moldy mealworms

[Pia]

Well, this is my first time breeding mealworms and all was going fine until today. I usually use potatoes and carrots for moisture, but last night I thought I would throw in some bok choy leaves. When I checked on them today there was a thin layer of green moldy looking moisture beads on the side of the container just above the bran. I wiped it all off and checked for mold in the rest of the container and couldn't find any. Do you think I should scrap the whole batch and start again?

[Pixie]

Let the colony dry out some and see how things go. If the mould comes back again later, you'll have to scrap the colony.

I've had it happen to me as well and thankfully it didn't come back.

What kind of container do you have your colony in? A lot of ventilation is key to avoid mold springing up on you.

Pixie

[Pia]

No mold or condensation today - I will keep checking for the next few days. I use a rubbermaid that is roughly 20" x 10" x 6". The top is plastic and almost totally perforated with holes - I was too lazy to put in a mesh top :-). Thanks for the help.

[Linds]

I strongly recommend going with a mesh top or if you can, no top at all. I don't know how many times I had to trash my colonies when there were lids that had holes in them for ventilation. No matter how many holes I always had problems with mold. I don't even keep lids on most of my colonies, the only one that does is my superworm colony and it is made from hardware cloth. Keep an eye on it, not just appearance but for smell. When the substrate molds, you usually don't see it, but you can sure smell it....

[Pixie]

To control the humidity, cut down on the amount of veggies you throw in. When there are just beetles and pupae, a small piece will suffice. I only add more pieces when I start to see enough mealworms.

If you see it gets condensed again, take the lid off for a day or two. Unless your substrate is way high at the edge of the container, no worries of escapes.

Pixie

[Batdad]

Is there ever a problem with mold because of potatos, I thought carrots were best because they don't tend to mold? Also how do you know how much vegs to put in:confused:

[Pia]

I like the no lid idea but my one cat likes to play in the mixture, guess I could always put in a closet though.

[Pia]

I haven't had a problem with potatoes or carrots. I cut them into slices and put them on little plastic dishes, I was told this would cut down on the amount of moisture getting into the bran, but I know people who just plop them in without dishes and don't have a problem. I put fresh slices in every two days. As far as how much to use, I put just a couple of slices in for the 38 beetles I started with but when I started seeing baby worms, I upped it to one whole medium potato or one large carrot. Don't know for sure how many worms there are, but I haven't found any dead ones yet so it seems to be working. Hope this helps.

[Linds]

Originally posted by Batdad
Is there ever a problem with mold because of potatos, I thought carrots were best because they don't tend to mold? Also how do you know how much vegs to put in:confused:

Potatoes and carrots don't mold quickly, but they aren't a highly nutritious item to be offering as a regular item. Potatoes, apples, carrots are all good for moisture, but IMHO its better to offer something that has higher nutrtitional value AND moisture content :)