Search results for query: *

Bummer! I hate it when that happens and you usually don't figure it out until you get home with the product. It's hard to know whether they came from the manufacturer or the retailer. All it takes is favorable environmental conditions for a population explosion in the presence of any grain...

First of all, I'm not sure how many times I've addressed this issue, but I can tell you it's been quite a number. The first step is by prevention, as aart has noted, by heating the bran (or whatever substrate you're using). This will not, however, eliminate the risk of grain mites from...

They are dermestid beetle larvae. Pull them out as you find them.

I like the single bin method too because I don't have a lot of extra time to spend on them. Having something on the surface for them to crawl on and hide does help. I keep egg cartons on top to give the beetles more surface area to do their business, but I took them out for the pictures.

If you look at the first page of this thread you'll find links to three different perspectives on raising mealworms, each with pictures. I use the single bin method which is the easiest way to get started.

Welcome to the thread! I don't think you're crazy at all, it sounds like a fun project. The first thing that comes to mind is that body size and rate of development are intricately intertwined. Generally speaking, it takes more time to achieve larger body sizes and, conversely, faster...

Sounds good. Try to get some wheat bran if you can to add to the rolled oats. Also, make sure you have consistent access to moist vegetable/fruits. More frequent feedings of very thinly sliced potatoes or apples would be better than less frequent feedings of thicker chunks.

I've occasionally seen this, but I'm not entirely sure what causes it. That about 1/4 of them appear this way seems very unusual. Are you raising them in a single bin or a separating pupae from the larvae in multiple bins?

Good. I don't do it often, so when I do the colony is pretty filled with it. I just scoop off the top inch or so and reserve that in a bucket. I remove the bottom layer (use it for plant fertilizer), add more substrate to the container and pour the top layer back on to it. My colony is in a...

That sounds good. I would probably add a bit more starter, or better yet, wheat bran. Be sure to check the tag on the chick starter to make sure that it does not have diatomaceous earth in it. Eventually you should remove most of the bottom layer of substrate and add new material.

It doesn't really go bad (unless it gets wet), but it does get eaten. Have you been regularly adding more over the past 9 months?

The picture is too fuzzy to tell what is going on. Does it look like fungus? Is this the only worm you've seen with this? If it's the only one I might be inclined to remove it from the colony and kill it.

Hey, I grew up just north and east of you. I remember those winters and I don't miss them one bit.

You have grain mites. They really aren't all that harmful to the mealworms directly, but they are a mess. The high moisture conditions that promote the growth of grain mites also fosters the development of pathogens that can be harmful to the mealworms. The most direct way to get rid of them...

That's a good question. It's hard to know since so few stay around on BYC for that long to report back. I've kept mine going for decades because it's so easy and I've always had something I needed to feed mealworms to. Oh, BTW, you don't have to read the entire thread, that's a lot of reading...