How to build a mealworm farm!
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- Опубликовано: 26 май 2016
- How to build a mealworm farm! this is a video about how to build a self sorting mealworm farm! I built it using 2 storage totes, some screen and a piece of pine wood. it can hold about 500 or so beetles, and can produces several hundred eggs a month! great for feeling all sorts of different kinds of pets! Hope you enjoy!!!
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whether you want to raise mealworms or not, that was an example of how to make an informative and easy to watch youtube video. Good Job!
Thank you sooo much! :D
I agree! It’s short too. The thing that I hate about some other RUclipsrs is that they will give their entire life story then give like a quarter of the information needed but have the video like 25 minutes long instead of 5.
It was a great video, no 30 minutes spent on crap we don't want to know.
I agree too. Great video presentation. There are some details that could have been added, but if all you care about is replicating what he made for mealworms, this video is perfect for that. I personally recommend adding Hot Glue to seal gaps to make sure they can't get in areas of the screen you don't want them, but this is a personal preference, not a mistake in design. Also, i guess you could use a re-enforced hardware cloth under the screen if you plan on adding excessive weight on top, but that will trap more things, so it's better to keep the beetle section light-weight.
Fusion Developer Any tips on the specific screen and specific bins? (I’m having a tough time finding bins with the same perimeter dimensions with varying depths.)
The is THE BEST video on this topic! We don't want the lengthy, chatty videos, we want eazy, smart-thinking videos like this!
Man, ive watched at least 12 different videos on building a meal worm setup, this is the ONLY one that got straight to the point, didnt have any shaking camera work that made me feel like was suffering a Parkinsons episode and i didnt hear you sniff once! ( why do ppl with colds make videos ffs?) ..Good onya Ninjineer! Top shelf!
Sj Reynolds i agree
Sj Reynolds I KNOW RIGHT. CUT TO THE CHASE.
Mealworm raising can cause allergic reactions. Another problem is that a lot of people doing mealworms that make videos, are not caring to put in the effort to make a good video, because they only care to upload the information so that it is available. Basically "I want people to know what I did", rather than a well defined tutorial. Some of the people making those videos, are not dedicated youtube video makers. It's a "something is better than nothing" approach. Good videos take a lot of effort or a lot of video-making practice.
its so true!!!
Totally agree! Thanks for this!
I’ve been raising mealworms for almost a year and labored over keeps shelves and shelves and shelves organized. This is the first system that I’ve found can make my job so much easier. Thank you so much!
You are right! Using the stacked drawer method, makes a mess!
i have absolutely no need for a mealworm farm, but this video was fascinating
It's 3 am
I don't have animals
why am I watching this
hahaha!
Eli Se
Ha! I watched it at 3:45 am, and I don't have any pets that would eat these buggers, either! Lol
Looks like you need to get some then ;)
Eli Se same lol
But I am planning on getting a bearded dragon, so this would be helpful
I've got my 3rd month of mealworms started using your method. Having a great time explaining it to people and showing of my worms. Thanks for a really good video.
Yes! No more buying mealworms for our baby chickens! Thanks 😃
Ikr! You can save sooo much money! :D
We have babies already! My dad built this for my daughter, who's eight, and can't believe we have so many little babies. Thank you so much. 😃
We harvested our first lot of meal worms today :D The chickens love them. They're so fat and healthy. So are the meal worms. I didn't realise we had a second generation in the top tub. This system works so wonderful. thank you so so much
@@sarahandemmalemoignan9449 Thanks for making this comment, it seemed so easy I was skeptical of if it would really work. Definetly gonna ask my dad to build it now, my beardie seems pretty excited watching the video with me.
