DIY Self Sorting Mealworm Farm

How to build a cheap, simple way to grow your own mealworms at home. Great for small to mid operations. Enjoy!

[@gwendolynnbates6933]

Awesome tutorial! Here's something I learned using putting air holes in totes like this: A soldering iron or wood burner works really well to put the the holes in, it doesn't crack and it's much faster

[@hlegler]

It took me years to convince my husband that a hot glue gun was a legit home repair tool that deserved a place in every man's tool box. I think I might get him his own hot glue gun for Father's Day this year lol. :) Great video--thank you!!!

[@cherylgawne711]

I use a candle to heat a nail up then it melts through the plastic for the air holes with no cracking!! Thanks so much for showing this!!!

[@randallclare780]

a tip for drilling in thin plastic is to reverse the direction of the bit. Typically, this prevents cracking around the holes.

[@kirkusarelius3365]

As well as having a piece of wood behind plastic

[@joycechambers1263]

Yes, I prefer a soldering iron for holes and cutting parts off plastic tubs.

[@harrisonbinasai6630]

great video and you have a nice smile, causing me to smile as well while watching this alone at 2am

[@said.skopal]

haha cool

[@Kamal_AL-Hinai]

Nice :)

[@joshuawick3187]

A hot soldering iron makes very nice clean holes in plastic containers.

[@thankyoujesus2836]

J Wick that’s exactly what I did! Worked like a charm

[@mainarbor3564]

I was going to say a got poker but a soldering iron is a self heating hot poker! Lol good on ya!

[@amechelb]

Idk why I didn’t think of this the first time I did my set up 😂 I have one handy too. Oh well. Next time I won’t forget.

[@crotalus2011]

$3.99 Harbor Freight soldering iron makes nice smooth holes and never cracks!

[@Andruth34]

I've found drilling into the plastic against a piece of scrap wood also usually prevents cracking, as the wood provides support

[@thegreybeardking]

Good video and thanks for sharing. I did basically the same thing shown here but modified it after several cycles of growth. As others have mentioned, get a soldering iron with the pointy tip. Burn tons of holes in the bottom of the top bin. Forget drills. Burning holes is lightspeed faster. Anyway, that will let the eggs fall through as well as any smaller mealworms. The beetles won't go through. They're too big to fall through the burnt holes. I don't use a screen and I don't hotglue them in. The hotglue eventually peels off and the whole thing fails. I feed rolled oats. They're bigger in size and don't fall through as much as a finer bran mix. Then it's just a simple matter of moving beetles from the bottom bin to the top bin and keep the cycle going. Everyone once in a great while, I'll dump the contents of each bin into a colander to sift out the frass. Don't breath that stuff. Sure, some eggs will be lost in the process but with a big enough colony, it's negligible.

[@judyradke9847]

The Beard King I’m lost here. Why do I need to separate eggs, pupa, beetles? I don’t know where to put the larva? Please and thank you ahead of time.

[@depresion5884]

@@judyradke9847 put the larva in a small tub they can be together but if so make sure as soon as they turn into beetles they are taken out and the reason you have to keep them seperate is because the mealworm dartling beetles are canibals and they eat others beetles eat the pupa and pupa are inactive and can't move mealworms and eggs together are fine

[@queilyyenner6399]

So how many totes do I need to keep all the farm. I would like to label with a name and number each tote so I don’t get confused . It will be easier to follow the process the correct way. Can you help me please 😀

[@bootleg1514]

I actually just built my set up. Funny I watched a lot of videos. I built mine the same way you do. Im still waiting on my worms but im using wheat bran in the worm bins and oats in the beetle bin so the substrate doesn't fall through. Made sense to me but this is my first rodeo. Well see how it goes.

[@sissterdarkness]

Thank you! I've been spending a cheap ton on dried worms for my birds and I revently discovered a huge colony under my dogs house in the barn! They have been eating the dog food that falls out of her auto feeder. I'm going to build a few of these and collect some of the beetles and start saving money! Thank you!

[@fazalsayyed6169]

What birds you got

[@TatoAV]

Make sure that they are edible mealworms and not some nasty look-alike species

[@shaylareynolds6376]

I would not recommend using wild caught insects as they could have ingested chemicals or eating something that could harm your animals

[@amechelb]

If you use rolled oats for your beetles it will keep you from having your lower bin fill up with mostly bran. Otherwise it’s not truly self sorting. I like the idea of gluing it on the bottom.

