Meal Worms - grow your own

Mealworms are easy to grow at home. These come in two sizes - small and giant. I like the small's, but I have a buddy who grows the giant's. Get a new 5 gallon bucket (no lid). Buy these from your fastfood places for around $1.00.

Then go to the bait shop and buy a couple of boxes of the size mealworms that you want to grow. Do not mix them! I started mine with a big box of Kroger Cost Cutter Oats, but Quaker Oaks will do. I now use hog brand meal. We buy one hundred pounds (several of us split it) for $6.00 from a farm supply place. Now fill the bucket about 1/4 full of meal.

Dump in the worms (the more you start with the better). I got about 1,000 from a friend. Now slice up a potato and throw it in (you can use apples, fresh corn cobs). What we're looking for here is something to hold moisture. I use only potatoes.

Buy some nylon screening from the hardware store to cover the top. You do not have to tie it in place. The bugs do not fly. Now the worms will turn into grubs, then black bugs, then die. It will look like nothing's in there (wait). Feed potatoes and meal when you think it's necessary. I add 1 potato per week now, plus a cup or two of meal. Leave old stuff in bucket. The stuff that looks like powdered residue are eggs -that's your next crop.

This process takes a couple of months, but you will have worms of all sizes, black bug and grubs eventually. I fish with the worms and grubs. I ice fish mostly with the grubs and smaller worms.

Raising Mealworms
Eric Morris

Mealworms are the larval form of the darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor). They are clean, do not carry human diseases and most importantly, are a nutritious food supplement readily accepted by birds and fishes. Mealworms can be offered to birds to entice them to use a nest box or to assist the incubating female to find food quickly so that she does not have to leave her eggs for long periods of time. They act as supplementary food for nestling if food becomes scarce when weather conditions prevent the parents from finding insects and, help them survive during spells of severe winter weather.

Raising mealworms is quite easy, requiring only a grain source such as wheat bran, cornmeal, chicken mash or oatmeal. To provide moisture, one may add a piece of potato, apple or banana peel on a paper towel or a cardboard about once a week. Care should be taken that the meal itself doesn't become too moist. Mealworms can be kept in shallow plastic containers (2 to 5 gallons capacity) that are covered with a lid that provides good air circulation (a cover of screen or perforated metal can be used). The containers are to be kept in the dark because darkling beetle prefers darkness.

If one intends to raise 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 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 larva comes to the surface and metamorphoses into naked white pupae for 6 - 18 days and then finally into a beetle. It is interesting to note that although the adult beetles have wings but they rarely fly. They usually lay their eggs 9 - 20 days after emergence and then die. Egg incubation is about 4-19 days. Eventually, waste products or "frass" builds up and a slight odor of ammonia will be detected. When this occurs, the grain needs to be sifted to separate the worms and adult beetles. The container is to be washed and new grain should be added. Dry cat food can be added to the grain to enhance the protein value of the mealworm for birds. Keeping them in the refrigerator for a few weeks, up to several months can slow the mealworm metabolism down. If you plan to do so, the vegetable matter must be removed first. [http://www.WetPluto.com/A-Guide-To-Ring-Worm.html]Worms provides detailed information on Worms, Dog Worms, Ring Worm, Tape Worms and more. Worms is affiliated with [http://www.e-Insects.com]Insect Bites.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Morris http://EzineArticles.com/?Raising-Mealworms&id=409795

Rather than spend time looking for mealworms in the wild, spend a couple dollars of buy them. Most pet stores and many fish tackle shops sell small and large mealworms. They are sold individually or in amounts of 50, 100 or 200. The large mealworms cost more, but are more lively and easier for students to observe. The large mealworms often are treated with hormones so they will NOT become adult beetles. The small mealworms will change into adult beetles within a month or two. Mealworm larvae and adults can be purchased from: Berkshire Biological Supply Company, The Biology Store (pupae also available), Carolina Biological Supply Company, Connecticut Valley Biological Supply Co., Inc., Nasco (pupae also available), Science Kit and Boreal Laboratories (larvae only), and Ward's Biology (pupae also available)

How to Make a Mealworm Container

Materials

Scissors
Masking tape
Mealworms
One container for each team or inividual student
Equal numbers of black and clear film cans
Black construction paper
To Make a Container

Remove the lids of the film cans.
Cut squares of black construction paper larger than the film can opening.
Place a mealworm in the clear container.
Place the black paper between the openings of the film cans. Leave enough space for the mealworm to move to the other side.
Join the two cans together and secure the paper with tape. When taping, try not to cover up too much of the clear film container.
Handling Mealworms
To pick up a mealworm, use a plastic spoon or a folded 3x5" card to scoop up. When holding mealworms, keep hands over the container or table to avoid dropping the mealworms on the floor.

