How do you keep them alive put in the refrigerator but couple weeks they died
Printable View
How do you keep them alive put in the refrigerator but couple weeks they died
If you can keep them alive for a couple of weeks, you're doing well. They just don't live very long.
I have better luck with maggots and mealworms .
+1 on mealworms. Much longer life.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaker
I've tried for 3 years now to raise meal worms guess I don't know what I'm doing never have very many
Mealworms pretty much raise themselves,even a caveman can do it.....Sorry,had to say it.Go to u- tube,there will be several ways to raise them,I use bran( purchased at a feed store ) in a 50 lb bag.The bran is the medium for their eggs to mix in,and they eat it.I halve a medium potato,and place the halves face up in the bed of bran,the also eat the potato,as well as get their moisture from it.
I started raising mealworms 9 years ago,my worms are still from the 1st generation I started with.Every spring,I sift the worms,larva,and beetles from the castings,and put in a new 4" bed of bran in a plastic tote I use to raise them in.Every couple months I add a couple cups of new bran on top the old for fresh food.( Helpful hint ) I pick out a hundred or so nice worms,place them in a small container with some bran,and put them in the fridge.
By doing this it slows the development down,after a couple months,dump them back with the others,this guarantees a continuous supply of nice worms when you need them.all this may sound time consuming,but it really only adds up to maybe two hrs of messing with them a year,not bad when you consider digging worms ,plus they are dang cheap,and always availiable .
Yeah, I'm for black soldier fly maggots. If you know how to make catfish chum, then you already have a food and bedding made up for them.
I do well with waxies. I just keep them for 3 weeks in cool dry spot n then refrigerated there not all used up. Buy 1,000 or more at a time.
I like maggots to but in summer the cocoon up too quick.
Ice fishing it's great.
Never tried meal worms. You don't think there too big?
Our bluegill are much smaller. A 8" or so is a dandy
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoltz
I've caught loads of gills on mealworms. Keep in mind you can buy different sizes. I don't think gills really care, though.
Never refridgerate waxworms. They do better when stored at room temps.
My meal worm are in plastic bens with oats I will get thousands of beetles but not enough worms to fish with
Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
But ... the thousands of beetles came from thousands of worms. :dono
1 beetle will lay around 250 eggs a day for a couple weeks........you can do the math,but it's easier just to say your gonna get bunches of worms from thousands of beetles.If your not getting enough worms,your either using more than most,or your not getting good results for some reason.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
It don't make since I dig around and only find a few worms
I always refrigerate my wax worms and never have a problem keeping them for weeks. The only time I have trouble is if they get shoved to the back and freeze. I have caught bluegill on mealworms but wax worms are my go to bait. They seem to be like candy for bluegill. To me mealworms are just too tough. The only plus is they are so easy to keep alive. I must say I would use them before I use crickets....I hate crickets. Way too fragile, tough to keep on the hook, and get away too easily leaving you with a boat full of crickets that drive you nuts all summer long when you are fishing.
I agree; crickets are way too fragile.
What size hooks are you guys running on mealworms?
I use long shank,thin wire hooks that I've had for years,I'm guessing they are #10.I use a lot of small #10 icefishing jigs,tipped with mealworms,often under a float,and slay them.As far as mealworms being too tough for gills,I doubt that bothers a gill.As kids we used to bait our hooks with small prickly burrs found growing at the edge of ponds,they were like mini porcupines,but the gills would devour them.
I've started using 1/64 or 1/80 jig hooks. They work great and are almost impossible for gills to "swallow".
I didn't know that. Ones about 1/2 the size we normally get around here would be great.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
I get my bait from Jada bait. Waxworms and spikes.
Where you guys order your mealworms?
I've never used crickets.
I'm sure they are more expensive?
Probably a pain to keep and get out without em jumping all over dang place.
Probably do just as well to sein local stream for mayfly or stonefly nymphs to use as bait. I have before n they work great. But you have to take time to get em.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoltz
I buy all my mealworms and waxworms at my local pet store (Petco). They have a much better selection than the bait store. Petco sells four or five different sizes of mealworms.
I personally don't use crickets any longer,but they do sell containers that keep them trapped,but easy for the fisherman to reach in and grab.As far as mealworms,most that you buy at Walmart or such,are actually fed growth supplements,they are called giant or jumbo mealworms.
If you raise your own,the size will be smaller,due to natural feed.If you decide to raise your own,place an order for 1000 mealworms,set up your bin/ bins,and after a couple months you should have all you need.
Yaker,
What's the turn around time from going from grub to beetle to having fishable grubs say 1/2" long?
You know that you can use the pupa too which I prefer, because they don't crawl around and they seem to work just as well or better than the worms.Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
I fished next to a guy at New Orleans city park who was using crickets, and I was using my mealworm pupa, it was neck and neck in the end. Raising mealworms is much easier than having to always go out and buy crickets.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaker
Quote:
Originally Posted by Techno2000
All over Europe, maggots are very popular, as are the pupa (called casters). You can walk into most bait shops and buy a gallon of casters. They are an excellent bait.
I suppose wasp, mealworm, fly, etc, pupa are like a delicious jellybean to them.:popcornQuote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Quote:
Originally Posted by Techno2000
Crunchy taco!
Many, many, many, years ago we used to ice fish with fruit fly larvae, also called mousee grubs. :ThumbsUp
I used mousies for ice too. Still prefer waxies though. Neat looking s things. More expensive too.
on average,I would say to give yourself 6 months from the time eggs are layed to the complete turn around.Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoltz
1st stage-On average,eggs hatch in aprox 3 week of laying date.
2nd stage-Larva hatches( mealworms ) they grow and molt several times for about 9 weeks.
3rd stage-Mealworms pupate,this last about two weeks.
4th stage-adult beetle emerges,they breed and lay eggs for about 2 months
5th stage- Beetle dies,all the while new larvae have been hatching and the cycle repeats.
While it seems slow at first,once your colony is established,they multiply quickly.If you decide to raise them,order at least 1000 mealworms,have your tote or totes ready to go when they arrive.You could start the way I did,one of my fishing buddies gave me a can full of his mealworms,and thus began my start.
All the cycles happen at different times,you should see larva,pupa,and beetles in the mix at all times,this means you are getting eggs,and new babies.One last tidbit,they like it warm,and the don't call them darkling beetles for nothing,they like to be kept in the dark.
I have seen and heard of mousies but have never fished with them...I think it's more of a northern thing. I believe mousies are the larvae of the drone fly. I would bet that a fruit fly larvae would be really really small.
Yeah, I started with 1000 large from grubco in less than a week they all turn into pupa, that was 5 years ago, and never have a single problem with them I use this method... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c82fInUdLJ8Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaker
Would they like fish tacos too? think about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
A long shank 8# cricket hook.Quote:
Originally Posted by funbun
Yep,that's how I do it other than I use bran instead of oats,and potatoes instead of carrots.I change out the castings every spring,and give them all new fresh bran,they really are that simple to raise.I do add a few cups of bran throughout the year to be sure they have enough to eat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Techno2000
Where do you get the bran ?
Thanks guys.
Good thread and help
Farm supply feed store . Not sure but Tractor Supply might have it .Quote:
Originally Posted by no luck
The only thing I do different from him is I don't use a lid, because when I did it got too humid and grain mites appeared, when I took the lid off everything dried out and the mites died.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaker