Guide to basic mealworm farm

This is a video I made about my small mealworm growing operation I have in my house. I use them to feed our chickens and ducks here at the homestead. It is very simple and inexpensive. They do not require much maintenance. Raising your own mealworms is much cheaper than buying them at a store.

[@Emannnnnnnn]

2019 anyone ???

[@jedimindtrick8966]

2024

[@cateReaper]

hey sorry my tablet cut off my message. I started with 2000 and basically just let them do their thing. I focused on seperating the beetles to make sure they didn't eat eggs. That is the surefire way to grow numbers fast.

[@marianbarras]

Thanks! One of the best, most informative videos I've found on this subject. You're doing such a great job and I hope my setup will be as productive as yours. Lots of great tips and ideas which I will definitely be using.xxx.

[@finleymoore4861]

Thanks! now my lizards can finally have enough food! its way to expensive at the shops

[@jimmyrichardson2235]

It's exciting to do. I breed mealworms, Mario worms, and Dubai roaches. I only have 4 leopard geckos lol. But it keeps me busy.

[@GPCTM]

do we have news on the self-sorting project? 4:00

[@ericabuesing]

This is the best video on this subject! I wish I could see an update. About how long after you started your colony (with the original 2,000 meal worms) did you make this video?

[@selindamcneil8608]

Are you still growing your own? I love your video and was wondering if you have found a better way.

[@gleffglite4294]

When you grabbed all those beetles I almost jumped out of my seat

[@youngemoforever2644]

my meal worms started pupating yester day and its already 6 of them XD

[@Valk1080]

One of the best vids on this subject I've found. I'd love to see an update if you worked out an auto-mesh sorting system, what kind of populations are you running now, and how the did the frass fertilizer project turn out.

[@gotdamnjimi9758]

Yes give us an update please

[@meganluvluv]

Kudos to you for picking up handfuls of them! I don't mind if they crawl on me for a moment, but I would never just pick up handfuls lol. Very brave.

[@BRich6]

Any problem with pests in the wheat bran? I heard that some people freeze the wheat bran for a few days to kill pests.

[@annaw7215]

What do you put them in? I've been using oatmeal! Do you recommend a certain brand ?

[@hunterstechify]

The cheapest oatmeal... all oatmeal is the same:)

[@PleiadianSister]

Wow, I am blown away by your setup and how many beetles you have! Great job. I’ve just recently started with a small colony and can’t wait to be at your scale!

[@MichaelLaveryKY1T]

Makes me itchy watching the moving substrate

[@AbslutZr]

u have thousands..should switch ur setup to a filter and sieve

[@TheToribash99]

Crazy never seen a women pick up a handful of beetles XP good vid

[@brewmaster0507]

pour drawer thru a cone shaped kitchen type strainer. beetles get stuck in strainer everything else passes thru. sorting done.

[@christinepeterson4688]

I use the organic egg cartons

[@percyper]

Caitlin, I have been watching tons of youtube material about mealworms, and I think that yours is probably the most comprehensive and friendly. I am raising mealworms myself for my own consumption, and now my numbers are getting really high and having to use a lot of time in maintenance. First, where do you find oatmeal at 10 dollars for 50 Lbs? Then, do you keep pupae separate, and how do you address cannibalism from larvae to pupae? I am having some incidence of larvae eating their sibling pupae while they cannot move. I would like to leave them together, and just wait for them to turn into beetles and take them out, but again time is a limitant. thanks for your video!

[@benbrooks566]

Percy Peralta you eat mealworms?

[@dontdeadopeninside2935]

Yo mate, i know thats a old comment but what happenedwith the mealworms, did it go good?

[@dontdeadopeninside2935]

@@benbrooks566 yes mealworms are great for human consumption, we're just so occustumed to bad stigma about bugs we avoid the subject, mealworms are a complete protein (they contain more protein than eggs in the right circumstances), they're easy to grow, low maintenance, and i've heard their taste resembles peanuts and is often used as a substitute

[@hallucigenias]

I have a darkling beetle and it smells like glue!😲

[@justiny.minion2694]

Toastyness then you have done something wrong

[@arcturusthelion]

Here in Mèxico people have eaten insects for millenia, Grubs, worms, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, etc. Personally I had the (wrong) idea that they were disgusting, until one day when I was stoned (!) I ate some at a friends bbq... Since then I 've been raising mealworms for myself hahaha... quality protein with a delicious taste. One question though... would you eat mealworms if youre a vegetarian or vegan??? not strictly meat and yes full of nutrition from veggies! Namastè! Congratulations Cate!