[@reaganberry8509]

Thanks for sharing. I'm starting my mealworm farm this next week! :)

[@numinous2506]

Are you still doing meal worm farming?

[@HellaP1noy]

Put a tape on it before you drill the holes.

[@dudleydooright]

a small drill bit would have done the trick too. Look like he used a 1/2. lol. what a dumbass.

[@mainarbor3564]

Dudley DooRight looks like a 3/8 but tape is amazing for holes in plastic. You can even put a pin hole in an inflated rubber balloon with tape!

[@lukehammond6811]

Thank you for the advice brilliant video

[@karenlesure1431]

Loved your video and will be reviewing it often....thank you

[@joshtonry4291]

I see this video is 3yo, But Will of Stone just showed me how to make a mealworm farm. This is a great video amd my chickens will love this. Just subscribed.

[@paleo6829]

Thank you so much for the awesome video! I hope this works with Superworms to...

[@notalkmeiangy1098]

Great video! Thanks

[@rosserynn]

Great idea cheers bud.

[@tonydeleo3642]

For drilling the holes in the tubs, might try brad point drill bits. This should reduce or eliminate the cracking of the plastic. Available everywhere.

[@mr.m8170]

thanks for sharing . good job

[@natemalectv]

Hey! How many mealworms does a tub like this produce? If you wanted to do it on a bigger scale, would you just make 2 or 3 of these farms?

[@dfishman76]

Thanks for the video

[@shahbazkuwait1]

Good work

[@jaysonwright3603]

How do you go about using the new super worms for food? How many do you save/feed? Also, how long do the beetles live? When should you change the bottom?

[@reaganp6731]

Do you have to keep them below a certain temperature. I’m in Texas and garages and barns get hot in the summer. Great video

[@bearpuoo]

First of all, I like your name, "Welcome Back." It feels very welcoming. I also like the way you make your videos such as point of views, voice recordings with pre-captured videos, etc. It's very similar to Justin Rhodes's videos. I like him too. I just started mealworm farm for my chicken as well. If I am allowed, I would like to suggest you to cut screen same size with bottom of your mealworm container size and place the screen INSIDE with hot glue. Then, you don't have to use a lot of hot glues inside and out to prevent any worms or beetles to run away from your farm. I used zig zag saw to cut the bottom as well and got couple cracks which is just minor that I don't worry about. :) I hit the "Subcribed" and "Bell" next to it. BTW, what area are you in? I'm MD

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

Thanks for the complements Isaac, very kind of you! We are in Oregon; about an hour outside of Portland. These tubs I use tend to shatter when I use the zig zag saw, hence why I have switched to the razor blade. Thanks for the screen tip, I'll try that on my next box. Thanks for subscribing, and welcome back :)

[@crystalshackaquatics7468]

I use the soldering iron to remove the bottom too. You just kinda drag it through the plastic slowly as if it were a hot knife.

[@timbuchanan7483]

Great Video!!! not many tools very easy to do. I use Oatmeal. Should I use Wheat Bran instead?

[@oregon32nursenurse43]

Hey great video. Where do you purchase your beetles? I’ve been told not to purchase at a pet store because they spray diacon pesticide on the Beatles to prevent them from laying eggs?

[@danieljeremia8629]

Thanx so much brother

[@judyradke9847]

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. A few questions please. So your system is a two box system? Where did you move the larva when you separated them from the beetles, and why? Why am I doing this? They can’t stay in same tub?

[@CosmoniYT]

If you're still wondering, they're cannibals.

[@ethan-scott]

Thanks man! :)

[@veronicabelgium8687]

Great! Thx😊

[@martinbillingsley2591]

Great video could you explain what temperature they need to be in . Do they like it warm or cold and is it best to cover them with news paper. Thanks mate

[@Watermelon-be4tb]

Best at about 70 degrees or above

[@FknNefFy]

There are two ways you can drill holes that will make it so it doesn’t crack you can put a piece of tape on it first and you can also run the drill backwards but that takes quite a bit of time so I like the tape method or just press super lightly and be patient

[@tammyray9722]

I'm so confused. I watched a video of you sorting with the green tubs, I've since purchased. But can't find the video. sos....:) Thank you! You're awesome

[@Theflashinapan]

Watch "Better than Self-Sorting: Home Mealworm Farm Overview" on KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqK1YmyQqa9sZ68

[@kadenholub1603]

Where do you get bins so they fin in each other like that?

