Mealworm Experiment
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:00 am
Hey Guys & Gals, I've been playing with some mealworms for awhile and wanted to share some interesting results. After reading about Permaculture here I was staring at my mealworms in oatmeal and was wondering what would happen if I tried to just re-create their natural environment, they are just beetles right?
Well... I setup a 10 gal. fish tank and kept it safe for about 2 weeks and then ants found it (no casualties luckily, found it early). But what I did found out when picking through the soil was there a lot of large mealworms, more than there should have been since I was used to the Oatmeal. The best part is that I didn't have to touch it for weeks, except for the ants which was my mistake (had only double sided tape which failed after 2 weeks).
Anyways, I'm in Florida so I can keep it outside all year long and anyone else with the ability might want to consider it, here are the pics:
Tank Setup:
Interesting Results:
Another interesting thing is when I pulled out the beetles and mealworms they were grouping together, I'm guessing for mating purposes, and had re-structured the soil. I'm guessing their poop and moving around but it was notably different and the tiny larvae seemed to prefer it, but I did find some in the normal soil as well.
Also note, you'll want to use high quality soil like Lambert's and one without fertilizer in it. High organic composition is a must, do not try this with top soil or $1 bag compost.
Theoretically I should only have to touch this setup every few months, and that's only to add a bunch of new potting soil then stir it around, as well as monitor the water. The oatmeal was weird because I had to keep a container of mealworm poop + fresh oatmeal/carrot and it seemed to stunt their growth. I'm hoping the plants take over and the old growth adds new food (hence the permaculture angle), they are very easy to remove when I need to go through it.
Look forward to your comments/experiences and I will update this in another month or two.
Well... I setup a 10 gal. fish tank and kept it safe for about 2 weeks and then ants found it (no casualties luckily, found it early). But what I did found out when picking through the soil was there a lot of large mealworms, more than there should have been since I was used to the Oatmeal. The best part is that I didn't have to touch it for weeks, except for the ants which was my mistake (had only double sided tape which failed after 2 weeks).
Anyways, I'm in Florida so I can keep it outside all year long and anyone else with the ability might want to consider it, here are the pics:
Tank Setup:
Interesting Results:
Another interesting thing is when I pulled out the beetles and mealworms they were grouping together, I'm guessing for mating purposes, and had re-structured the soil. I'm guessing their poop and moving around but it was notably different and the tiny larvae seemed to prefer it, but I did find some in the normal soil as well.
Also note, you'll want to use high quality soil like Lambert's and one without fertilizer in it. High organic composition is a must, do not try this with top soil or $1 bag compost.
Theoretically I should only have to touch this setup every few months, and that's only to add a bunch of new potting soil then stir it around, as well as monitor the water. The oatmeal was weird because I had to keep a container of mealworm poop + fresh oatmeal/carrot and it seemed to stunt their growth. I'm hoping the plants take over and the old growth adds new food (hence the permaculture angle), they are very easy to remove when I need to go through it.
Look forward to your comments/experiences and I will update this in another month or two.
