How To Raise Mealworms

I went to a pet store to get crickets and i saw a sign that says there is a national shortage of mealworms.
so here's a video showing how to easily raise mealworms. I have been doing this for 15 years and it works great!
click here for
my newest mealworm video!!
• How To Raise Mealworms...

[@kenbobca]

I did just like you showed and told us to do and now I have lots of meal worms too. I feed them oats and baby carrots. I also slice up celery very thin and they seem to love it. Thanks for showing us how to raise mealworms.

[@billkaroly]

We just started a bin of mealworms. I'm so excited! I went to the local pet store and purchased a container of 100. I think there was maybe 25 in there but there are turning into beatles. The chickens are going to be sooo happy!

[@kenbobca]

Thank you for your video. It's just what I was looking for. I use Meal worms for fish bait, the fish love them! I'll start my own Mealworm city soon. Thanks again

[@NorthernKestral]

I've just set this year's pullets outside (I have a little backyard coop), and I was dreading the long drive and high cost of the closest mealworm-selling pet shop for their favourite treats (I'm in rural Alberta). Glad I stumbled onto your video so I can make ONE purchase there my ONLY purchase. I've been vermicomposting for years, can't believe I didn't think of explorihg this earlier. Many thanks for your clear and helpful video! - Bette in Canada

[@suzannewright548]

Thank you for this. I feed robins in my garden and it has been so expensive. Mr & Mrs Robin have raised three clutches this year (2019) and I have been buying live mealworms. Now that I have seen your very informative video I am trying to raise my own worms. The robins love them and Mr Robin will sit on my hand for them. Mrs Robin isn't so bold. I have had a couple of disasters with worms through my own ignorance. I fed them with beetroot once and they all died! They got stuck up. The advice was potato and that seemed to work OK but in future porridge oats and baby carrots are 'on the menu' for them. Thanks again.

[@tkaerich]

Awesome video!! My puffer fish thank you!! Gotta laugh, though, because I thought there was a cricket in my bedroom before I realized it was on your video!!

[@Chulapit1]

Thanks for the video ! This by far the easiest method I have seen of all the youtube videos ! Building up a colony to feed my wild birds and quail !

[@tamranovember2411]

You should keep the beetles separate from the larvae and the worms because they have a cannibalistic nature. Probably why you have such a low yield.

[@TurnTablesRDizzy]

Very good straight forward video! Thanks I really find this helpful other videos just drag on.

[@vazquezcmp]

Great video. Love the simplicity.

[@GodBlessHipHop]

can you use the poop for compost?

[@bjornmundt5801]

Is is fertilizer! put it on your vegetables such as the cucumbers..

[@MizGreenJeans]

What a great video! Thanks for showing how simple it can be to raise them.

[@qzf201]

awesome video, i just baught some meal worms at a yard sale. I didnt kwow how to take care of them. so thanks for the help!!!!

[@kbs36]

Very informative and to the point. Thank you for a great video.

[@vickikevin1]

Beatles and now meal worms got into my chicken feed. Thinking of taking some and starting my own colony for my chickens they are loving the worms! Good video

[@regwells615]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

[@JodyVernay]

Hi, skullmater430! Just wanted to say thanks for sharing this info! I am in SW Missouri, and buy mealworms to feed Eastern Bluebirds each summer and it can get expensive! I just bought a new bag of 5,000 for 49.00! I am definitely going to try your method! Thanks again!

[@clowderification]

thank you for the video! it was very informative and your presentation is great!

[@lorenabarros2515]

Awesome video man! thanks for sharing!!

[@samfuel]

Thanks for the video! I've been buying freeze dried mealworms to feed to the wild birds in my garden, going to try and raise my own soon enough, this makes it look a lot easier than I thought it would be! P.S You have an awesome beard.

[@heruhcanedean]

Thanks for this video. I got my first nantic yesterday so I figured I'd try these as their primary protein source. I got a tub of 100 from the store and stuck it in my fridge today, I might go look and see if I have some oats laying around.

[@skullmaster430]

Heruhcane Dean thanks for watching! don't keep them in the fridge if you plan on breeding and growing them .the fridge keeps them alive but dormant, they won't multiply in there . Cheers!

[@skullmaster430]

no heat pad ... they are just at room temp.. colder and they wont mature as fast and hotter they age quicker (some ppl keep the worms in the fridge so they dont change) also im pretty sure its superworms you have to separate not mealworms, ive allways kept all lifeforms together, and nothing has happened

[@jacoboso]

That looks simple and efficient, thank you.

