Sorting Mealworms by Size

[@pleochrome]

I dunno why I’m watching a video on mealworm sorting but it’s very fascinating.

[@TexasOrganicGardening]

First time I’ve seen the multiple screen sorting. Neat system!

[@ricks2907]

You’re a great content provider and teacher thanks. I ordered your largest pupae screen. Coming tomorrow. Yippie

[@megandavis6496]

Your channel has so much useful information! I just got started with mealworms and I'm appreciating the knowledge you share.

[@nubiansoaps]

Thank you for explaining your sizing technique. I just started my worm farm so have much to learn.

[@theroostergardenandcityhom9323]

Morning. Just found your channel. I'm getting into raising worms for my chickens. It's costing me way too much to keep buying them. Thanks for all the information.

[@johnthompkins6362]

Thanks for sharing your info with us all. I'm thinking seriously about raising mealworms, last year I got some red wigglers for my garden. I hope to expand them this yr. We need to be able to grow our own food as much as possible

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Go for it!

[@demetrashelton1688]

Thanks for taking the time to do this

[@UsmanKhan-jh4eo]

At 3:41 you had three pupas in mealworms by now they would have grown up n may have become great grand father n mother

[@chrisvardy2758]

👍awsome tutorial bro.where did you buy the 6set of sieves from?

[@AnnieH-1]

The are on Amazon very expensive in UK. I've got stainless steel with different sizes sieve much cheaper.

[@chrisvardy2758]

@@AnnieH-1 tyvm much appreciated 👍

[@spacecoastmealworms]

tinyurl.com/bucketsifter

[@BuissonYt]

Hello Scott, my friend and I are starting a mealworm farm here in Belgium and I had a specific question for you. How do you manage the pourcentage of mealworms that you sell and the pourcentage that you keep to keep the farm going? Like do you do the maths or is it something that you do rather instinctively? Thank you very much in advance for any information!

[@JamezKilo]

Get a pretty good population up before you start selling. you need at least a few hundred beetles reproducing before you start selling

[@KrusinTheSierra]

I watched this video and then sifted for size! Thanks! This is helpful

[@brodudeguyman2232]

Hey I just got started with meal worm farming and your videos are great quick question however in this video you mention the sixth sifting tray but didn’t end up mentioning where you got it ?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

All of the green bucket sifters were purchased from Amazon. This link takes you to the 5pc, but you just need to select the 1/30 size below the product image: tinyurl.com/bucketsifter

[@jessicasimmerman]

Very helpful video…thank you! 🐛

[@meerzameer734]

Hi there, Have been watching ur videos and ur tidiness has inspired me to start up my self farm for my aviary birds and chicken. One question before is start - Do these worms consume millet husk as I get a 20gallon bucket a day from my birds leftovers. If they do consume it , I can establish a kinda eco system. Thanks in advance.

[@spacecoastmealworms]

No clue, but I’d be interested in knowing the results if you tested it! I do know they love a variety of grains, but I’m not sure how they’d do with seeds and seed husks

[@beebob1279]

I think it would be a great experiment. Since it's been 10 months, how's it working for you? Are the worms eating the millet husk?

[@zacsdiyreptiles7146]

Ordered stuff from you.pretty excited

[@dianastobert3353]

I got a small mealworm farm start up kit for Christmas 2019. It has expanded to being in a 10 drawer rack (like you use for your beetles). I start new nursery pan every 3 weeks. However, I find the sizes of my worms vary from tiny to changing into pupae in the same bin even months after removing the bin from the beetles and their egg laying capibility. This makes me have to keep the bran and frass so I don't throw out eggs and the tiniest of meal worms. I was wondering if the 1/30 screen mesh pan allowed eggs to go through? Hoping this way I could keep the eggs but finally remove frass from my productive trays. By the way, great videos and information that you share. Thanks!

[@BlaisZeroni]

Did you ever find an answer to this?

