My Mealworm Business

Hi, love the website! I am going to be getting a Sand Boa this month early next month. My first ever snake too, can't wait! But that's not what this thread is about. I have always bred superworms and mealworms since I was a kid. Always were fascicating to see them in their alien(pupa) stage. Now that I have a good paying job and live with my GF(more space) than parents I can get this on the role. I've been playing with doing this for some time. My GF is in the graphics design business so she can make the website and business cards for me and any other stuff like that.

I will be making a rack, several. Alot of tubs for these mealworms. Will be fed on wheat bran so I can sift out the small mealies and carrot/potato for their water source.

Will post pics as I start this. :D

Good luck :)

Thanks!!!

Well scratch the whole making a shelf, my new job has me working 12 days out of the past 14. Still gotta work Friday and Saturday and off Sunday then all over again. It's 10 hour shifts, well 10 and a half since we get a 30 minute lunch, but.....my check was damn gooood!!! It'll be months if I try and make the shelves, just no time. So I just bought this.

http://www.amazon.com/Sterilite-0155...ref=pd_sbs_k_2

$32.54 at Amazon, 5 shelves high. It's 36x18x76. Should be able to fit two tubs in each section so a total of 10 tubs. Should be a good start. I know it looks crappy and won't hold weight but it's not like there will be alot of weight.

Update:Got the shelf setup downstairs. There's not much room on the 5th shelf, will be just for small supplies or nothing more than likely. It's underneath the stairs, I could move it but it looks good where it's at. Took about 10 minutes to setup. The actual shelf space is really tall and the tubs don't need to be that tall. So 2 tubs will be on each shelf then some eggcrate layed on top then 2 more tubs. In total 4 tubs on each shelf. 4 shelves with 4 tubs on each shelf so 16 in total.

Just got to get the tubs and mealworms now. Going to put mealworms in 4 tubs then as they pupate have a container for them then every 3 weeks will change the beetles to a new fresh tub. That's the plan at least. Here's some pics.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/P8295438.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/P8295439.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/P8295441.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/P8295440.jpg

Nice! I've been thinking about expanding, but there's another guy in my area that breeds them also. His prices use to be super low, he's starting to come up to $1 per 100 though, so I'll be able to be competitive.

I plan on doing a minimum of 500 for $5. I'll still offer my friends and family the ability to get 100-200, but not the strangers on CraigsList.

Let me know how it works out for you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jfreels

Nice! I've been thinking about expanding, but there's another guy in my area that breeds them also. His prices use to be super low, he's starting to come up to $1 per 100 though, so I'll be able to be competitive.

I plan on doing a minimum of 500 for $5. I'll still offer my friends and family the ability to get 100-200, but not the strangers on CraigsList.

Let me know how it works out for you.

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Yeah, friends would get first dibs of course. Can't sell out to your friends!

I bought 5k mealworms and 1k supers. That should be a good start. I bought some bus tubs from a online store that sells restaraunt items. Their 21x15x7 inches tall. Twelve of them to be exact.

Well I got the tubs, none were broken....Thanks Fedex guy.
Here's some pics.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/PB036238.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/PB036239.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/PB036240.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/PB036241.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38...4/PB036242.jpg

As for now the rigged up piece of shelving and some metal crate is holding the 2 layers up on the top 2 sections. I'll get some cheap wood and get my dad to cut it to size and spray paint it black, but for now this will do. The top 8 will be for mealworms since I have more and the bottom 4 for superworms.

Their 7 inches deep so I can put a good 4 inches in there of food for them which will mean I can have ALOT of mealworms per tub.

interested in seeing how this turns out

Awesome! I hope it works out for you. Looks like you know what you're doing, which is more than I can say for myself!

If you're going to resell them, you'll need to control their sizes. I should have PMed you more information earlier. With those size tubs, I'd imagine only a couple hundred beetles in each one at most. Four inches of bedding will do you no good. You're better to have more tubs with beetles and then have "rearing" tubs which you'll combine the bedding from the beetle tubs every 10-15 days.

If you let them lay for longer than that, you'll never be able to control size for re-sale. It's important that when someone buys 10k large mealworms, they get large mealworms! You're on the right track though!

You'll also need something for the pupae. I use to use a folding Sterilite box, it worked good. Put a piece of egg create in it and shake the new beetles off every couple days. Let me know if you need anymore tips. IMO, your time will be better spent on the supers. They will make you more money. They are a little trickier though in large quantities.