[@tanyagiles157]

Thank YOU!!!!!!!

[@kirkusarelius3365]

Thank You. Do they need a dark environment over the clear?

[@hanidarwish9641]

Great system, may I ask where you stock them.. plzzzzzz make an update Thanks alot

[@Vincent-tn7ut]

In your experience, what are the foods that bring the best results, such as bigger and fatter worms?

[@Scoutdogs]

If you use a step bit, it doesn't crack the brittle plastic when you make holes

[@adryanvandenberg8264]

nice beard man XD

[@dagnylimbertwig7331]

How are you separating your beetles from your old substrate in the top bin when you change out your substrate? Believe you said you were changing it out every 2 weeks, correct? Thanks! Great video!

[@samkom33]

unless you put a TO THICK layer in the top box he dont have to do anything hehe,,,, as soon as the beetles eat the bran and poop it out IT WILL FALL thru the bug screen toghether with the tiny eggs-larvas to the bottom box . hehe but even with a thicker layer, you can speed up the prosess by shaking a little from time to time,, but usually the beetles- larvas move around enough.

[@katelynhughes1830]

that "woops" lmao

[@bushraminhas9554]

Wasay murgiyan yai free Mai kha laiti Hain kuk un Kai in cage mian khany walay burtno kai neechay and jhan wo eggs daiti hain us box Kai neechay sa in akser miltay rehtai hain God gifted thay get free free free

[@UnisausS1]

Thank you for posting this video ! VERY INFORMATIONAL ! So far I have done everything you have done before I watched yer video, till I came into a problem; is to why I’m researching again ! Need yer advise ! The tub gluing : the glue came apart from the bin overnight after I just put new bedding & beetles in it ! What a mess ! So PLEASE, I’m askin’ for a lil advise on what to do, what to try next ? Is yer glue gun a ‘high’ heat or a ‘low’ heat glue gun ! Please, I need help as soon as you can !

[@laurenceperkins7468]

high heat definitely bonds better. They're difficult to find these days though since they can burn you pretty badly if you're not careful. All the stores around where I am won't stock them. If you want more strength, cut multiple squares out of the bottom of the tub and leave like half-inch bars across it. You might have to do this especially if your tubs are larger than his. Size and number of bars to leave depends on the thickness and size of the tub, so you'll just have to figure out what works best there.

[@UnisausS1]

@@laurenceperkins7468 : Thank you for yer help ! I will try this & see if it works! Ty

[@J-S2014]

If you don’t want it to crack use a smaller bit and or heat it up little with a torch not glowing hot just a touch will do great vid

[@FknNefFy]

Also you can use something metal and pointy and Heat it with fire to poke thru it at is melts

[@richardthistle6144]

i started one of these farms. I always wonder are the eggs produced, are they in a bunch? a sticky bunch? I'm just thinking of how the eggs will fall through the window screen when they are so small. I've had beatles for over a month now and I still see no baby worms. More time I think.

[@markewert7207]

Can I use chick starter and scratch for sub straight??

[@DenlaEritch]

good tips for me, i breed also superworm for my hamster

[@your_local_reptile6700]

I see alot these videos and I just don't understand how this is "self sorting" you still need to sort them, you need to sort the pupa and beetles from the bottom tub, and the dead beetles from the top. It just seems like making more work. In the end you still need to sift so why not just sift them. Seperate them into 3 tubs sift them once every week or 2. Its literally the same amount of work because you will be sifting them anyway but now your having to make these DIY tubs on top of it, which is also extra cost.

[@jeburkhart]

I use a soldering iron to make air holes in my boxes and lids.

[@pimplebutt0076]

Will this work for super worms too?

[@SomeonethatUused2know]

I'm just starting my farm. So just regular window screen? And the eggs and tiny larvae can get through okay? The screen seems like the holes are so small. Just looking for reassurance 😊

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

Lisa Meloro yep, you can barely see the eggs with the naked eye; they get through just fine 😊 good luck!

[@DoctorlyRob]

Can you use Styrofoam egg carts instead of the paper based ones?

