Post on 01-Jun-2020
Raising Mealworms &
Utilizing Frass
JUSTIN MEYER
OWNER/INSECT FARMER
MIDWEST MEALWORMS, LLC
ASHLAND, MO
Agenda
WHO AM I? MEALWORM & FRASS BASICS
HOW DO YOU START?
Q&A
Who am I?
Family of 4 in Ashland, MO
8-5'er by day managing a software implementation team
Mealworm Farmer by night!
Origin story: It all started with a micro colony of mealworms to supplement chickens 6 years ago, then turned into a business in Jan of 2017. Producing live mealworms and superworms, Midwest Mealworms provides quality live insects to central Missouri as well as Frass (mealworm poop) as a soil amendment.
Pros to mealworms
Nutrient dense feed/food
Great use of natural resources:
To obtain 1 pound of mealworms, they need 2 pounds of feed, 1 gallon of water, and 2 cubic feet of space. (Martin, 2014)
Feed: wheat bran, wheat midds, oat bran, grains
Water: low volume necessary, feed a moisture source like potato or carrots.
Space: 2 cubic feet, but think VERTICAL…
Super easy to raise!!!!
Martin, D. (2014). Edible: An Adventure Into the World of Eating Insects and the Last Great Hope to Save the Planet. New York: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt.
Nutrient analysis from http://www.grubco.com/nutritional_information.cfm
Easy to scale!
Super small on the left, my current farm on the right.
Cons to
mealworms
Allergies – take precautions to avoid allergic reactions
TIME!!! – not active time spent working on the raising process, just the time it takes to raise a mealworm from one stage to the next. It takes patience.
Slight smell in large concentrations – mainly due to frass
Frass…what is
Frass???
Frass, castings, manure, poop.
Insect frass is insect poop and is a fantastic soil amendment.
Dry, ‘sand-like’ substance with very little odor
Non-manipulated – it comes out of the mealworm ready to use!
Contains Chitin – natural element of all insects, when a plant encounters chitin it thinks it is under attack, and reacts!
Stimulates growth Trigger immune defensesIncrease plant strength Boost plant production
Frass
Frass is collected from the larval stage
Finely sifting it removes all larvae and feed, leaving just frass.
Ready to use right away, or can be stored for long periods.
Frass nutrient contents vary based on feed provided and environment variables.
Analysis of my mealworm’s frasscompleted by MU Soil & Plant Testing.
Application of Frass- Flexible and cost effective
Compost TeaAdd 1 T frass to 1
gallon of water, let sit for 10 mins, water like
normal.
Top DressSpread/Sprinkle frass
over the root zone and water in. 1 T every 2 weeks, 1 Lb. per 20 sf
for lawns.
Potting Pre-MixAdd 1 T frass to 7 gallons planting
media.
Foliar FeedAdd 4 T to 1 gallon of water, shake well, sit
for 10 mins. Strain and spray.
Application of Frass- Flexible and cost effective
A 1 pound pouch will make 75 gallons of
compost tea!!
Mealworm Basics - Lifecycle
Takes 2-3 months from egg to large larva
Beetles lay most of their eggs within the first 90 days of their life
The beetle does NOT fly!! ☺
How and
why?
Optimal rearing scenario: 80 F, 70% humidity, moisture source fed every day, sift frass once a week.
Reality: 60-80 F is fine, 40% humidity is fine, feed moisture source twice a week, sift frass once a month. You won’t get maximum output, but you get worthwhile output.
Why bother:
Live mealworms for your animals (poultry, reptiles, small mammals)
Frass for your garden/orchard/lawn
Sales – what most insect farmers who stick with it and enjoy it find is that they produce more than they need, and can sell it locally.
Start small
With just an $80 investment, you can start a small mealworm colony:
Top drawer has mesh to allow hatched larvae and eggs to fall through
Beetles, pupae, mealworms, eggs included.
Instructions!
Are you a DIY’er? With little work you can build a tower like this yourself, and get starter mealworms online or in local stores.
Maintaining your mealworms
Environment conditions:
77-81 F – they will do just fine in 60-81 F, lower temps result in lower production
70% humidity – they will do fine in 40-80%, lower humidity results in higher death rates of larvae and pupae
Light – none required, less light is better.
Feeding your mealworms
What is going to eat your
mealworms? If the critter that will eat
mealworms is allergic to citrus, don’t
feed your mealworms citrus.
Substrate: what the mealworms and
beetles live in.
Mealworms eat it for nutrition. Best
option is wheat bran, other options
include oat bran, oats, wheat midds,
grains.
Moisture source: any fruit or
vegetable, anything with moisture in
it: potatoes, carrots, banana peel,
squash, sweet potato.
Careful with high moisture foods like
fruit, mealworms are slow eaters, fruit
scraps could mold before eaten.
Monitor your farm and you won’t
have issues.
Feeding your
mealworms
Substrate: Ensure your mealworms have
substrate to eat. Check your farm at least
once a week, run a hand through to see how
much frass vs substrate you have.
Moisture source: check your farm every 2 to 3 days
for moisture sources. Add if all moisture sources are
gone.
If moisture source still exists, do NOT add more.
If the previously added source is present but dry,
add fresh but add less
Drawer / stage
maintenance
Several options and methods
All-in-one: lower production, results in loss of eggs when sifting frass, good for low maintenance and low output – fishermen, reptile
Drawer with mesh bottom tower: low production, low maintenance.
Every 3 days check your large mealworms for pupae. Place any pupae in the Pupae tray.Check the pupae tray for hatched beetles. Move hatched beetles to beetle tray.Remove any dead beetles
Frass removal: once a month, or when the frass is 1 inch thick, use a fine sifter to remove all frass.
Scaling UpKeep all stages separate
Beetles – let them lay for 1-2 weeks, then sift out beetles and put them in fresh substrate
Larvae – sift the frass every 1-2 weeks – see video starting at 2:00
Large larvae – sift out pupae every 4-7 days
Value add opportunity
With 5 hours of work/maintenance a week, you can raise a good deal of
mealworms and frass
Live, locally produced mealworms are highly desired by reptile owners and bird
feeders who currently get their live insects from chain suppliers/stores
Frass can be used for gardens, indoor plants, orchards, and lawns. Local sellers
are able to sell frass very cost effectively – shipping is a large part of frass cost.
Question and Answer
IF YOU THINK OF QUESTIONS LATER, CONTACT ME!
TEXT MWMW TO 555888
MIDWESTMEALWORMS.COM
FACEBOOK: @MIDWEST MEALWORMS, LLC
INSTAGRAM: @MIDWESTMEALWORMS
TWITTER: @MIDWESTMEALWORM
YOUTUBE: MIDWEST MEALWORMS
INFO@MIDWESTMEALWORMS.COM