I'm looking at fishing bait
Here's my trick to get them to start changing. I take a flat pan and put one-quarter inch of dry oatmeal in it. Then I sprinkle the adult worms, like a 50 cup from the pet store, all over the oatmeal. Then I take a squirt bottle full of pure water on the Mist setting, and spray it eight to ten times, from about a foot away, so that just the surface of the oatmeal and the worms get a nice little drenching, like Dew in the morning. Not enough to soak the oatmeal all the way to the bottom. The bottom half of the oatmeal should be dry if you move it around with your finger a little. Wetting the oatmeal makes the worms Chow Down and pack their bellies with food. This helps them begin metamorphosis. Then I leave it in a quiet place open to the air, and within a day or two, you will begin seeing them starting to pupate. Check the oatmeal now and then and when it gets completely dried out, spray it the exact same way. When you get the white pupae, transfer them to a dry container with just oatmeal and no water so that they can transform in peace without getting wet rot. Leave a ball of wet paper towel in there for moisture but do not soak the oatmeal. They will turn into beetles in no time.
I think 🤔 you tips are great and make sense. I want something easy to maintain because I have way too many shores to do . I has been trying multiple times to grow mealworms and always has been a failure because after adding slices of apple or carrots it ends getting mold and my meal worms all of them die 😫😫😫😫. What is the easiest setting for meal worm you recommend me? Please help me, I really need to grow my meal worms 😨!!! I am very thankful for you help.
you are a god, ive waiting for what feels like forever for my mealworms to pupate
@@queilyyenner6399 If your worms are getting mold you do not have good air flow, I'd also recommend not spraying oatmeal because it molds very quickly when wet, use fresh veg/fruit or even bug gel in a dish. I'd also recommend not using this guide aswell because its actually more work then just sifting, it isnt self sorting by any means the only thing its doing is allowing the eggs to drop down. You still need to sort the fresh pupa and beetles from the eggs/larva.
@@queilyyenner6399 Slice your "food" very thin, they will eat it all before it gets moldy.
If anyone doesn't have a drill to poke the holes, you can use a nail heated in the flame of a gas stovetop to melt a hole through the plastic very quickly. I've done this before because I don't have a drill.
Be very careful though, wear an oven mitt, the nail is very very HOT!
Aziara86 thats smart. 👏 you get a clap
We got Yoda and another star wars character both in the same thread.
I knoe this us old, but cant you use pliers to hold said heated nails?
Sam Sadowitz yea
or a soldering iron then you won't burn your self
Thank you. I've watched a few mealworm videos and this is by far both the most succinct and the most immediately informative. Six minutes all in. Great job; well done. You have my vote.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHOWING A FULL DIY VID!! Sooo many people use this breeding bin method, but never actually show how to make this!! THANK YOU!!
You're welcome! I am so glad that you enjoyed it!
AGREED
Very well explained and overall awesome tutorial. Thanks for posting!
You're welcome! Im glad you liked it!
@@MechNinji what size screws?
I've been wanting to do this for a while per my wife's request. This is going to save me a ton of money, and make my fowl super fat and happy! Thanks for the video! I'm going to go make one right now!
very first time in my life, a video with just information not jiber jaber. thanks for saving the time to comment you back with.
Clear, clean, easy tutorial, no music, no waffle, awesome
Rad dude!!! I wanna do something like this for our chickens to have good protein snacks!
If you're looking for another easy protein source for your chickens. Drill holes in a bucket along the bottom and about an inch up the sidewalls. Then hang it from a shepherd's hook or tree branch away from your house. Throw meat scraps or roadkill in the bucket. Flies will lay their eggs and maggots will fall through the holes.
@@sasssquatch1467 man thats gonna smell? neighbour might call the cops ,lol
@@sdqsdq6274 let em lol
@@sasssquatch1467 that's a brilliant idea!
This was the easiest tutorial I’ve ever watched thank u...
I've watched many videos on how to start a mealworm farm, and so far, this is the best explination so far.
Well done explaining each step and then showing it!
This is a fantastic video! Very well explained and easy to follow. Thank you. I will be trying this out now.
I found these containers at Target, they are Hefty brand “Hi-Rise” model, 32 quart and 18 quart. The 18 fits nicely into the 32. One word of caution, they do crack easily when cutting them (drilling was no problem). I used a dremmel type cut off wheel on a drill to cut the rectangular hole. I will start my farm tomorrow!