[@a.r.k8445]

In how much temperature they should be kept I am asking because I live in desert so it pretty hot here and how much time we should keep the bettels there and how would we know that they payed eggs??

[@maricruzgonzalez5869]

It’s better if u hear the drill till red hot to make the holes

[@laurenceperkins7468]

Brad-pointed wood bits cut thin plastic much more tidily. Wood too for that matter.

[@craigkirby9202]

A hot poker will go through without cracks in most plastics. Do it outside because it's stinky.

[@happycamper9383]

May i know the size of the screen, so that the eggs will go down on the next box

[@emilyrose9760]

Great video! Easy to follow! Few questions prolly nothin but asking anyway lol... 1) I use a homemade chow mix that has oats, roach chow for dubias, & supervitamins from repashy. Would i be able to use that for the beetles? 2) Also I've noticed when i put fresh food (carrots, squash, apple, etc) the moisture makes the chow mix damp & I'm concerned about mold, bacteria etc. How often should i be switching out the old produce with a new one? 3) Also while breeding, am i able to go into the bottom bin daily to get what i need to feed or do i have to let the breeding cycle complete b4 sorting & restarting the "colony" the way you do for dubias? 4) Does going into the bin affect their breeding? Or do they not care? Sorry for all the questions but if you have the time to help me clarify a bit that would be great! New subscriber here! Thank you again.

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

Amelia Andrews thanks for subscribing 😊 I’ll tell you all I know. 1) not sure if you need all the extra vitamins and whatnot for the beetles. Mine do great with wheat and potato/carrot. 2) when I put in the produce for them, I found if you put a piece from a brown paper bag, that helps keep the moisture from soaking your substrate. I always leave mine in until it is gone, as the beetles can lay eggs on it, and I don’t want to throw them away. I do change the substrate every 1-2 weeks. No trouble with mold. 3) not sure about the Dubai’s, but mealies don’t care about being disturbed, so I would guess the Dubai’s wouldn’t either.

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

Amelia Andrews 4) does not seem like it bothers them at all.

[@emilyrose9760]

@@WelcomeBackWoods Morning, & thank you for responding. Just to clarify is the wheat with potato/carrot also ur substrate that you throw/clean out every 1-2wks?? Also what do u mean from a brown paper bag? Do u put ur produce in a brown paper bag first for a length of time b4 adding it to the mealies?

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

Amelia Andrews I change the wheat out every 1-2 wks and pot any leftover veggie scraps back in. If you take a brown paper bag (grocery store style) and rip it into chunks, you can put a piece on your substrate, and then put your fresh veggies on top.

[@emilyrose9760]

@@WelcomeBackWoods Ohhhhhh ok gotcha. Sorry nvr heard that b4 so it kinda threw me off haha but makes sense so definitely gonna give it a go. Thanks again really appreciate all the insight. :)

[@Aaron-mx3bh]

do you buy your wheat bran, or do you grind it yourself. If yourself, what grinder to you recommend?

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

Aaro n I buy the wheat bran at my local feed store.

[@reaganberry8509]

Question-Do you think it's okay to mix oatmeal and wheat bran together as the substrate? Also, where do you find the best deal on the wheat bran? TIA :)

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

Reagan Berry not sure why that wouldn’t work :) I get 50 lb bags at my local feed store. Might not be the best deal, but I like shopping local. Good luck!

[@numinous2506]

AG central Co-Op, 16 bucks for 50 lbs of wheat bran.

[@user-eq9cx2ko7i]

Hi I made one of these but used screen from a sliding door that we weren’t using and it doesn’t seem to be letting the eggs fall through? I can’t tell. Is there a specific screen size I should use? Thank u for the video!

[@rayrayray7494]

using a smaller drill bit helps

[@ThePowermountain]

Groove worm!

[@DiverDiB]

Where do you get your storage containers?

[@waynenelson8907]

how long does it take to get a beetle from a meal worm?

[@scrapzwtf]

How many beetles did you start this container with?

