Tips to grow meal worms

Why meal worms?

What do meal worms eat?

Insects ( e.g., meal worm beetles)

Cereal, like oatmeal or whole wheat

Why meal worms? -For one thing, they are not dangerous to humans in any way, shape, or form. Mealworms are cancerous-free, and there have been no reports of mealworms transmitting any diseases to people.

-Secondly, mealworms are a high-quality protein source. 100 grams of mealworms contains about 52 grams of protein, which is more than most red meats. In addition, mealworms contain essential fatty acids, fiber, minerals (including magnesium, potassium, and calcium), and vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin A (as beta-carotene), and vitamin K.

Why mealworms? -They can help you save money on your weekly grocery bill. If you are currently feeding your pets mealworms, you are already aware that mealworms are cheaper to feed them than dog or cat food. They also produce much less waste, which means less trips to the trash bin.

Why mealworms? -You can use mealworms as fishing bait if you are an angler. Mealworms will attract fish because they are a natural food source for many different types of fish.

-Last, but not least, mealworms can be used to compost. The droppings of mealworms are high in nitrogen and can help speed up the process of composting organic matter.

Now that you know all the reasons why mealworms make a great addition to any sustainable lifestyle, let’s move on to how you can go about growing them at home.

The first thing you need to do is get your hands on some mealworm larvae, or mealworms in their earliest stage of development. You can either purchase a mealworm kit online or from a pet store, or you can harvest mealworms from the wild.

1) If you choose to purchase mealworms online or from a pet store, make sure the mealworms are sold as fish bait mealworms (for use in aquariums). These mealworms are specifically raised for human consumption and will not be infested with any other harmful parasites. 2) If you choose to harvest mealworms from the wild, make sure to only collect mealworms from areas that are not polluted with pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

Now that you have your mealworms, it is time to get them set-up in their new home.

1) The first thing you need to do is provide them with some food. You can either give them a diet of cereal (like oatmeal or whole wheat), or you can give them a diet of insects. If you give them a diet of insects, make sure to freeze the insects first to kill any parasites they may be carrying.

2) The mealworms need a place to live. You can either provide them with a plastic container with air holes punched in the lid, or you can provide them with a compost bin. If you choose to use a compost bin, make sure the mealworms have access to some soil so they can bury their food.

3) The mealworms need a place to hide. You can either provide them with some cardboard tubes, or you can leave some of the mealworms’ natural habitat intact (if you are collecting mealworms from the wild).

4) The mealworms need to be kept at a relatively warm temperature. If they become too cold, they will go into hibernation mode and may die. At this stage in their life cycle, mealworms are most likely to die from being too cold rather than from being too hot.

5) The mealworms need to be kept in a dark environment (this is also good for their mental health). Mealworms are nocturnal, so they sleep during the day and become active at night. If you want mealworms that are more active during the day, feed them during the day instead of at night.

To learn more about mealworms, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meal_worm