Just chiming in if you don't have a dremel, so long as your careful you can use a old knife heat it with fire stove or bbq and melt right through! Wear gloves and glasses lol. Also knife will be trash afterwards! Like rick said they crack if you put force and slash!
Its a year later. How did this method perform?
My farm worked great and is still producing. I confess that I have been lazy and I have a mix of beetles, worms and eggs.
I was scrolling the comments hoping someone had posted this information. Thanks very much!
Thank you so much!!! I was hand picking the baby worms from the bottom and it was a PAIN, now with this I can just sit back and relax and let my mw's do there stuff! I'm subscribing just because I'm going to save so much time
Awesome! that sounds great, I'm so happy you like the video! :)
Very easy to understand. Thank you
This is one of the best videos for a mealworm setup. It works and isn't complicated 👌
I'm new at raising mealworms, (having bought them for years, I've decided to try my hand at raising them.). I kept hearing the mesh method bor separating the beetles from the eggs but couldn't find the actual directions. Your video was excellent and showed exactly how it's done. Thanks!
Awesome tutorial video, just built one, but instead of building the wooden frame, i found a picture wood frame at Walmart that fit the one inch area just right.
8 x 10 ?
Dude you nailed it man. Quick, easy and simple to understand. I’m gonna use your method. Thank you so much.
Thank you for remembering the Lord’s will in your plans. Good video.
I am in agreement with others that this is a really well made DIY video. Lots of information with minimization of the banal stuff, like drilling, cutting, stapling, etc. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed it! :D
I remember raising a mealworm in first grade 😂 it was so fun and I was surprised to find a beetle and a mealworm in my container because idk who it bred with 😂
haha! That's pretty cool! Its always super fun to do stuff like that as a kid!
This was best and cheapest and easiest ideas !!! The best !!
Out of all the meal worm videos I have watched, this one was by far the best and easiest setup.
Thank you so much! I've been watching videos on how to raise meal worms and reading comments on how to separate them during all stages and was about to give up because it seemed like it would take up too much time an space. Then I came across your easy to understand setup. Headed to the store now! Keep up the great work!
Made this cause I have 2 hungry geckos and im tired to spending $15 every other week on worms. So far iv saved close to $300. Thank you so much!
Have you ever had beetles escape? I don’t want an infestation!
@@cocomaan nope aslong as ur container is big enough you dont haft to worry
Thank you so much. May Adonai bless you and keep you…😊
I like them for snacks! Good source of protein.
we just got our order of meal worms today you did an excellent job and we are going to try the self sort tub idea also! thank you for posting and keep up the great videos
This is brilliant! I've been looking for an organized, space-wise system like this, as I'm currently keeping my worms and beetles in a small room. Thanks so much!
Pretty good video. Thanks for taking time to do a show and tell on the building the bins. I would like to use more shallow bins so it doesn't end up taking up so much space. But that is for everyone to tweak to their own liking . This was well done. Thanks. Jesus bless.
Simple. I'm watching a group of videos tonight. You answered some questions that weren't answered in the others. Well done.
"... and a couple of other animals"
Including humans... Yes, yes, yes...
Bug farming is quite viable in urban neighborhoods as they need very little land and feed. Plus oats are cheap.
@@animequeen78 Yes, I do my own little mealworm farming in my little appartement. Takes very little room, very little work, very little money....
Do you eat them? How does it taste?
@@aswinchandran4181 Doesn't have much taste in itself, it's mostly protein, it tastes what it has been cooked with (herbs, aromats, etc...)
I was searching for that comment
This was the best video I saw all day. Not long and drawn out. Thanks!!
thanks! Im so glad to hear that! :)
Thanks for sharing this video. I can't wait to start my mealworm farm!!
Great video! My chickens will thank you once I get my meal worm farm going based off this design!
excellent design - functional and simple. thanks for posting
Thanks! I'm so glad you like it!