[@rhyscurnow7083]

I found from experience that eggs were often the same size as the smallest bits of frass or meal. I just keep my ending stage of frass and meal to the side for up to 6 weeks depending making sure not to mix with each ‘generation’. Eventually all of the eggs that will hatch do and then I can get the frass separate from the meal easier using a shop vac

[@annetteorta2692]

I live in Florida how do I keep ants away from my set up? They attack my meal worms. Help thank you 😊

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Terri liquid any bait is super effect from my experience. You can add bait traps around the perimeter of your farm area, specifically where you see ants crawling in lines to/from their colony

[@annetteorta2692]

Thank you 😊 I will definately do it❤️

[@hope4ourfallen]

That was cool😃 Out of curiosity how much do you think one of them black bins is worth? Like @11:40 were you showed all them worms after sifting😳 That's a Ton of worms😃

[@AmplifyAmbition]

Would you be comfortable sharing more business details around mealworm farming? Profit margins, scalability, etc? You channel is full of other amazing info

[@brucesaxton3625]

Does sifting multiple time injure the mealworms? Thx....BTW your info is awesome!

[@rythom810]

I can't come too using more and more meal everytime I have new beetles. Is there anyway to conserve the meal better. The self sorting containers seem great for that

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Beetles only need an inch deep layer of substrate, and you can wait 3-4 weeks to swap it out. Bran is super cheap if you buy it in bulk (40-50lb bags) at a local feed store. Usually between $12-20 a bag

[@FougereFamilyAdventures]

Can you make a video showing how you sort your beetles? I'm trying to figure out a quick way to cleaning out the dead beetles from my trays.

[@spacecoastmealworms]

I have a video for separating live mealworms from dead mealworms. They exact same process will work for beetles though.. lay an egg flat on top of the substrate and let them crawl on, then shake it off into a new bin. My video has extra tips for speeding up the process, but that’s basically it! Give em something to crawl on, remove, repeat!

[@FougereFamilyAdventures]

@@spacecoastmealworms thank you. I'll try that.

[@milahu]

aah, so THAT is the secret of the hightech sorting machines. these have some "magic" white conveyor band, to which to live/strong worms attach, and the dead/weak worms do not attach to the conveyor, and are blown out by a ventilator. would be interesting what synthetic materials the worms attach to ... probably there are studies on that subject ... but probably its simply paper, as seen in your video "Tips for cleaning and separating mealworms" kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWm3YqGNjLWZbMk

[@barlow2976]

Another useful video, thank you. The stacking sieves you are using cost the equivalent of $130 in the UK, so I ordered stainless steel mesh in various sizes from eBay, and made lightweight wooden frames, the mesh fitting in a rebate. These have handles extending from the frame so that they hook over the 60x40cm euro crates I'm using. I've left enough room to wiggle the sieve, but it's much bigger than your plastic ones. I wouldn't have gone to that effort if I could have gone to Walmart and got yours for $50 , but it works brilliantly. People in Europe may like to know that euro crates are fairly cheap, and stack well.Even available in food grade.They even have little cells you can drill out for ventilation.If you're in the UK you can utilise Tesco supermarket crates by cutting the bottom out and dropping mesh in.Tesco may not like it, but I don't like Tesco. I was worried your tickle technique may cause internal injuries to my babies, and started using my compressed air gun, dialled right down, to blow them off the mesh. I also have a Makita 12v blower (part of my workshop kit) that has a soft rubber nozzle- perfect for the little rascals. Good luck from Welsh Wales, mealworms forever!!!

[@justinemurrin3851]

Thanks for the buying tips for those in Europe (I'm in UK). Are you able to share the ebay link to the mesh you bought? (thanks for the tip about Tesco which I will try for the trays!!) where did you find the euro trays: cheaper on line or is there a store in UK I can get them to save on P&P?

[@barlow2976]

@@justinemurrin3851 www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless-Steel-Woven-Wire-Mesh-Heavy-Duty-Coarse-Fine-Ultra-Fine/153822206977?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=453855950699&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 They do a huge variety of mesh sizes and gauges, I worked on A3 sheets 30x42cm being cheaper than custom sizes, and these fit over these eurocrates with room to move the sieve too and fro, if required. I bought 12 crates, but I imagine four would be enough to start with. The supermarket crates are more cumbersome, and harder to fit sieve to, but are free, and work. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Strong-Grey-Industrial-Plastic-Eurobox-Containers-Storage-Boxes-Box-Crates/391901309726?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=660875554282&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 I reckon I've spent about £120 setting it up, but I've been spending £200 + a year on dried worms. I'm at the stage of having 300 beetles starting to lay, so hopefully......