[@jwatson1601]

Well done Caitlin,ignore the smart ass remarks, you're getting results here.

[@jntnrmn]

This is the best video I have seen on mealworms, thank you! I have a fine substrate ( oats ran through a nutri bullet per another video I saw) I worry the substrate may be too fine, do you think this is a problem? Now that I see how fine the fras is I won't grind the oats anymore so it's easier to filter out the fras but should I change it out now? Thank you again for making this video, I can't wait to see your updated video of your more efficient system that you mentioned.

[@pitajalla]

Interesting! I started with about 50 mealworms from a pet store and a tiny three-drawer chest. That was a little more than a year ago. I've got lots of beetles now, but, because my goal is to raise mealworms for human consumption, I need LOTS MORE!! I made bigger facilities for the beetles--two tiered with a screen bottom in each. I had to not only hot glue in the screen, but also hot glue down the duct tape I put around the top. It seemed like the beetles were eating the glue!! I'm ready to try making a bed of bran and quick oats that fills about a third of the sterilite box and just loading it up with beetles that go through the whole life cycle. His video shows a box with lots of beetles on top and LOTS of mealworms of all sizes on the bottom. Lots less labor with his method. Look for his video. He raises a number of insects and worms. From his video I learned how valuable the frass is! It has chitin and plants fed it develop resistance to insect pests. I feed only organic stuff to my mealworms. Late one night I checked one of my set ups I have and found that a big piece of cucumber had gone bad and got mushy, moldy. I wasn't ready to clean it right then, so, after cleaning out a big sterilite box the next day, went to transfer the beetles to it and found NO evidence that anything had molded in the box at all!! I was very surprised. And, I can only surmise that the beetles cleaned it up. I usually check the moisture sources I use daily and remove them at the earliest sign of spoilage. My beetles and mealworms LOVE apple slices! I liked it that they like cucumber, as I had a bumper crop this summer.

[@miat789]

Wait who is “he”? I would love to watch those videos.

[@TheOldLookOutLodge]

Wegmans!

[@cateReaper]

Hello and thank you for watching my video. I have developed a strong allergic reaction to the frass. I wear latex gloves, a face mask and take benadryl when I handle them. I will continue to breed them on a small-scale but I'm also adding in other feed. Red worms, black soldier fly larvae and feeder fish.

[@EdwardTyndall]

you need a sifter for them it will help

[@randomusername704]

This is great ! Have you considered selling the mealworms to/in your nearest exotic pet stores? I think it's great you're planning to sell the fras!

[@Jane-c9k]

I will be getting Quail in another week on July 11th 2024 I am thinking of getting 2 sets and well I will be supplementing them as well as the squirrels and birds for winter I have a couple hundred beetles and a couple thousand micro meal worms and medium But i just ordered another 2,000 Meal worms from online.

[@JasmineCherie]

I'm your 639. I have ducks and hoping to raise of of their food :)

[@jameselliott9397]

Does anyone have a trick to sort dead beetles from live ones. I never have worms mixed with my beetles, use screen under beetles so tiny eggs and worms fall through screen.

[@r2dxhate]

I tried to do the screens in the drawers, but it makes a big mess when you open a drawer. It also acts as a guillotine for any that are halfway through the screen.

[@delatoystridaya]

saya menyukai video ini ,... saya juga ingin sekali ,belajar dengan anda cara berternak mealwon/ di indonesia di kenal di namai ,ulat hongkomg..trims...

[@007sarge1]

Caitlin, what State are you in? We are in Florida...is temperature a big factor?

[@danthadon87]

You know high end restaurants have recently started to sell mealworm based dishes among other bugs, it's slowly becoming socially acceptable to eat bugs here in America with huff post and the new york times promoting the idea as a weapon against obesity who knows maybe you might start selling to restaurants or your neighbour in your area soon. Have you tried your mealworms? My big question is how long exactly did it take until you doubled the amount of mealworms that you initially bought?

