I Need a New Mealworm Farm

[Sally]

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.

Anna, they must be eating them whole, as I'm finding a few but not many carcasses--either that, or these mealies are crawling out of the tray by the hundreds, and you will read in the 'Enquirer' one day about a woman whose house was eaten by mealworms! When I got low on mealies, and was offering even the big ones, I checked the babies to make sure they were still being fed--I could actually see a big mealworm in two of the crops! That is the first time I have been able to see contents in their crops, as their skin is so dark that crop food contents don't show. So they were stuffing whole large mealworms down those babies throats!

[Sally]

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

I have been using Grubco, in Ohio. A lot of people in the southeast use Southeastern Insectaries in GA. On the west coast, Rainbow mealworms seems to be the source of choice. I think whatever is close to you works, as that cuts down on shipping costs.

[annague]

Wow! Whole mealies with their skins on! Those grens can handle more primitive food than the CB's...! Interesting.

[Ursula]

I am ordering from NY Worms for years. They have shipping included and they are very reliable.

By the way: As some of you know, I put the mini mealies in a cup in the freezer (!) overnight before I feed them in the morning to the birds. I do it that way for months now, I believe since last summer or so. However: Just recently I found a BIG fat juicy mealworm in the aviary, and just this weekend I did major cleaning and found a mealworm beetle!!
This can only mean: either at least one beetle or mealworm survived my cleaning last year before I started freezing them over night, or some of them survive the overnight freezing and are able to still grow and multiply?
Needless to say, I'm keeping my eyes open now for crawling things in the aviary, and I scolded my button quail for not finding them...

[lou]

Ursula,
Here's what I do when a shipment of meal worms arrive, get a large pot bigger than you think will hold all the worms, fill with water, let boil now add all the worms in, water will stop boiling wait until it starts boiling again (about 2 minutes, depending on the amount of worms)remove from boiling water, rinse under cold water ,let dry and freeze. The worms will not clump up together this way.This kills anything that the worms might carry. The birds still love them.I read this info in the gold finch book, I have been doing this over a year now.
Lou

[Ursula]

Ursula,
Here's what I do when a shipment of meal worms arrive, get a large pot bigger than you think will hold all the worms, fill with water, let boil now add all the worms in, water will stop boiling wait until it starts boiling again (about 2 minutes, depending on the amount of worms)remove from boiling water, rinse under cold water ,let dry and freeze. The worms will not clump up together this way.This kills anything that the worms might carry. The birds still love them.I read this info in the gold finch book, I have been doing this over a year now.
Lou

Thanks for the tip, I appreciate it!

But honestly, I am not sure I would want to do that..... I tried these canned crickets once, the ones that look black when you take them out of the can, and the birds didn't touch them. And I couldn't stand the smell! I just can't imagine throwing live worms in a pot of boiling water...

[Sally]

I tried the canned mealworms, and none of my birds would touch them. And Ursula, they had a smell too.

[lou]

I don't know how they prepare the mealies before canning them, this does have a slight smell to them when blanching. I have smelled a lot worse I have no problems doing it.
Lou

[MLaRue]

I find Rainbow to be the cheapest and their worms are always very healthy looking...

I just unpack them outside - the few that escape are at least outside.

My Grens eat them whole too - no sucking juices out - they eat the whole thing Tons of them!

[lou]

Misty, what size mealies do you feed them?
Lou

[L in Ontario]

Ursula,
Here's what I do when a shipment of meal worms arrive, get a large pot bigger than you think will hold all the worms, fill with water, let boil now add all the worms in, water will stop boiling wait until it starts boiling again (about 2 minutes, depending on the amount of worms)remove from boiling water, rinse under cold water ,let dry and freeze. The worms will not clump up together this way.This kills anything that the worms might carry. The birds still love them.I read this info in the gold finch book, I have been doing this over a year now.
Lou

Thanks for the tip, I appreciate it!

But honestly, I am not sure I would want to do that..... I tried these canned crickets once, the ones that look black when you take them out of the can, and the birds didn't touch them. And I couldn't stand the smell! I just can't imagine throwing live worms in a pot of boiling water...

Can't be any worse than tossing live lobster into a pot of boiling water - but yeah, I can't do either of those.

[Ursula]

Can't be any worse than tossing live lobster into a pot of boiling water - but yeah, I can't do either of those.

Couldn't do the lobster either...

[lou]

But they sure do taste good
Lou

[Ursula]

But they sure do taste good
Lou

Yes, that's right.

[MLaRue]

Misty, what size mealies do you feed them?
Lou

I feed the "mini" size or small - anything bigger they won't even eat.

At some point I think they think the worms are going to eat them!

I bought medium sized Phoenix worms and they didn't even give them the time of day but the mini's... they are gone in seconds!