Mealworms

[00buckhunting]

I was wanting to know if anybody here keeps mealworms, if so what is required to keeping them, I know you will need bran or oatmeal, Etc. and some type of tub. but do the have to say in a climate controlled area or can the stay in a shed during the winter time without hurting them. My grandfarther raise some when I was a kid but I don't remember what all he did, I would like to start keeping some for myself. any help will be greatly apprecatied thanks 00buckhunting

[crappy1]

I have some. get some wheat bran and a tub they cant get out one of those rubbermaid tubs is what I use. feed them bread but no water that will kill them. the colder the climate that will keep them from being bugs. but they have got to be bugs so they will raise.

[centerdriver]

My grandpa had a country store and between the 2 of us, we raised almost everything there is for fishing. Old fridge on it's side half full of cow patties for red wigglers, big plywood box inside the store held crickets, and in the back of the store was 3/4 of a 55gal. barrel for the "golden grubs" or meal worms as people call them now a days.
He had about a foot of saw dust in the bottom, about an inch of layered news papers on top of that and once a week, he took 2 potatos (cut into quarters) and just placed them around ramdomly while removing the old taters. The grubs ate the paper, got their moisture from the taters and the sawdust kept them dry. He started out with 200 and within a month we were selling them for a penny apiece as fast as we could box them up (with a little sawdust in the bottom of the container).
Hope this helps. He kept them in the back of the store year round, but do not believe he let the temp get much below 60 in the winter time.
Dusty
P.S. Forgot to mention the 5 catawbua (i know it's misspelled) trees and picked off the worms and froze them in corn meal. Best bream bait I ever found.

[00buckhunting]

Thanks for th info. as far as leting go to bug they will it gets warm in the summer of course in southern Illinois, but I didn't know about the cold. thanks again hope to here from some more people about how they keep them

[gone_fishing]

I keep some in a 5 gallon bucket. I didn't have any bran I have some ground corn. They do fine they do like some moisture they seem to do better with it than without but I generally neglect mine and they still do fine. If you think about it they grow outside feed mills in spilled grain on their own so how much pampering do they need. I do believe a little pampering will produce more but I always have all I need.

[CrappiePappy]

Mealworms: Easy to keep for weeks at 40 to 50 degrees as they are packed when you receive them. For longer storage, shake from newspaper in shipping container and place in wheat bran, middlings, or bran flakes. Punch holes in lid as they require a lot of air. Some moisture, such as lettuce, potato or apple slices, is necessary if you plan to keep for longer period of time.

They ought to know :p

... cp

[rocket rich]

I use ch icken laying mash they do really good feed them any thing like banana peeling, potato skins carrots etc . they will hatch in black bugs seperate them and the cycle begins again in no time you have a million Ikeep them in my basement in small pans like you get in the hospital no need for big tubs.

[Grumpa]

My wife raises them and she has thousands of nice sized worms, she uses wheat chaf and will put apple peels in them. They will eat the peels down to just a waxy piece of skin that you could see thru. The apple peel gives them the moisture they need to get bigger. She does not ever cover her unless taking to the lake, when they are covered and any source of moisture in them then they will get moldy and kill every last 1 of them. She also uses the cardboard like egg cartons for them to hide out in.