Precautions
Do not leave the containers where the sun will hit them. The containers can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days if the mealworm is provided with a little bran. Keep in mind, adding the bran also adds a new variable to the experiment. After the experiment is completed, dismantle the containers and give the mealworms food.

Moisture For Mealworms
Devin Price

Like all insects meal worms need a moisture to thrive and reproduce. There is a ton of info out there on the web on this subject. In our years of breeding insects we have tried all the methods of providing moisture. Adding water directly to the substrate will cause mold and kill your colony. We have worked out several methods to successfully provide moisture to our meal worm colonies.

First you can use a simple paper towel folded in half or quarters, add some water and squeeze out the excess. Place the paper towel on the top of the substrate. This can still cause mold. So you need to leave the top off the meal worm tray. Check the meal worm colony frequently and make sure there is no mold. Now the best way to provide moisture is from sliced vegetables. We have been using potato slices or whole carrots.

The meal worms get their moisture directly from the vegetables and receive nutritional value as well. In a few days all you need to do is dig through the substrate and remove the dried vegetables. In the last few years we have discovered what we believe is the best moisture source there is.

The nopal cactus (opunita streptacantha). We slice the nopal cactus pads into strips and place these on top of the substrate. When the worms are finished the only thing left is the thin skin of the cactus. This species of cactus has few thorns and the few there are can be removed easily with a knife. We have had absolutely no problems with mold and have found that the meal worms consume the cactus before any other moisture source. If you have access to nopal cactus we strongly recommend trying it as a moisture source for your meal worms. [http://healthyreptiles.com/]
For more pet reptile info and picutes visit healthy reptiles.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Devin_Price http://EzineArticles.com/?Moisture-For-Mealworms&id=418463

Low Price Insect Food
Devin Price

More and more stores have started to sell food for insects. But this food is often very expensive making the savings of breeding at home nil. So I've put together a list of low price food for most feeder insects. I'll break them down into the individual insect species.

Crickets

While some breeders feed crickets exclusively grain foods, I've found this provides the crickets with none of the protein that your pets require. Here's an inexpensive recipe I've been using for a while. The main ingredient is dry cat food, followed by bran or oats, as well as vegetable scraps.
Start by blending the cat food dry, making a fine powder (you could use a food processor as well).
Mix about 3 parts cat food to 1 part bran or oats. If you like you can add fish flakes or other dry grains, but these could get expensive. And for moisture I've Found that carrots or potatoes work good. You could also use a simple sponge placed in a jar lid. Just make sure the sponge is clean and doesn't contain any soap. I purchase all these items at my local dollar store. There is no need for premium ingredients.

Mealworms

For meal worms I use a simple mix of bran and oats. I purchase these from my local feed store in big bags that last months. I also like to add some of the cat food as well. I've found the protein and brewers yeast that is in the cat food helps the mealworms grow faster and larger. I use to use carrots or potatoes for moisture, but have just discovered cactus pads are the best moisture source. When they are finished there is only a thin cactus skin left. The cut pieces also don't mold either.

Roaches

Feeder roaches are even easier. I provide a slice of inexpensive bread or just left-over bread scraps from the kitchen. I also provide a small dish of the cat food as well. For moisture I like the sponge in the shallow dish.

I hope this has been informative, and remember that most of these insects can eat simple vegetable or fruit scraps. So before you try the expensive commercial food try some cheap home made recipes first. [http://healthyreptiles.com/]
For more pet reptile info and picutes visit healthy reptile .com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Devin_Price http://EzineArticles.com/?Low-Price-Insect-Food&id=418472