[@rhs010]

I get more cracks in the plastic when I’m trying to cut out pieces for the mesh

[@elijahrose7913]

Yes

[@tsnoack]

how do the beetle's eggs make it thru the substrate to get the screen to fall into the 2nd level ?, the beetles are very cannibalistic and probably carnivorous so the eggs are a very moist snack to them

[@draylynn458]

Beetles (and worms) aren't actually that cannibalistic if you attend their needs and they also lay an awful lot of eggs, each female could produce approx. 500. If you don't give them enough water and food variety, they can turn on the eggs. But in general, a healthy beetle stock will ignore (for the most part) the eggs, the eggs hatch, go wanders, fall through the holes, walla. I find adding a cardboard box with an entrance hole, full of veggy (potato peels, carrot tops, etc) waste from time to time keeps them happy enough, they'll actually hug/mate inside the box until they need to go lay, then return to the dark, damp, delicious box. It also helps that if you notice there is an usually large number of males, to pull a few out. Alongside cannibalism, there is also fights for the right to mate (I've seen on several occasions 2 males fighting until one loses their head), I find it better to remove the smaller males when there are too many to discourage death. Identifying male and female can be done two ways: A) Wait till one decides to hump a female, there's your male on top. B) Use a magnifying glass to see the shape of the front of the head - Females will have a more wide 'snout' (If that's the right word: See Google images).

[@vorvolakas]

the big quetion i where the egg goe? did they put the egg from the whole to the buttom?! is egg sticky and stuck to the top? did u test this and can we use it for industrial mealworm farm?

[@brittany2952]

Any concern with them crawling out air holes on top?

[@howtomake1282]

Can you use just oats or will they not fall through to the bottom? Many thanks alf

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

How to make? Yes, oats are a fine feed.

[@davidwoodruff4788]

Run the drill bit backwards

[@sivadcmada]

Run your drill in reverse on plastic... should help with breaking

[@nolebloodedfarmer7445]

neat idea, just my biggest pet peave right now cost of plastics (totes at walmart $25+ mini plastic boxes start at $8 or so... tri shelf 25$ a bit too pricey for not what i need to do. I may just sac some cheap mesh rolland just start building something from scraps if i really have to. p.s. I have gotten quotes on shipping containers and some of them want 10k for something so small and most want 8k+ now for 40 footers used.... so much for thinking that would be a doable situation. Welcome to the new great depression i guess. I used to get the good plastic/black/yellow totes for 15 or so $ btw and griping about lesser grade smaller totes fyi to everyone.

[@magicdaveable]

Use a smaller drill bit then a larger one.

[@Imrmibrahim]

V good

[@joannesmith3991]

use a soldering iron to make the holes then the plastic wouldnt crack

[@rafaszafraniak1707]

can the net on the bottom of the first box be made of fabric?

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

Rafał Szafraniak not sure. Maybe a fabric with wider spacing between the threads; like cheese cloth perhaps.

[@froggychannel452]

Can i also do this with my Superworm beetle colony?

[@jilliancrawford7577]

Yes, but any superworms you want to pupate need to be isolated (put them in Dixie cups with an air hole or something similar) because they'll cannibalize the superworms who are pupating and thus won't do it until isolated.

[@McDowallManor]

Thanks for a great video. I might get a hot glue gun as well now!

[@jillburkett6876]

Walmart sells screen in a roll so you don’t have to mess up a window screen.

[@chantellstoop7964]

Use oats instead of wheat bran... less substrate falling through the sift.

[@caleche8655]

Use a pyrograveur to make holes ;)

[@stealthexecutor563]

Soldering iron is better than a drill

[@rhyscurnow7083]

Put the drill in reverse, you’ll be surprised how much it can prevent cracking

[@chelloardra6271]

what is the substrate? i dont think i can get it, anythinh can replace it?

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

chello ardra I use wheat bran, but you can use oatmeal as well.

[@Skay-eu7oo]

What does the cardboard do

[@michaelwood5519]

Was that your wife's kitchen window screen? You be in trouble!!

[@raykemry954]

Try a dremel next time ya make a box

[@swerly2]

What do you do with the adult beetles? Will they just lay eggs for months on end, or do you feed them to the chickens?

[@WelcomeBackWoods]

swerly2 I think they lay for about 9 months, then I feed them to the birds.

[@KingKarRool]

Does this setup work with superworms?

[@depresion5884]

you need to isolate the pupa from the other pupa in a small box though

[@melindalemmon2149]

Would have liked a better explanation of what the black thing was, and of how this sorts things.

[@sheilamclaughlin963]

Brad bits probablystop cracking

[@kwarczekhelu3117]

Arent they eating plastic?

[@carolm4603]

Can you do mealworm update