This is a REALLY sweet idea. I NEVER even thought of something like this. Looks like I know wat Im gonna try n throw together next weekend. THANKS!!!
You're welcome! I'm glad to hear that you like it!
So I did build it just like yours. Cuz I used to ALWAYS have the issue of taken the meal worms out n not the beetles and vice versa. A damn pain in the ass. But wit your little invention here I aint had to worry about it at all. Not a single beetle has been in the bottom so when the MW pupate I dont have to worry bout the beetles eating them. Which was a major issue for me before. So I THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! You helped me out ALOT!! Oh also I did a tiny upgrade to yours that made it perfect. I went and got a few different sizes of screen and used the one thats big enough for large meal worms to go thru BUT not the beetles. It works PERFECTLY as I have yet to see even ONE MW in the top with the beetles. Just thought I would give you that lil tip since you helped me out WAY more then you know. TYVM yet again
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that it is working well for you! That is fantastic! :D
@@erikiacopelli451 What type of screen?
Best mealworm farm video out there. No waffling and all the information I needed was there. Cheers!
Great video! Super informative and to the point. I am going to try this method for my little guys. Thank you.
Awesome! I am so glad that you enjoyed it!
Dude you did a great job explaining it ..so detailed ray Charles could follow your instruction
haha! Thanks! :D
This was an excellent video! Very impressed. Thank you.
Thanks for the simple and easy to understand tutorial. Great job.
I see a very bright future for your channel! Great job on the video, very informative and I have no questions to ask.
Thank you so much! I am so glad you liked the video! :)
Wow! This was such a creative video and I loved the idea of this. Also, the clips were very nicely taken and everything was very well edited. Great tutorial! I can tell a lot of effort went into creating this
Thank you sooo much! I'm so glad you liked it! :D
I know this was 7 years ago but wow! You were so so great at "teaching" and explaining! Perfect. Thank you 😊
This is the best, most straightforward demonstration of exactly
how to build and maintain a mealworm farm. Thank you!
for those not used to lumber calculations:
1/2in x 1 1/2 in (actual) = "1x2" in the store
Hi, I've just built your mealworm farm and it's by far the best system (and video) out there. I understand the breeding cycle and the need to rotate the beetles over the 'nurseries' every three weeks or so. Do you keep one cycle of mealworms to continue the growing/breeding cycle? If not, at what point do I reserve mealworms to maintain the breeding beetle population? Awesome instructional by the way.
I've seen other videos about this, and a few recomment that you buy some new beetles every now and then to avoid inbreeding.
Inbreeding apparently causes that they stop breeding, and I think there was one or two more things to it, but I don't remember right now because of the green stuff I smoked. 😁
Such a great video all around. Quick, easy, clear, totally understandable and do-it-yourselfable. Well done. And now I feel confident in finally breading my own mealworms. Thanks.
Simple and professional. Thank you. This video wipes out others that drag on and on and tell you nothing.
This sounds like a minecraft tutorial
haha!
TimeWarpTv more like a ark totorial
I actually had the same thought. I think a lot of people who played Minecraft growing up are going to end up as real life permaculture farmers. Using the output of one system to feed into another, which feeds into another, and all the while taking out human-useful products.
TimeWarpTv yeah
But the there is a mechanical theory that gave boost to this theory
Ah, yes, hammer in all the staperills.
Really? That's what you commented on? A speech mistake? Ever try doing a video or speaking to a group and not make a mistake? You must be a god.
Simple and efficient set up and presented very well. Thank you.
