# Mealworms as a protein source



## alergyfree (Feb 15, 2011)

I am looking to grow my own protein source as a good portion of the planet considers insects
a staple. With all the chemicals and gmo issues with food today being able to grow my own is highly appealing. 
Also its a low profile operation as I basically raise them in a closet.
So anyone else doing or considering this?


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I've considered raising them for our chickens, but haven't gotten past the considering stage.

For protein, I'm growing nut trees and raising chickens, but more power to you for considering mealworms. I'm not ready to go down that road, but I can see how they would be easy to raise for your purposes. When I was a kid I raised them just for fun (nope, didn't go fishing or anything, just a weird kid). I don't remember much about it, though, other than they were easy. And the five and dime where I got the larvea (sp?) is long gone. Would you be getting larvea, and if so, where would you get them? Do they reproduce fairly easily?


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

My youngest daughter used to raise them in her closet to feed to her lizards.... Did a pretty good job overall. They are much easier than crickets, don't need to be as perfectly clean as a cricket breeding setup (used to breed crickets to sell to reptile keepers).
I'd like to get back into insect raising as a protein source for our pigs and chickens (we breed a few maggots on butchering waste each summer) and yes I'd eat both meal worms and crickets if I had to. I think I'd eat just about anything if it was deep fried with a little bit if chili sauce.


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## alergyfree (Feb 15, 2011)

goshengirl said:


> I've considered raising them for our chickens, but haven't gotten past the considering stage.
> 
> For protein, I'm growing nut trees and raising chickens, but more power to you for considering mealworms. I'm not ready to go down that road, but I can see how they would be easy to raise for your purposes. When I was a kid I raised them just for fun (nope, didn't go fishing or anything, just a weird kid). I don't remember much about it, though, other than they were easy. And the five and dime where I got the larvea (sp?) is long gone. Would you be getting larvea, and if so, where would you get them? Do they reproduce fairly easily?


Probably just pick them up at the bait shop. Be more expensive than ordering on line but I'd just need a few to start. 
Lot of info on raising them one kid started with a hundred and with in a few months had several thousand. Once you reach that supply is not an issue.... So pretty cool videos 





Just not much on doing it for food though.
I did find this


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## talob (Sep 16, 2009)

An interesting idea, but there's just this mental thing to get over, I'm sure a good case of hunger would cure that but by then it would be to late to start, hey would they go good with beer! Most things go good with a few beers!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

It would truly have to be the worst SHTF situation for me to eat the meal worms but if I had to, the beers would be a must! 

A year or so I posted a Recipe from an old cookbook "Possum and Sweet Taters", for me - that would come up on the list b4 the meal worms would.


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## Tank_Girl (Dec 26, 2011)

I breed and grow giant meal worms for my reptiles.

Their life cycle is longer than you expect so several colonies are required.

I use rolled oats as their substrate and I use chopped carrots as their water source otherwise you find shriveled heads in the substrate because they'll cannibalize each other as a moisture source.
I use egg cartons as a shelter as they don't seem to like the light.
Also when using oats, or any other substrate it's best to heat it in the microwave for several mins. as this kills off any mite eggs.
These can overrun your mealworms cause them to do poorly.

I have plastic fishing tackle boxes with small dividers and into these compartments I put one of the pick of my larger meal worms along with a small amount of wheat bran.
I put the tackle keeper into a dark draw until they changed into a black beetle.
I then introduced all my new beetles into a fresh tub with fresh substrate and carrot and I let them breed and deposit tiny, tiny eggs into the substrate for 2 weeks before moving them into a fresh tub to lay more eggs, etc.
Moving the beetles ensures any of the meal worms that hatch are all roughly the same size and they won't eat the younger, smaller meal worms.

Be aware that cooler temps. will slow down their breeding cycle.

No I won't eat them myself but I'd be very happy to feed them to poultry or fish in a aquaponics system.

Black soldier fly and common house fly have a quicker turn around with less mucking about and a higher production rate....if you can stand the smell.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/insect-harvesting-9697/

You may like this thread also ...


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I think that in an emergency/survival situation the calorie in, calorie out ratio would make eating insects a less viable option unless you had another food source. I think you would be better off feeding them to your chickens and then eating the chickens.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

We have 30 chickens and tons of corn to feed them. I'd go the bug route for protein if I had to but we can raise enough chicks and eggs to provide our protein in most cases. I'd also barter some hay to a neighbor for some rabbits to start a quickly replentishing protein source.

Having said that, serious kudos to the OP for thinking of a viable, off the path, easily accomplished source of sustinence, and for making us all really think on this one.


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## alergyfree (Feb 15, 2011)

Kudos to those whom have lots of space but when you have a minimum you do what you must. A closet sized space can yield me several pounds of protein. 
I have been using blue green algae as a supplement for years now and see great benefit. Growing my own is next. Using the meal worm as fish food also is an option.
I for one, am not a slave to the all American diet. One of the major contributors of the health care crisis.As we seem to be convinced out bodies must be short on drugs as that is how some many treat them. That though is for another thread. So instead of "thinking outside the box" I am looking what best may be done within the box. It is sad for those who can only think, Yuck.


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## twiggie (Jan 3, 2009)

Mealworms as a protein source? Sure! I'll grow the worms and use them as bait. Fish sounds like a much better protein than worms. LOL! 
Seriously though, I've had the dried flavored worms before and they're not awful, I can't see myself eating them live unless I'm half starved.


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## alergyfree (Feb 15, 2011)

twiggie said:


> Mealworms as a protein source? Sure! I'll grow the worms and use them as bait. Fish sounds like a much better protein than worms. LOL!
> Seriously though, I've had the dried flavored worms before and they're not awful, I can't see myself eating them live unless I'm half starved.


Not planning on eating them raw. I'm planning on crunchy with all kinda of seasoning or ground to powder with spices and used as seasoning. Or as a meat extender.


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