kingofnobbys
BD.org Sicko
JumpinJellyfish":1nqr579k said:I'm only on my 2nd (purchased as worms) batch. Those of you who raise them, how do you keep them separated from their poop? I have used the plastic mesh they come with, but they go right through the holes and hang out in the poop pile. I tried a mesh with smaller holes, but they're too small and don't let the poop fall through. Oy. I tried making a pod cup, but the food doesn't gel solidly enough to stay put at the top (bottom of cup, but cup upside down). I'm afraid tp try raising from eggs until I can at least manage to keep the worms properly. I clean the poop out every day and the worms grow and thrive, but I really want them to not camp in the poop. Ideas?
When the worms are very small, the fras is like powder so I simply place the leaves (or chow) on paper toweling and simply replace food as needed and the paper toweling every few days (being careful to not harm the very delicate / fragile baby worms.
When bigger than 10mm I move to a 4L tub and do as indicated below.
A bit of plastic mesh cut to size with ends bent to keep the mesh off the bottom of the tub (which has a layer of paper toweling on it to help soak of moisture and fluids when silkworm expel their stomachs in preparation to pupate.
I used little short bits of paper toweling carbboard roll tube (squashed to make an oval about 10-15mm high to keep the mesh middle from sagging.
I also disperse short lengths of carddoard tube through the leaves or to drape chow sheets (about 3mm thick) over. Assists with good air flow and gives the big worms somewhere to form cocoons.
Works a treat. Some worms will crawl through the hexagon shaped holes and mingle with bits of leaf that drop through , but so long as you remove the fras each day (when the leaves are replaced or chow topped up / replaced and no mold is allowed to form the worms will be fine.
This is very similar to the stuff I use : https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GUTTER-MESH-DIY-PLASTIC-LEAF-MESH-KIT-6M-X-15-5CM-8-HOOKS-BLACK-ROOF/143222325935?hash=item2158b742af:g
there's plastic mesh with smaller holes around , but I can't be bothered hunting it down since what I do seems to work and has been successful for me for several years now.
BTW I never make up more than 3 or 4 batches of 32g of chow (powder) make chow paste snags at a time and keep the chow that's been nuked and set as snags wrapped in clingwrap and simply unwrap and slice off short sections that I press flat between two sheets of cling wrap as needed.