Wow! That's a great thing to sorting out the mealworms. I am gonna surely make this one. Thanks for sharing it. 👍
How long do the beetles live for? I'm assuming you have to put some mealworms or pupae in the top to keep the breeding stock up; how often do you have to do that?
www.wikihow.com/Breed-Mealworms
The thumbnail and title reminded me of minecraft tutorials. Lol
“Automatic cow cooking farm”
I don’t even know why I am here. I DO have a bearded dragon, but I don’t feed meal worms : / I use dubias
My nana thinks that dubias are the same as cockroches sooooooo I can't have any i wish I could though :/
@@thehunter_3414 Your Nan is a smart women. They're cockroaches "The Dubia roach, also known as the orange-spotted roach, Guyana spotted roach, or Argentinian wood roach, is a medium-sized species of cockroach which grows to around 40-45 mm" I feed dubia roaches, mealworms, morio worms, crickets, locust to my Leopard Gecko, variety is key to a good diet. I breed dubia roaches, mealworms and morio worms
Best instructional video I have ever watched. Thank you so much!!!
That was the best mealworm farm DIY video I've ever seen! Thank you so much.
Can I feed them to my human pets as well?
Of course! I've been told that even when just oven roasted they have a bit of a nutty flavor (varies depending on what they're fed) that your humans will likely love, and they contain many important nutrients that they need!
just sayin' not thatd id know but... they taste like potato chips if you fry them
My question is, how do you know when to discard the "frass" without discarding eggs?
I imagine it would be when you harvest the mealworms (at a specific time after they hatch from one of the tubs) that you can then sort out the frass from the remaining oats through a sifter or something? I'm not sure though
@@alexglaros9000 Maybe you just set a time-frame and say after a certain time, you don't care. Such as (not real data, just made up for example) if 50% hatch after 2 weeks, 30% 3 weeks, 10% more at 4 weeks, 5% more 5 weeks (95% hatched), then maybe you would let it go for 5 or 6 weeks and be willing to introduce the remaining mealworms to wherever you put the frass. Just an idea. I guess either use what someone else does or take your own findings and see what is worth the time. Thanks for helping me think this out.
Once the eggs have hatched and the meal worms are bigger than the holes in your sifter you sift the bottom tray into a separate container and put the meal worms and oats back into the bucket and top off the oats
@@adinawatson8544 My question is about how to discard the frass, without discarding eggs that haven't yet hatched. I guess you could come up with a way to heat threat the frass and bits of food to make sure if anything was left behind it would be killed. but I also wonder if you were using the frass in gardening I would think you would also be spreading bits of wheat bran or oats which could attract ants or gnats or other pests. I'm wondering if you buried the frass mixed with the bits of food and possible eggs if maybe the mealworms wouldn't survive hatching underground to be a problem to the environment? I just don't know if releasing mealworm eggs or baby mealworms to the environment outside if that could be harmful or not. I know that both mealworms and the beetles will eat carrots and potatoes which are also grown for people to eat so I would think it could potentially be considered a pest.
@@FusionDeveloper in guess I should have specified for the most efficiency separate the grass and let the eggs hatch then sift it or find another way I'm pretty sure I answered the question though
Outstanding and to the point video. Just the information I need to grow meal worms efficiently for my chickens. Great work. Thank you
This is THE best tutorial for meal worms! Thank you
whenever I buy the meal worms can I put them at the top and just leave them their , so when the Beatles hatch I don't have to move them?
When you first start off yes you could, but the first beetles that come out will eat the other pupas and sometimes even the smaller worms. So I wouldn't recommend t. :)
I think you are confusing John, Paul, George and Ringo with bugs.
berthosquire Oh come on... they look exactly the same close up ;)
so you need to take your beetles out once they hatch so they don't eat the other worms in the system you showed?
No, those are Beatles.
He forgot to say also feed it to Humans.
oh, you sound like my brother! hahaha!
You really are broken huh?
Mmmm... protein! 😋
Fried mealworms taste good
now, in 2019 it is legal to sell isects as food, they taste not bad and they are definetly a great source of many nutriens.
I loved this video. So helpful. Looks like the best way to start a nice little farm. Thank you! I just went out and bought my tubs. When I re-watched the video to check how often to rotate top tub, I hear you say get 200 meal worms... I ordered 1000! haha here we go!!!
Perfect explanation!! Thanks I’m going to build this!