[@danielombaard9795]

Hi my friend,can u maybe help me plz,how do i separate medium size mealworms to sell from the bran,is it even possible😬

[@spacecoastmealworms]

You can use a sifter. A 1/12 mesh should work for mediums

[@debbiekirkland3476]

Where do you get the 1/30th screen. I can't find it on Amazon

[@spacecoastmealworms]

It’s sold out, but here is another vendor that sells it: www.amazon.com/dp/B07TNW2WVL/?tag=spacecoastm07-20

[@jessicageorge9136]

What is a good source for bulk wheat germ?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Local feed stores usually sell 40-50lb bags of wheat bran for around $20

[@XDAND378]

great video, where can I buy those green sieves?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

tinyurl.com/bucketsifter

[@George582222]

How do you sterilize your bran for mites

[@spacecoastmealworms]

I buy a large 40-50lb bag and keep the entire thing in the freezer when not in use. I freeze for at least 36 hours before using for the first time.

[@atylaeluno36]

Hello friend, I follow your channel and I have seen all your videos, thanks for the content. I have several questions that I would like you to answer: How do you do the breeding cycles? Do you perform separation of larvae, pupae or beetles? Do you separate by sex? How do you calculate the production? What type of substrate do you use? The same for larvae and beetles? Thank you very much in advance.

[@hspets4467]

Hi.. do u have the how to make diy sifter

[@witosaputro697]

Thanks bro for ur share, I am from indonesia. Where can i get for buy the sorting tray?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

From my website. If you send an email I can send you an invoice, since I have most international shipping options turned off due to Covid slowdowns. spacecoastmealworms.com

[@chazdenross7230]

Getting ready to start a mealworm farm and I am not sure which method I want to use to sift out the worms. When your use the round screens and this method are you losing a lot of eggs that sift through with the frass? If so how do you separate them from the frass or are you just taking the beetles out of that tub and waiting for all the eggs to hatch before sifting?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Eggs shouldn’t be in frass if you separate pupae/beetles from your worms. Eggs/baby trays don’t need to be sifted for several weeks. By the time the babies are large enough to generate frass they’re large enough to get caught in the sifter set.

[@kscott2874]

Where do you get those "black" bins when you sort. the edges slide out the worms easier. Can you tell me how many worms bins you have? Interested in starting a business for local chicken starters

[@CrazyZee69]

Home Depot sells them.

[@CrazyZee69]

Home Depot sells them.

[@CrazyZee69]

Home Depot sells them in 2 sizes.

[@spacecoastmealworms]

As the comments have said, Home Depot has them. Look for ‘concrete mixing tubs’. The ones I got were $6 each. Altogether I have about 25 black bins, 25 white trays, and 30 of the smaller rainbow trays that I use for beetles. There’s a huge nationwide shortage of mealworms right now, so start growing as many as you can.. it’s a seller’s market!

[@Boudico]

@@spacecoastmealworms Great videos. thanks for posting them! To what do you attribute the shortage?

[@preciousgecko7557]

for the moment I only need the one that separates the LARGE SIZE worms from all the others , which one do I need?

[@davidwendling8129]

Pupa Mortality I have started using your methods and have noticed after separating the pupa and using a pupa bridge that there is a lot of pupa mortality. they gradually turn dark and dry up. I've had these mealworms for years and wonder if I need to get another source of mealworms to increase their genetic variability. What percent pupa mortality is expected?

[@teguhsetiadi5282]

Pak, alatnya beli dimana? Atau bikin sendiri alatnya?

[@HearthHeathen]

I noticed your gloves. I have been raising mealworms for about 8 months now.... recently I am getting spots on my hands that are irritated/peeling. Anyone else dealt with a skin sensitivity to these insects?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

It’s definitely an issue 😩

[@michaelhawkes4730]

Just starting to breed mealworms in Australia how long before they turn to pupa then how long till they turn to Beatles?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Depends on your temperatures, but generally 12-16 weeks from egg to worm to pupae, and about 5-7 days from pupae to beetles

[@susiecoker63]

Where are the eggs? Are they in the Frass or bran.... and how do you keep from disposing of eggs at the same time as getting rid of old Frass? Just starting out so please excuse my questions

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Eggs are the n my beetle bins. I separate the pupae from the worms, and these pupae then turn into beetles and lay eggs in separate trays. These egg trays don’t need to be sifted since babies barely produce frass. When they finally make enough frass to sift they will be large enough to get caught in the sieves.

