Meal worms in compost heap (1 Viewer)

abagguley · May 4, 2005

OK, this is probably a stupid question, but is it feasible to put a few meal worms in my compost heap to start a self-sufficient colony that the birds could feed from? Or will they hatch into a plague of beetles that eat my garden?

I'm asking because I'd like to feed live food (particularly at this time of year when so many birds are trying to feed chicks) but the missus doesn't fancy having a big tub of grubs anywhere near the house or garage. Plus I'm too tight to keep buying 'em every few weeks.

What do you think?

Adrian

snapper · May 4, 2005

abagguley said:
OK, this is probably a stupid question, but is it feasible to put a few meal worms in my compost heap to start a self-sufficient colony that the birds could feed from? Or will they hatch into a plague of beetles that eat my garden?

I'm asking because I'd like to feed live food (particularly at this time of year when so many birds are trying to feed chicks) but the missus doesn't fancy having a big tub of grubs anywhere near the house or garage. Plus I'm too tight to keep buying 'em every few weeks.

What do you think?

Adrian

Hi Adrian I am no sure but when you buy meal worms loose at the pet shop they put some bran in the bag so I think they feed on that sort of food I think this is why they are called meal worms if they were that easy to breed we would all be rich in no time. Snapper.

abagguley · May 4, 2005

Yeah - feeding them may be a problem. I just looked at the CJ Foods web-site & you can buy bran-based food; maybe I could chuck some of that in. It does defeat the idea of a 'self-sufficient colony', though. Plus I might end up paying for food that the slugs eat, which wasn't part of the plan. I was hoping the mealworms would be happy on a diet of potato peelings & tea-bags.

Back to the drawing board.

Touty · May 4, 2005

abagguley said:
Yeah - feeding them may be a problem. I just looked at the CJ Foods web-site & you can buy bran-based food; maybe I could chuck some of that in. It does defeat the idea of a 'self-sufficient colony', though. Plus I might end up paying for food that the slugs eat, which wasn't part of the plan. I was hoping the mealworms would be happy on a diet of potato peelings & tea-bags.

Back to the drawing board.

They will eat other stuff occasionally. A friend of mine uses them to clean skulls as well as skeletons of small mammals. They like it dry so bran and bread waste are their stuff with the odd apple core or dead mouse.

helenol · May 4, 2005

Mealworms: Any larva of the beetle genus Tenebrio, especially T. molitor. Meal-worms are slender and round, about 2.5 cm/1 in long, and tawny with bright rusty bands. They are pests of stored grain.

Here's a good site for advice on breeding mealworms:

http://www.mealworms.com/

Regards

helenol · May 4, 2005

You can get a large bag of bran at your local petshop, cheap as well.

abagguley · May 4, 2005

That's a good site Helen.

My favourite quote is "The worms are very active, friendly, and playful at this age" - I now fear they may become my pets, & I wouldn't be able to send them to the slaughter. I might end up giving them all names.

As they need to be kept in adry place, I think the compost heap idea is out - I could try putting them in the yard under cover, but I'm not sure if this would attract rats (we already have woodmice that might help themselves, too).

Having said that, if the alternative is spending a fortune, I might give this a go.

Adrian

PS Touty - what sort of company do you keep? Rodent skeleton collectors? Italy must have some of the best football / art / architecture / cuisine / opera in the world - there are so many things to do before you spend your evenings de-fleshing a Field Vole!

Touty · May 4, 2005

abagguley said:
That's a good site Helen.

My favourite quote is "The worms are very active, friendly, and playful at this age" - I now fear they may become my pets, & I wouldn't be able to send them to the slaughter. I might end up giving them all names.

As they need to be kept in adry place, I think the compost heap idea is out - I could try putting them in the yard under cover, but I'm not sure if this would attract rats (we already have woodmice that might help themselves, too).

Having said that, if the alternative is spending a fortune, I might give this a go.

Adrian

PS Touty - what sort of company do you keep? Rodent skeleton collectors? Italy must have some of the best football / art / architecture / cuisine / opera in the world - there are so many things to do before you spend your evenings de-fleshing a Field Vole!

Takes all sorts I guess. These museum types are strange.... it's the formalin.

Gill Osborne · May 4, 2005

Touty said:
A friend of mine uses them to clean skulls as well as skeletons of small mammals.

Never thought of using mealworms! I have a few skulls and bones which I've picked up over the past few months (got a fantastic roebuck one complete with antlers) and I've been lucky so far in that the bones have been clean when I've found them.
But I've often wondered HOW to clean up a complete corpse? Seems a shame to see dead animals by the side of the road and not clean them up for their skeleton

Had a wacky conversation in the car last week with Neil....I was asking HOW I could remove the skull from a roadkill victim and Neil said I should keep a few tools in the boot.....hacksaw, secateurs, plastic bags and disposable gloves.
Can just IMAGINE the looks I would get from other drivers as I saw off a, say, fox's head!!!

Think I will give those mealworms a try though......I get my skeletons cleaned, the mealworms get full tummies and the birds get their mealworms....everybody's happy!

GILL

Touty · May 4, 2005

Gill Osborne said:
Never thought of using mealworms! I have a few skulls and bones which I've picked up over the past few months (got a fantastic roebuck one complete with antlers) and I've been lucky so far in that the bones have been clean when I've found them.
But I've often wondered HOW to clean up a complete corpse? Seems a shame to see dead animals by the side of the road and not clean them up for their skeleton
Had a wacky conversation in the car last week with Neil....I was asking HOW I could remove the skull from a roadkill victim and Neil said I should keep a few tools in the boot.....hacksaw, secateurs, plastic bags and disposable gloves.
Can just IMAGINE the looks I would get from other drivers as I saw off a, say, fox's head!!!

Think I will give those mealworms a try though......I get my skeletons cleaned, the mealworms get full tummies and the birds get their mealworms....everybody's happy!

GILL

Take it easy. For a Roebuck skull you'd need a big barrel of mealworms which haven't been 'watered' for a few days. If they're full of water they'll ignore the bait. The other technique is to use a big wood ant nest for skull and large bones - they will carry away small bones of rodents.

Gill Osborne · May 5, 2005

Touty said:
Take it easy. For a Roebuck skull you'd need a big barrel of mealworms which haven't been 'watered' for a few days. If they're full of water they'll ignore the bait. The other technique is to use a big wood ant nest for skull and large bones - they will carry away small bones of rodents.

Back to the drawing board then......

Just when I thought I'd found an easy way to clean up skeletons too......really don't fancy using maggots *yuck*
Sure I once read that you can remove the flesh by simmering it in a pan....but I somehow think my husband would have things to say about that!

GILL

Meal worms in compost heap (1 Viewer)

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