How do you get Mealworms out of the Substrate????

[Batdad]

I am raising mealworms in straight wheat bran, tip I got off mealworms.com, wheat bran is cheap stuff at a feed store. But what I want to do is take the mealworms from there and move them to another bin to gut load them. I am wondering if anyone knows of an easy way to get a good number of mealworms out of the plain wheat bran and leave the bran behind.

Thanks for any help.
Bruce

[crucified]

pick them out by hand?

[Batdad]

That's what I do now, actually use forceps, fingers to stubby and uncoordinated :). What I am looking for is if anyone has come up with a way that is easier and faster?

[Linds]

Why aren't you gutloading them as you raise them? I keep mine in a substrate of pablum (the mixed fruit type), rolled oats, 12 grain mix, rye flakes, spirulina, wheat germ, red bran, white bran, oat bran, fish food flakes; and feed them for water all sorts of fruits, veggies, and greens such as collards, spring greens, orange pepper, kiwi, pears, strawberries, dandelion, grapes, mandarin oranges, cucumber, etc. When it comes time for feeding I just pick 'em out with my hands as I feed.

[Batdad]

Being cheap I guesso>, the 40kg bag of wheat bran is like $12.50 Cdn. Which is enough substrate for about 20+ Rubbermaid bins. The bag of wheat bran is about 4’x2’x9”, biggest bag at the feed store. If the substrate was of “pablum (the mixed fruit type), rolled oats, 12 grain mix, rye flakes, spirulina, wheat germ, red bran, white bran, oat bran, fish food flakes” the $12.50 would get me enough substrate for maybe 2 bins. If commercial growers can grow them up on this, and they seem to be flourishing, I thought why not grow them on wheat bran and keep the good stuff (read expensive here) for gut loading. I know there has to be a way to get the worms out of the substrate in large numbers, I just have not figured it out yet:confused:, because when shipping in bulk the growers send you the worms and little if any substrate, less shipping wt.:D

Bruce

[snakedude_03]

im not sure.. but if u have some really fine substrate.. u can strain it through a mesh or something and the only things remaining will be the mealworms?

[beth wallbank]

Bruce, you can take a deli cup, cut the bottom out of it, take some 1/8" hardware mesh, cut it to fit the hole in the bottom of the deli, zapstrap it into place, and use it like a seive with the mealies and bran. It actually works great.

[Batdad]

Thanks Beth