[@8brightside8]

Wow. This video is, by far, the most informative out of the 20 or so other videos I have watched on breeding mealworms. Your progress is very impressive. Thank you so much.

[@jimmyrichardson2235]

I use a siv when I need to transfer my darkling beetles into another tub. It's a lot quicker.

[@mike1968442]

Caitlin, How much of the waste product did you spread around the house plants? I started my mealworm farm and I'm now at my 3rd generation. My waste is building up and would like to use it but don't want to burn the plants by using too much. Please advise, Sally

[@lginpdx]

Are you close to Oregon? I might want you to send me a small bag of substrate (eggs and small worms) to start my own culture. I don't need many worms, so probably a 1/4 lb of substrate would do the trick. Is it legal to send through the mail? Thanks!

[@jonathanvandagriff7515]

im doing this for reptiles :)

[@miniprokk5927]

Jonathan Vandagriff Cool. I'm using them for Ants. What kind of Reptiles do you have? And how many do you Feed them?

[@torpa15]

they have wings but they never fly... people think they fly only when they're starving, but ive never seen it. None of my beetle containers have lids and they never leave

[@soniataylor127]

Yay. Another women doing this. My friends think I'm weird & gross. lol. Thank you for the info. 😊

[@christinehaslam9480]

Hi... Thanks for the great vid... New to mealworm farming... My darkling beetles are flipping over on their backs and dying... Temp is 66-67, the humidity is 24 (which I know is low), . Could it be the low humidity? I have a cup with water in it, in their bin, bran oats & im always adding fresh carrorts (non organic):/

[@emptysea]

i was wondering if you have developed any sorts of allergies to them yet.. A lot of people say that after around a year or so they develop allergies to them.

[@scottgilliamprettysureihea3757]

Hello Cate, I see you know who Geoff Lawton is. I got my certification under him years ago. Just watched your video. Are you still at it? I ordered worms yesterday.

[@UnisausS1]

Have you delbt with grain mites yet ? If you have, what’s yer process of elimination ??

[@greencity-sirfsach561]

Hi I am from India, my question is how many days put the mealworms in this box

[@JustinAbroad]

I caught my beetles out in my flower bushes. The beetles I have now are about 9 months old and they've been laying constantly I have roughly 4,000 of these sucker right now.

[@AztecWarrior69_69]

Update? Are you still doing this? If so did you find a good way of separating them? I have a suggestion if you haven't.

[@geraldmicallef6575]

Can you give me something like information to sent to me some for breeding.

[@saritakulkarni1006]

dear caitlin thank u very much for your wonderful ytube...can u let me know how u sift the tiny worms and eggs before u sell the cast...thank u, have u changed ur system..god bless

[@ConfusedSOB]

Hi cate how are you today, are you still breeding mealworm?, i wish you the best

[@thesealaddie]

I shouldn't have looked at this, I'm now very squeamish...

[@oud13yearsago83]

Sifters are sooo much easier... If you want to have a small mealworm farm... Say 200-1000 sifters are very much easier... I have a question though- how do you harvest so many beetles in the same drawers as the pupaes?

[@kellyokamoto1604]

Once the pupa turn into beetles, how soon do they start to lay eggs? Will they lay eggs until they die or is it a short time frame from morphing-perhaps a couple of weeks??? How long do the beetles live? I just started breeding mealworms for our 10 chickens. Thanks!

[@NKOGNITO21]

I would like to know if there iz a particular way to breed crickets without to much of a messy cleanup process???

[@freedomfields5569]

Aanraku Frit Sifter you can get it on amazon. this thing is amazing! saves so much time.

[@joshblick]

You need holes to lower humidity. That's why you have issues with your pupae.

[@yethuraj4873]

Superb, how long it takes to harvest meal worms and superworm. Which is the best meal worms or superworm.

[@urbanmealwormsfarming]

Nice video. You still farming mealworms?

[@grow-with-R-and-S]

Great Video.. What volume or how many worms do you feed each of your chickens and ducks a day Thanks

[@katealexandria5664]

I do this with super worms, but when I put in carrots, they get moldy fast,... how do I avoid that?

