Liam's World thanks for the tip! We are going to be installing some aquaponic systems soon; I’ll be sure to set some up :) Thanks for watching!

And the substrate would be ...........

Wheat bran

Excellent idea. 😊 As you know they, normally, just pluck out the beetles & put them in the beetle bin. You could also glue on little legs to raise it a little above the bedding so the bedding/food doesn't get onto the plastic sheet. Just a thought, they are cannibalistic so, hopefully, the beetles don't eat the pupae first! Hopefully, they'll be more attracted to the food below. Maybe better without the legs? Not sure. Maybe ensure the 'table' is not too wide so when they start wiggling whilst hatching, they fall over the edge into the bran or whatever you're using. It will be an interesting experiment to see which works best. 🤔 No-one really knows whether the beetles eat any pupae before they're removed into the beetle bin. They say, as long as there is sufficient food for them, they don't eat their brothers and sisters. Another thought, do the pupae need the bedding to keep them warm? Would the pupae being out in the open like that cause them to hatch more slowly? During the Summer months, it might not make a difference but on cooler days, it might slow them down. 🤔 Gee! You've got me brain working in overdrive here! 😅 Still, it's a good idea and worth experimenting with. I might test it out when I get a 2nd run bin going. 😊

I'm trying to start mine today for my chickens. How do you know when to harvest for the birds and how long did it take you to feed daily for the birds ?

I'm a bit late to the party so maybe you've already got your answer, but from experience I'd say you'd get at least 1-2 cups of frass a month, presuming you keep a fairly large amount of young mealworms. The worms only eat so much before they have enough energy to pupate, so you have to keep up the maintenance of a breeding colony to get new mealworms every few weeks to generate more frass. Also, keep in mind that you can get allergic to frass over time. I've bred mealworms for 6 years now and I've just started to notice my throat getting swollen when I get it out from the tubs. Please use a respiratory mask (doesn't have to be an expensive one) and gloves when collecting the frass to be on the safe side. :)

Check mealworm sellers online and you can work out what is comfortable for you. In the beginning, you won't need to sell them but after a long time of continuous recycling of them and having plenty of frass in storage to use whenever you want and your colony gets too big for you, then you'll want to, Take a look at their cycle timeline. They go dormant in the Winter and slow down in Autumn and slowly become active in Spring. If you get snow where you live, that will kill them. What quantity of meal worms you get will decide how big your colony will become. Each Darkling Beetle will lay 70-100 eggs during a 3 month period. Good luck! 😊

Hey Sue, Yes, when they turn black/dark brown, that means they are dead. Generally, mealworms do not get very big. There are large mealworms that you can buy, but they are just regular mealies that have been treated with a growth hormone. Potato should be fine, I just felt that carrot had a bit more nutrition that potato. I have seen many systems using oatmeal, but I can get wheat bran cheaper at the local feed store (I think it is about $13 for a 50 lb bag). Good luck, and thanks for watching!!!

Sue B-T you can literally just give them styrofoam.

@@WelcomeBackWoods Mealworms become Darkling Beetles. The larger ones are called Superworms and they become Mario beetles. Completely different species. There are also mini mealworms that turn into Diaperinus or Buffalo beetles. They work great for clean up crews in reptile vivs.

Rick Bell depends on your goals. 10k would work for home use; if you are looking to sell them, I would go with 20k. I keep my bins with 1-2k beetles, and change the carrots/sift the wheat bran 1-2 times a week (more often for mealworms; they are bigger eaters than the beetles. Wheat bran has been the best medium for me. Good luck!

Rick Bell I have wondered about the in breeding question myself. So far, haven’t found any information. Starting with beetles would be faster for sure. If you are wanting 500k mealies, I would start with 2k-5k. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for your help buddy. Look forward to learning more from your videos.

I did read about the inbreeding and it appears they have a built-in system that prevents it. They beetles give off certain pheromones and it will only attract another beetle from a different group. However, it can be that they dance anyway, occasionally. But usually, and normally this system works.

BlaisZeroni honestly, I can’t give you many answers. It is all a bunch of trial and error. Good luck!

vickieads43 I got my first batch at the local pet store; but now I would recommend buying bulk online. Try www.spacecoastmealworms.com/

Patshhi4 I throw them to my chickens as well.

Hosny Sayed I have not timed it out exactly. I feed them when they are full sized. Usually between 3-5 months, I think.

why tho? 100-200 beetles is what I started with. It was pretty manageable.

Em Jay I have no idea; but if you try it out, let me know 😊

200 starting beetles is more than enough given a few months to let the colony grow,, since 1 beetle lay 500 eggs.. so if there are 100 beetles laying eggs, you have 50,000 mealworms .. and if those 50.000 lay eggs, you need more than 1 tub.. hehehe

@@samkom33 if you're a small time worm breeder it's not gonna enough to feed all your birds, chickens, lizards etc.. i have 1000 and it's barely enough for me to feed my asian song bords..they go through these meal worm like candy when breeding season is on... you'll know what i mean when you have birds or critters that eats these every day ..200 is not enough for you to feed your pets...as they hatch it takes them at least 4months to be good size to feed your pets and with only 200 hahhaha good luck..i breed them for a long time now and i would start out with 1000 and still has to buy 2000 to feed my birds and the one i'm breeding is barely good to feed my birds .

@@dablaugntximntxub2318 agreed,,, if you have say lots of birds ore a trout farm you need millions of worms. .. but if your a hobby breeder you soon run out of space if you manage to raise most of the eggs until they grow up. hehe. im just saying if you have to pay 1 dollar for 1 worm its cheaper to buy 10 and wait a month getting your own eggs, than using 10.000 dollar on worms. but i guess it depends where you buy your worms-beetles a big worm farm might sell worms cheaper than a pet store. same with wheatbran,, if you buy it from a food shop,, 1 pound cost around 2 dollar. but if you live near a mill, ore know somone at a bakery, you can get it almost for free.

Connie Crites working up to be able to feed 70 birds, but I still need to expand.

Welcome Back thank you

Eric Grose it gives them something to hold onto and crawl on. It’s especially important when they are so compact like his are.

Vandy Niyomkham not sure. You don’t want so much moisture that things mold quickly. I have also seen people use potatoes. Honestly don’t have any experience with daikon radishes.

Might lead to some inbreeding issues, though I am not sure that is a thing for insects.

@@WelcomeBackWoods Well the meal worms seem happier. They are more active in there new home and they are going through food pretty quickly. But can they reproduce as larvae or do I have to wait until they turn into the beetle?

samantha ramirez wheat bran.

Welcome Back thank you

Keyboard Warrior not sure on the chicken feed 🤔 I use wheat bran for my worms; $20 for a 50 lb bag.

Un Qurdu hello to you!