Mealworm Breeding ?

i am using oats for my mealworms and today i found green mold on some of the oats. whats up with that? and how can i change the oats out without spending the whole day picking out the worms?

Too much humidity will lead to molds.

As for how to not spend the day separating mealies from their substrate, this is what I do.

I do not use oats, I use cornmeal and once I need mealies I use a strainer to separate them from their substrate.

What are you putting in your tubs for moisture? If you didn't grind your oats before you put them in there then I don't think there is much you can do to make it easy to get the mealies out. If you grinded your oats then you could just sift them out.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Too much humidity will lead to molds.

As for how to not spend the day separating mealies from their substrate, this is what I do.

I do not use oats, I use cornmeal and once I need mealies I use a strainer to separate them from their substrate.

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im going to grind up my oats very fine because i have ALOT left like the fellow below me said, then i will see how that goes and use cornmeal. thansk

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Originally Posted by Boanerges

What are you putting in your tubs for moisture? If you didn't grind your oats before you put them in there then I don't think there is much you can do to make it easy to get the mealies out. If you grinded your oats then you could just sift them out.

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thanks for the great idea!!

A strainer is the best way, sifting them out is so much easier. But in the mean time you could wet down a paper towel, wring it out well and lay it over the top of the substrate. It'll be crawling with meal worms within a few minutes. Then you can take the paper towel and shake it out over an empty plastic bin. Not as good as a strainer but it sure beats picking them out by hand.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Boanerges

What are you putting in your tubs for moisture? If you didn't grind your oats before you put them in there then I don't think there is much you can do to make it easy to get the mealies out. If you grinded your oats then you could just sift them out.

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hey i grinded up the oats super fine. hope thatl help. thanks!

How do you grind up the oats? I have started a colony of superworms and it sucks picking them by hand.

Thanks
Caleb

We use cornmeal for the worms. If you are using apples as moisture that can definitely cause mold. Don't overdo it. One slice of apple and remove when it starts to get mushy.

I like to use carrots , I find they dry out rather than mold. They also last quite a bit and they're cheap. If you're anyplace rural you can get a bag of horse carrots (the ones that aren't nice/pretty enough for people) dirt cheap.