are in Zone 5B your property will have micro-climates in it where it is warmer or colder. This can bump the hardiness Zone in those locations up or down respectively. Those spots are pretty easy to find this time of year - it is generally where you feel warmer or colder around your place. I read once about people in Alaska locating a flower garden over their septic system just to get a bit of a micro-climate bump from the relative warmth of the waste water. While I'm not suggesting you do that, it illustrates how people use those spots to stretch what is possible in their zone. A few saffron bulbs aren't that costly to try it out and see if it works for you. I bought the bulbs I got at my local garden center/nursery. They carried them with the other fall planted bulbs. Just make very sure to look for Crocus sativus which is the saffron crocus. It was much cheaper than buying saffron bulbs from the catalog herb places. Good luck! FataMorgana
...See More
Any ideas for easy ways to provide vertical supports for vines?
Q
Comments (41)
I haven't been on the forums for a while so am a bit out of touch. I've been busy in the garden, but it is already 90F at 9am so am taking it in small doses today. I got carried away with purchasing and trading morning glory seeds this past winter and ended up like many of you with not enough fence lines to grow them on. I raise sheep and if they can get to a plant it is history! I made some trellises this year with refrigeration tubing rolled into a shape like a spring (about 6" in diameter) then inserted one end of the spring in the ground or pot and the other end in a section of copper pipe stood on end in the soil with the plants around it. The plants seem happy enough with this arrangement but it is actually a little short for most morning glories and they are overreaching the tops now looking for additional support from neighboring plants. Another idea that I tried this year is actually working better--I had a section of loose chain link fence that I could get anyone to take away for me so I used a bolt cutter to cut off the part where the wires are twisted together at the top and bottom freeing the wire to be twisted out of the fence fabric. They are perhaps 6-7' long. I tried various configurations in pots and ground using 3, 5, or 6 wires. I twisted the wire into the soil and wired the tops together making some teepee type trellises. The plants LOVE this wire and have almost no problem climbing the trellises. In some pots (smaller type vines), I pushed both ends of the wires into the soil and it makes a nice fat balloon shape that are very nice when covered with vines. My visitors have all been very interested and complimentary of these trellises/support systems You just can't get any cheaper than the salvaged fence trellises. I would bet that you could find pieces of this kind of fence at the local landfill or recycling center. Good luck, spiderwoman
...See More
Mealworms anywhere?
Q
Comments (12)
Nancy, I used Grubco for years with great satisfaction but all of a sudden their shipping charges were outrageous. The problem for me was that when I ordered from them online, their page would never let you know exactly how much shipping was going to cost--then I'd find out after shipment exactly what the total cost was. Several times the cost of shipping exceeded the cost of the worms! I e-mailed them about their process and their response was that basically if I couldn't afford the shipping then I should stop ordering from them--so I did! I was disappointed because I'd ordered from them for years, but am now very happy with New York Worms and there are no surprises at how much my shipment will cost. Kathy
...See More
kendra2003
13 years ago
I don't understand that part about the holes for the eggs to fall through. How could they fall through without losing all the substrate? Do the beetles get a different bedding?
parrotmommie
Original Author
13 years ago
The plastic upright drawer unit can be purchased at KMart, Target or anywhere storage units are sold. The drawer sizes vary about 12w"x15d"x4 to 7"h, the total unit is about 4feet tall & has wheels & 6 drawers.

You can drill small holes in the top drawer where the beetles live since the eggs are tiny and will fall through to the next drawer(otherwise the beetles will eat the eggs). A better way is to cut out the bottom of the drawer (leaving about a 1" margin) & tape down or staple plastic window screening over the opening. Place any beetles you have in this drawer.

Make sure you have a small refrigerator (set at no lower than 40 degrees)to keep the mealworms from transforming into pupae, then beetles. The beetles will die after laying eggs. You can feed the dead beetles to wild birds, bluebirds, bluejays, cardinals, etc. The beetles don't fly so you can set them on ground in a feeding dish.

There are several excellent websites on growing mealworms, especially in you tube
craftylady6
13 years ago
forgive me for being thick, what size holes did you use? And is there any substrate in the beatles?
parrotmommie
Original Author
13 years ago
Use a one-eighth inch drillbit, just drill several holes. The beetles are in the same substrate. They lay around 300-500 eggs each, so some will fall through the holes and others will develop in the top drawer. The screen works best for catching more eggs, but drilling holes is easier.
ohsoblue77
13 years ago
It looks like I have to start with mealworms.

I have 5, 6 day old nestlings that are likely to parish soon,but I did put a tray with waxworms,suet, and moistened cat food out on the ground (Too windy to hang)

This is sad! that's weeks went to waste! I hope they make it! Don't know if we'll have a 2nd brood this year...

Mealworms are expensive but easy to cultivate

Comments (7)

allan_2009

craftylady6

Related Discussions

kendra2003

parrotmommie
Original Author

craftylady6

parrotmommie
Original Author

ohsoblue77

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Mealworms are expensive but easy to cultivate

Comments (7)

allan_2009

craftylady6

Related Discussions

kendra2003

parrotmommieOriginal Author

craftylady6

parrotmommieOriginal Author

ohsoblue77

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

parrotmommie
Original Author

parrotmommie
Original Author