[@reptilekeeper864]

damn at the mealworms.. i started with 100 about a year ago.. maybe 5k now.. had a couple wipes tho due to lack of water.. i forgot to give them carrots for about 2 months.. lost alot but had enought alive to contunue

[@JulianBullion]

one of the best farms I have seen on youtube.

[@loganlambert1550]

So if I get meal worms like 50 the wait for them to grow then they will turn into beetles and repurduce

[@vermiman]

Have you fed adult beetles to your birds? I wander if the frass would be good red worm food?

[@greglewis3427]

Just wondering, how many worms to you feed to your chickens and is this all that you feed them?

[@Lilyflowers659]

The holes are to stop any moisture building up, helps air circulate.sieve the beetles then you will also sift out baby mealworms. Cool

[@beebob1279]

Nice system for fishing bait. This is what I'm looking into.

[@snowjewel3982]

They will choose vegetables and fruits over eating pupea/worms. I have breed them for months now and never seen them even bite anything but food and the paper I have in there for them to climb.

[@aliciamueller9176]

So Im just starting and researching, I buy the mealworms and out them in a bed of oats and bran and let them sit until they hatch out to beetles?

[@80travyd]

thanks soo much for this video i have chickens and feed cost in the winter is so high when you also have to pay for fuel oil i also use the meal worms for my venus flytraps and pitcher plants so this was a great video for gettin me started on an better alternative feed source for my chickens!!

[@shahzadmalik8695]

Can u deliver 20000 mealwarms at Karachi Pakistan

[@jeffparryncc1701]

Hello, at 2:28 why do you compost the dead beetles when you can feed them to the ducks or reptiles?

[@WanderingNature]

How many worms should a chicken have per day?

[@bobbiejotheodore1491]

Maybe put screen on the bottom of the drawer and the babies will fall through that it might be easier:)

[@rgrant1892]

the olny thing you do not feed to the fowls is the mealworm and beatles shit you mix the rest with flour or conmmeal and feed it to birds

[@rgrant1892]

why the hell would you compose the dead meal worms just feed them to some animals like birds

[@bigcurtchop]

How long for beetles to breed and lay eggs. And how long for eggs to hatch.

[@xoitsjustbeth]

Why do you transfer the baby mealworms from the Beatles?

[@jadepayne1326]

Hi how often do they eat veggies cuz I have five beetles now but I don’t often see them choose to come out to eat!

[@misstwizler]

How long from the first set you bought until you were having babies??

[@davidlee50]

At 3:38 you show baby mealworms, do they need the carrot yet?

[@357lockdown]

Great vid Caitlin, thank you. I just have one question. Will my chickens eat the beetles as well as the worms? Thanks.

[@haziqalihuddin8610]

Yes

do the beetles crawl out of the bin? do they fly?

[@fanoffacebook]

how long does it take to get beetles from mealworms

[@benbrooks566]

Can you just feed the beetles to your reptiles?

[@christiangarcia9394]

Can you make video ok your chickens and update on beetles

[@Morrisseys7thFriend]

Why to you have to separate the meal worms and the beatles?

[@davidmclaughlin192]

How do you prevent grain mites

[@david13685]

Caitlin Gerhart can i have u faceboook please........?

[@snakedroppings9690]

what are you doing about the dead beetles?

[@dennisrodenbeck783]

Great job. KZbin is replacing the tradishional role of grandparents a few decades ago, with the benefit of the instant printing press. Decentralization is here to stay for those that don't want to be part of the borg. Thank you.

[@cateReaper]

thank you!

[@eve2831]

Chickens will eat beetles even the dead ones.

[@Ehrlic383]

How long did it take you to get that big of a farm?

[@cateReaper]

i want to say its a week.

[@roseswitzberg2002]

Where do you buy you're wheat bran?

[@marcialittle7893]

Where do you get your wheat germ?

[@MsTokies]

you should switch to black soldier flies --- you can also use them as a combo. you should also use gloves you clean all the time. for meal worms you can become allergic to them very quickly. wear a mask. also remember that you can get very sick from meal worms

[@cateReaper]

i mentioned the allergy part in the video, i do wear a mask and gloves and i also breed bsf. thanks!