[@Sheedo313]

the cricket in this video is so loud i kept pausing it to look for it in my room and realized his first sentence was, "i went to get crickets and saw a sign" lol

[@thatsMrSmileytoyou]

12 years, tried tested and true. Good shit man good shit. You never had any problem keeping them all in the same container? I know they can eat each other but I never knew to what degree

[@DrMattzilla]

Thanks alot much apreciated . Very well spoken.. Do they need a heat pad or anything for temperture???

[@MrK00T]

its the best vide ive seen of all!!! the more simple !!! thanks man nice vid (five stars) plus 1 subscribe for you !!!

[@johnmorgangerkin4853]

Nice video! I care and will soon start breeding them. I am starting with 100 mealworms. 50 for the tarantulas to eat and 50 for the breeding project!

[@sheilainmexico]

very nice video. what is the odd shapped metal thing in your hand ? I take it that the larva eat the oatmeal and the beetles the carrots ? You just leave all - beetles, eggs, larva and pupa aññ together in the same box ? How often do you do the change, clean up lke you did in the video ? Thank you

[@fongwingsum21]

I can't wait to try it out this weekend!

[@bigheinzer]

good video. i am raising my own right now to feed my 4 geckos. it's a fun little project to tinker with and watch grow

[@carolebate5605]

Man that cricket is loud. I had to turn you off to check it wasn't here with me. lol! great video thanks

[@Luis_2014]

Carole Bate jajaja i did the same bro! Jajaja

[@martinbillingsley2591]

Great and easy thanks for the video mate

[@imnotataco]

@GZReptiles I do because i was told by my pet shop the beatles sometimes eat the worms. It's also easier to keep track or them when you have 4 containers 1 for worms 1 for beatles 1 for eggs and another for the pupa.

[@da_poopoo_dealer3152]

Had to do this in class,thnx!!!

[@RussShawTV]

what temperature should the be stored at? and should it be a dark place?

[@MegaTroyhamilton]

and the leftover poop dirt is great for your flowers/garden proably! where do you get your start worms and bettles?

[@skullmaster430]

usually any pet store that has reptiles should have mealworms

[@somethinghappened2]

If u have a tarantula do you feed it both worms AND beetles or do you leave the beetles for breeding

[@hairo2]

thanks for the great information - I didn't realize it would be so easy.

[@Agnesanonymous]

Absolutely! There are many sites that talk about raising your own mealworms for human consumption. The best way would be to purchase some from a petstore and wait three generations so that you are 100% sure they are safe from pesticides, etc. There are many helpful resources online; I'm going to be starting my own in the near future :)

[@bentleyboy72]

So you dont separate the worms/pupae/beetles/eggs/babies/etc? Do they seem to do fine all in one bin together like that?

[@danashaw9480]

I got a lot of moisture and mold. Did yours do that? Were do you keep them and at what temperature? How long does it take usually till I should strain them

[@skullmaster430]

@greendayhieu im not sure the quarts or any thing but its 13"long x 9"wide x 3"deep

[@MuttleeCrew]

Wow! Thanks for this upload. I just adopted two box turtles and am looking for ways of growing food for them because it gets expensive when you have to buy it all the time.

[@EcBuddy123]

so a have a question, can u use the baby aotmeal? like the powder one and the powder rice? (ima mix tat see wat happens cause i bought a 1,o00 count for 11 and getting big so i decided to breed them)

[@WidowRose]

I've decided to start my own colony as well. I have begun a Tarantula collection, and have some slings. I have mine in Oatmeal, not dirt. Is dirt better to keep them in than oatmeal?

[@mikesta360]

great video pal how often do i need to clean the meal worms? thanks

[@frauleinkenny]

Real helpful tutotorial, thanks a lot for sharing! I have a 10yr old leopard gecko and a fresh bufo bufo frog, so I guess I gotta switch to home economy :) paying for those mealworms is just silly

[@HASSANAVES]

thts nice. will you tell me please from where i can get these parents beetls

[@skullmaster430]

@razorscooter44 no putting them in the fridge slows them right down , they will not breed. they put them in the fridge at stores to make them stay worms longer

[@CelesteHackett]

I love this. Thank you!

[@dannygreen6145]

So do you just use the dead ones for food? And also where do you find the larva to get started?