What's the nutritional value on average for a meal worm?
I'm sorry but I have no idea. :)
its ok :)
I don't know specifically the nutritional value but I do know that they are pretty fatty in comparison to crickets.
So you have to sort out the mealworms from the pupas, What the best way to do that.
Per 100grams (or roughly 80-90 worms)
Fat: 27.2%
Protein: 49.6%
Carbohydrates: 6.9 grams
Calories: 135 calories
Hope that helps.
My ants eat meal worms like complete savages.
(edit) My, pet carpenter ants
Can you feed the beetle to the ant?
I have carpenter ants too but they doesn't like to eat crickets..
Thank you. My husband built this from watching your video. We are going to start a mealworm setup soon. Great job.
Great video! Explained very well with step-by-step instructions. I just finished my mealworm farm and looking forward to saving some money!
Im just gonna breed mealworms as a hobby
Said no one ever.
@@smnewstead4093 Thanks for reminding me! Now I have something to do over lockdown :)
@@zethcader6478 They kinda stink!
@@smnewstead4093 How badly?
@@zethcader6478 Just a bit, but it's nasty. Crickets too.
This really helped
Im thinking of starting my own farm for my reptiles because buying them at the store ,is burning a huge hole in my wallet
That's awesome! Yeah, it does save a lot of money!
My wife n I are really happy to have found this in my recommended feed today, Well Done!
I want to express my gratitude on the BEST video on youtube. I went through so many and got frustrated until I found yours. You were very thorough but respectfully gave us time to really understand just how to put this together. Thank you so much!!! ❤
I'm trying to raise mealworms to eat
That's cool!
Guitars and Guns Post that video please. I would click on all the advertisements.
You'll give me add rev for eating some meal worms?
Count me in
better off letting chickens eat them first..
that sounds disgusting :-( just guts.. no meat
Do humans count as an animal to consume them?
haha! I guess you could eat meal worms but I wouldn't. :)
totally. edible, nutritious, and a classic choice.
here's an article to inspire you: www.entomoveproject.com/blog/2016/01/10/edible-insects-properties/
FrancesQuimby
they're just guts though... no meat
The Legend34 Most of the "Meat" we eat are mostly guts.
Cthulhu Reptiles
No.... It's muscle dude.
Best video I've see yet. Using this setup for my mealworm farm. Thank you for the video.
Young man, a good food for thought, no padding, no waffle, to the point video. Info duly noted in my mealworm notepad and onto the next video if needed for further in depth info. Always willing to see different ideas on doing jobs, Way to go - thank you.
I feel like I'm watching a minecraft tutorial
haha! Minecraft 2.0! :D
Tomarty haha lol
What about the poo..
It will be thrown out with the bedding when you change it out at the end of every generation. :)
Mechanical Ninjineer how often is that
Jamie Alford every month
Shannon Mae so the beetles live roughly a month before they die?
ZekeITS I don’t know how long they live but you need to clean them out every month so it doesn’t smell
Thanks, I will give it a go. Easy to understand and follow along.
THanks!! Simple, easy, and nice explanation!!!!
yeah I went screw crazy in my youth too
Not for larval beetles tho, larval men was my crazy
Brilliant. Thank you for sharing.
Very concise and directly to the point! This is how every tutorial video should be. You, Sir, earn a freakin medal!
hahaha! Thanks! I'm so glad you like the video! :D
Excellent video, you did not waffle, you got straight to the point, the video was clear and your instructions faultless, well done. Most instructional videos I sit there and get so impatient screaming at the screen telling them to hurry up, or shut and get to the point, we don't care what the weather is like outside at your house or how cute your dog is watching you arrgghh!!!! I'm starting a meal worm farm for my chickens down under in NZ, thank you for this very professional tutorial!"
Excellent!!! Straight and to the point.
Excellent tutorial. Thank you.
Thank you for your time and effort, you’ve helped me out allot with this great design.
Best tutorial I've seen on the topic. Thanks for sharing!
Informative video, thanks!