[@garygariano4952]

What size do sell and about how long from start to sell or feed

[@mauricehinton5889]

I ordered a bag of small mealworms to feed my venus flytraps. I hope they like it!

[@ansaikhan007]

WHAT YOU USE FOR BEDDING?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Wheat bran, purchased at a local feed store

[@ansaikhan007]

@@spacecoastmealworms THANK YOU SIR

[@dennisking4589]

Will the 1/20th catch eggs?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Nope. 1/30 doesn’t even catch eggs. Best strategy is to separate your pupae/beetles from your worms so you don’t even have to sift egg-rich substrate.

[@dennisking4589]

@@spacecoastmealworms thank you :}

[@jonleone777]

How do you separate the brand from the pure frass.

[@spacecoastmealworms]

The 1/20 and 1/30 mesh does a good job of this. Here is a link to these in. Are you missed them in the video notes: tinyurl.com/bucketsifter

[@santabotha2143]

Where can I buy it is it in S A available please

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Email me at spacecoastmealworms.com

[@spacecoastmealworms]

[e-mail]*

[@ebermedeiros5938]

Estamos na espectativa de novos vídeos. Obrigado.

[@ryangolla]

great work, thank you for the video! very helpful! :)

[@Rainho1991]

2 weeks and they are already that size? Mine are growing since August and they are about the same size.

[@ElectroNeutrino]

Usually, higher temperature = faster growth.

[@debbiekirkland3476]

How do you separate the meals worms from their bedding? Also, Do you grind you chick feed?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

If you have a small farm a regular kitchen sieve or colander should work. If your farm is larger then I recommend a set of bucket sifters. You can find them here: tinyurl.com/bucketsifter

[@debbiekirkland3476]

@@spacecoastmealworms thanks. Do you grind your chick feed so that it shifts out leaving only worms? I'm familiar with chick starter but it's not a fine powder. Just wondering if you use it as is.

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Sorry bout that.. forgot to answer this second question. I never did when I used it, but had issues with it passing through sifters, so grinding it down would definitely be helpful.

[@kennethtungol3462]

where can i buy those shifters

[@spacecoastmealworms]

The green bucket sifters can be found here: tinyurl.com/bucketsifter

[@silviociaramello7198]

Onde encontro essas peneiras

[@SLSSLSSLSSLS]

Are the trays antistatic?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

I wish! The black ones I have actually are pretty good, but the white trays are super staticky

[@enricopietrobelli3318]

Do they eat oats flour?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

They can eat a huge variety of grains, including oats. But as always, if you want to introduce a new food, isolate a small batch of worms to test with for a couple weeks before adding it to the rest of your colony.

[@DMA6426]

why are there so many mealworms on ur floor?

[@spacecoastmealworms]

because I’m a clutz sometimes.

[@BSF_Channel]

Wow amazing😊

[@hemlatamehroliya1049]

Nice

[@hemlatamehroliya1049]

Nice

[@elvistang2020]

Good idea !!

[@MissNebulosity]

you dont squish any of the worms at all in your "worm tickling" procedure? I'm really surprised they dont get squished. O___O

[@spacecoastmealworms]

It’s all about the pressure I use. I’ve definitely squished my share of worms in the past!

[@Mealworm75-isLame]

Yo chill WAS that hard omg I love mealworms!🐛🐛🐛🐛

[@FougereFamilyAdventures]

Great video

[@jamilazeemi5699]

❤ good idea

[@ebermedeiros5938]

Olá Amigo, saudade dos vídeos. Brasil...

[@ebermedeiros5938]

Brasil...

[@greendsnow]

I hope you're wearing a mask

[@You_got_a_tiktok_problem]

We need more videos plz or can you explain why you haven’t uploaded any videos. I love all of your vids you are a pro please upload one video per month

[@spacecoastmealworms]

Been focusing on the sifting tray side of the business lately, as it’s less work and more profitable than the worms!

[@You_got_a_tiktok_problem]

Have you stopped breeding mealworms???

[@mabelnickner9260]

Great video.