[@PrincessMiley88]

That's great! This is a great video. I rated it 5/5

[@skullmaster430]

@JohnnyBoii808 it depends how many you want , also some people separate the life forms ... I have no idea why , it just makes more work, 1 container will feed 1-3 lizards easy.

[@NORTHERNEXOTICS]

Great informational video

[@JulianBullion]

thanks for the vid man good stuff.

[@joshcheez611]

@NinjaBieber - basically, get worms, give oats and moisture source, when pupa show up put them in new tub for best chance of gettin more beetles then the beetles will lay eggs by themselves and every month or so you can separate them with the sifting shown on this vid :)

[@TheDigihax]

What kind of strainer should I buy? I want to start doing this bc I'm tired of buying bait for fishing...

[@skullmaster430]

@scuzznightrunner the beetles are 1 of 4 life forms of the mealworm ... egg,mealworm,pupa,and darkling beetle

[@rolflmaoweeee]

So thats how its done,time to set up my own mealworm farm,my chickens love them,thks for video.

[@tomcatpilot13]

@jstrings00 those are darkling beetles, the beetles are the adult form of the mealworm. the beetles make babies and make mealworms

[@knightchik]

Do you have to give them water ever? Or do you just throw a couple slices of vegetable in there? I live in CO and it's pretty dry here.

[@skullmaster430]

@frankyfong36 its usally the beetles that eat the carrot but the worms will sometimes ... they get there water from the carrot

[@wheat-is-an-ugly-drug]

hi fella. ive been trying to breed meal worms. i collected a load of pupae and let them turn to beetles. i had about 30 odd. i have them on bran. they've all died off but a few now though. they were all on there backs kicking there legs? there's no signs of mealworms yet though. how long do the eggs take to hatch? thanks i saw some about a week ago laying eggs.

[@Kollindyr]

Hey bro, this is a very good instructional vid! So basically, the sand is where the worms grow, and the oatmeal is where you keep the alive and hatch more worms? I think I got it, it will be a good reference for the future.

[@Zeamus634]

How many would you get per breeding cycle in a long and wide 30 gallon tub?

[@WhatsThatYourDead]

Hi I need your help! Do you leave the Pupa with the beetles and mealworms or do you put them in a separate tank?

[@snipercube815]

Hello, I recently purchased some crickets and there was tons of meal worms and darkling beetles in there. Should I take them out and breed them separately?

[@missfluffybunz]

Yes

[@HillbillySweetpea]

I have just started raising laying hens and I know they LOVE mealworms when they get bigger...does the meal worm bucket/farm smell strong? I would love to try this! Thank you so much for uploading these videos!

[@dustingronemann101]

do u have to seperate the meal worm pupas and how long will it take them to turn to pupas and then beetles? im new to this i bought some mealworms about 1 week ago i have the exact same set up as the guy that made the vid...got any advice?

[@skullmaster430]

im not sure how ofter i clean it out ... I dont have a set time frame, just when i see the poop adding up like an inch deep

[@Kahuna76]

Other people seem to take the pupas out and into seperate containers and beetles in others. you seem to have them all in one container. Seems easy. how often do you put in new carrots? Do you feed with other foods? Thx for the video.

[@Frezzed]

cool vid, what is the brown stuff you use?

[@aspencares5468]

Are the carrots room temp when you add as food? How long before you switch out or put in new carrots?

[@living4adrenaline]

50g protein and 50g fat per 100g of dry weight. #perfectmacros

[@nickmuffin1722]

Awwwfuck

[@jstrings00]

what kind of beatles did u say those were? and what is the purpose of the beetles?

[@aev6075]

I've read that it's important to restart your colony (or atleast add to it) every six months because of insesm issues. What do you think?

[@SimoonSam]

@madturtlefan The eggs are about a millimeter in length. They are tiny and oval shaped, with the usual milky translucent appearance that most insect eggs have. If you have decent vision, you can see them with the naked eye. However, it helps very much to use a magnifying glass. The babies, once hatched, are also tiny and blend in well with oats making them a bit more difficult to spot. They are definitely there though. Keep an eye out! :]

[@ourjellybelly]

Skullmaster- I am a newbie just trying to get information before I start my colony of mealworms. Is the oatmeal you put in your colony sufficient enough to feed them for a long time? How often do you need to re-add oatmeal?

