I Need a New Mealworm Farm

[Sally]

My Grens are eating so many mealies that I almost ran out today. I was scraping and sifting thru all the drawers in my farm and just about emptied them all--the only things left are the ones so tiny that you can barely see them. So now I need to get some large mealies and start a whole new farm. I am going to use Monique's method with the special beetle drawer.

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... 55&start=0

I had to order 20,000 minis, and they just arrived in time--I saw the UPS truck go by (I'm on a deadend street), and I was waiting at the gate when he turned around! I was getting pretty scared I wouldn't have enough for the Gren babies.

I put them in a plastic bowl and added carrot to rehydrate them. Thought I'd photo the process of them going after that carrot. In 2 minutes, the carrots were out of sight in the mass of mealworms. I'd hate to fall into a vat of mealies!!

[lovemyfinch]

Those mealies sure were hungry

[cindy]

It is funny to watch them descend on top of a piece of apple or carrot...what a swarm!!!!!

[annague]

The stuff of nightmares!

I am trying to go NLF this year after a disastrous start to my CB breeding season (still haven't gotten one normal clutch) so no mealworms for me this year but last year I was trying to put all 10,000 I'd ordered in the bins I had and (as careful as I was) those puppies were getting flung around as I removed them from the newspaper. I later found a live mealworm in my underwear.

[B CAMP]

If you put the bag into the frig. for 1/2 hr when you take out the paper they are not moving around when cold

[cindy]

Oh my Anna......

[MLaRue]

The stuff of nightmares!

I am trying to go NLF this year after a disastrous start to my CB breeding season (still haven't gotten one normal clutch) so no mealworms for me this year but last year I was trying to put all 10,000 I'd ordered in the bins I had and (as careful as I was) those puppies were getting flung around as I removed them from the newspaper. I later found a live mealworm in my underwear.

LMAO!!! I had tears over that Anna! eeeewwww!!!!

Why do they have to send them with all the paper and stuff? Just makes it a bigger mess - and the cloth bags - they stick to it! Drives you crazy!

[annague]

I don't know... I suppose there's a good reason for it but I find it annoying too -- and after the underwear incident I will never be so blase about handling mealworms again!

Thanks for the hint about the refrigerator, too. I knew they went into stasis but I don't usually have enough room in my refrigerator to put that big box in prior to unpacking....

I wish I could be more professional about live foods because the birds really love them but.....ewww is right.......

[Sally]

That was too funny, Anna, though I know it wasn't funny to you! I usually open my mealworm shipments on the tailgate of my truck. I also open the bags into a rubbermaid tub, so there are lots of walls to catch the ones that ricochet off when I unfold that newspaper. I think I read one time they use the newspaper to give the worms something to hold onto during shipment. Nevermind, I think that was flightless fruit flies.

Thanks for the tip about the refrigerator, Bill, I will do that next time. The box wouldn't fit, but the bags should.

[L in Ontario]

Wow - that's a lot of mealies! How long will they last to feed your fids? How many do you go through a day?

[Ursula]

I love the pictures!

I order the minis in 10000 quantity too. I always put the bag in the fridge first for a few hours, and then empty it in a bucket standing in the sink. Then I carefully unfold the newspaper... Once I got them shipped packed with paper egg cartons inside. THAT was a mess! I find the newspaper much easier to handle.

I'm sorry, Anna, but I had to laugh too about the mealworm in the underwear. It just sounds too funny.

[Sally]

Wow - that's a lot of mealies! How long will they last to feed your fids? How many do you go through a day?

Liz, this little bowl is probably 3" across. I would guess there is at least 100 mini mealies in this bowl, and I am pouring these in on the hay 5 or 6 times a day! When I was getting low on mealies, I figured I would clean out the hay and find a lot of mealies in the tray. I was surprised to only find about 50-100 mealies crawling around! These birds are eating lots, but when I checked one of the babies yesterday, there was a nice full crop, so it is worth it! Not very many of my other birds are getting mealworms.

[annague]

It's all right, Ursula! It wasn't funny at the time but it IS pretty funny now. (Still, I shudder to think of one of those things crawling around on me... bleh!!!)

Bill, duh, you said bags and I was just thinking box and forgetting about that holey bag. Of course, into the refrig next time it goes!

Sally, wow, those grens are packing those mealies into those babies -- that is SO good!! Just out of curiosity are they stripping the 'juice' (or whatever it is) from the mealies or eating them whole? Mine always 'milk' the mealies and leave their little empty carcasses behind.

[Pukasand]

I later found a live mealworm in my underwear.

Anna, you have made my day... that is hilarious.

[lou]

where is every one getting their meal worms from? I get mine from Rain bow meal worms in Ca.
Lou