HOW TO CARE FOR
Mealworms, Giant Mealworms, and Mini Mealworms:
Food
Our worm food/bedding is a custom blend of the finest rich nutritious natural grain mixture, available on at 1 lb or 4 lbs options. If you don't have worm food, give them CARROTS, POTATOES AND THE BEST ARE CACTUS We do not recommend using worm food/bedding if you refrigerate; bran absorbs moisture, dampness is not good for mealworms, with our experience, they are healthier without the bran if you keep them in the refrigerator.
Option 1 (refrigerate):
Refrigerate will keep them to last longer. Keep them in the refrigerator door is best, at 55 degrees is ideal, not lower then 40 degrees. To refrigerate-transfer them into a small plastic cup (like a cottage cheese cup) with a few aeration holes on the lid. Once a week, bring them out to in room temperature for 24 hours, this allows them to wake up and eat, at this time, give them food and vegetables. Just remove uneaten vegetables before they go back in the refrigerator. Repeat every week.
Option 2 (in room temperature):
Ideal temperature is between 70 to 80 degrees (room temperature). Transfer them from the shipping box into a tall plastic container the size of 2 shoes boxes or a flat cake pan size with out the lid. They will eat out of any paper box eventually; they cannot climb up anything slick. Place 2 inches of mealworm bedding AKA red wheat bran flakes on the bottom and ½ inch on top of them. Add fresh bedding/wheat bran weekly. Twice a month replace all the bedding/wheat bran flakes completely. The food/bran will eventually become round sand like, that is their waste, (which is very good for your garden). Give them vegetables for water source-see Water: below.
Water: Do not need to give them water, they get water source from vegetables. Slices (skin is fine) of carrots, cucumber, potatoes, celery, and they love cactus.
Cleaning:
The cleaner they are the healthier they are. Keep them dry.
Remove waste material, dead warms & shed skins.
Use a light fan to blow out dry skin, and a sifter can do the job on the waste.
If they turn black in color, they are dead.
Wash the container out with hot water and completely dry the container regularly. Keep away pesticides and cleaning solution other than a mild bleach solution. (Do not use any kind of soap or chemical.)