[@skullmaster430]

hi it's with superworms that you have to separate... I throw carrots in every few days , some times weekly depending on how many beetles I have at the time (they eat them more than the worms) I used to put pieces of apple and potato in but there was always yuky leftovers and mold . but with baby carrots they eat them pretty fast so nothing gross is leftover

[@donnamalm5680]

I have beatles from my meal worms but no new meal worms and I started in Nov. and it's almost March. any suggestions? thanks, Donna

[@vigi4]

will the oatmeal become to the dirt/poop, and how long do they last both for 1 carrot in the box and the oatmeal

[@Xalogel]

Hey thanks for this video!!! Do you know what the difference is between those red mealworms and brown mealworms??? I see those two types in the fish shop, the reds are more expensive.

[@jstrings00]

Also, how long does it take before they turn into a beetle after pupa or whatever?

[@Awatcherofevents]

Just curious if the worms would be edible for human consumption? I am considering adding meal worms to my prepping. This would be a great addition for chickens and fish in prepping. I'm just curious.

[@SustainandEntertain]

So cool! Thanks!

[@danthadon87]

Can you use any food to feed your mealworms? I would be interested in giving them more nutrition, how fast do they grow and when are the mealworms suitible for consumption?

[@jordandunn6999]

Do you have to have beetles with the meal worms or do you just do that for different pets that you feed?

[@frankyfong36]

Excellent video. I just bought 100 today. Ummm, do the meal worms need the carrots, or is it just for the beetles? Do the worms need a water source?

[@rosemarylawrence5677]

Hi Skullmaster, I have followed your instructions. I bought the worms, they took several weeks to turn into pupae and then several more weeks to turn into beetles. I have now been waiting for a couple of months for the substrate to start wriggling with baby worms as the beetles have been mating for weeks! Nothing! Can you tell me how long it takes your beetles' eggs to hatch, please? Could it be that the beetles are eating the eggs so that is why I have nothing which hatches?

[@rosemarylawrence5677]

***** Thanks for your help

[@skullmaster430]

***** I believe this is true ! a couple years ago I tried doing this with jumbo's and they turned to beetles and then nothing happened . no babies ever showed up ... I just figured that they had to be done the same way as super worms ...

[@skullmaster430]

@WinnipegBeardieBubba usally all my carrots disapear,,, but after a few days they get rubbery and should be changed

[@3p1cd3m0ns14y3r]

@skullmaster430 Yeah, but my colony is infested. I have thousands, not just a few. Do you know how I can get rid of them? Are there any alternative foods I could use, perhaps?

[@BrownDarter]

Thanks for video. That dirt must be amazing for plants . Either way it seems that the adult beetles can be left with the mealworms and they will still breed and lay eggs? I ask as wanted to try this in plastic bin using oats,bran and cricket water gels(for water) and just take out beetles and mealworms as needed for my sand skinks who love beetles,

[@EvilDerpSpy]

Hello, I know this is awkward but I've heard that mealworms can eat apples too, is that right? and also do you need dirt or humid things?

[@gallantgland]

Are these beetles particularly threatening to any specific biome/ecosystem? We had/have an extremely harsh situation with tree infesting beetles after years of drought in California, leading to outrageous fires. Im sure any wave of 'repatriation' is a challenge to ecosystems, but r these beetles a known problem? I want to grow both for culinary purposes, but concerned that I might need to dump beetles if Im negligent/out of town.

[@cuzncuzn]

How long do you keep that sifted matter? I would think a few weeks, to allow any eggs to hatch and grow.

[@88mfuchs]

@threedogsma I too breed mealworms! I think your problem is a lack of sorting, so the adults are eating their eggs. You should put in new moisture sources and clean them about once a week, but make sure not to throw out what looks like poop, as it contains eggs. Put that in a different container and wait until they get bigger, then sift them out. You should start to see babies larvae in the crass (poop mixture). Best of Luck!

[@JulianBullion]

awsome vid man.

[@sammytorkington4038]

hi , i bought like 100/150 meal worms a couple of weeks ago , maybe 4weeks ago , ive separated my pupa , and had my fist beetle ever today , ive never had any beetles before ., going back to my mealworm tub , there are like 100's maybe 1000's of tiny tiny tiny see through white bugs ,, what are they? and is it normal?x

[@JingSyn]

Other videos say you need 2 or 3 containers and you only used 1. Does it still produce a lot of worms if you use only 1?