Hi, I raise mealworms (Tenebrio molitor larvae) for my fish and finches and I would like to know if there is some conservation method I can use in order to stock the over-production for future use, I would love some kind of DIY FD but I know the vacuum pump part is tricky, is there any dehydration method besides FD? maybe sun-dry the bugs and store them in an airtight jar? use the oven at low temp? and IR lamp? any ideas are welcome.
Live food conservation techniques
- Thread starter Lucho
- Start date
I never thought about storing the excess .... my mealworm culture is always productive once it reaches a certain size. Since it is always productive, I have never had to resort to storage since the best part of live food is that it is ALIVE. What about simply freezing them? Put into ziplock bags and date and then into the freezer.
Sun dried might work ... give it a try and let me know what results you get.
Sun dried might work ... give it a try and let me know what results you get.
mmm, I see your point, maybe I should scale down the cultures to match my fish/birds consumption, or buy more fish to match production 
.
Anyway I´ll try some kind of dessication -freezing doesn´t work very well, they become mushy when thawed- .
One advantage I can see of conserving is that I can have different mealworm sizes to choose from for different fish sizes without sorting them twice a week. I´ll let you know any real progress.
.Anyway I´ll try some kind of dessication -freezing doesn´t work very well, they become mushy when thawed- .
One advantage I can see of conserving is that I can have different mealworm sizes to choose from for different fish sizes without sorting them twice a week. I´ll let you know any real progress.
Yes, if you could preserve new larvae when they have soft shell stage that would be a winner. I always try to pick out these whitish ones first.
There is a R&D unit just down the road from me (in Tokyo) making great advances in freezing with magnetic freezers. They align the water crystals to prevent cells bursting. Amazing results but its still prototype. They want to freeze raw fish & sushi for up to 3 years and still be able to eat it as if it were fresh!!
One day this will be everyday technology and you can say you heard this first on MFK!!
There is a R&D unit just down the road from me (in Tokyo) making great advances in freezing with magnetic freezers. They align the water crystals to prevent cells bursting. Amazing results but its still prototype. They want to freeze raw fish & sushi for up to 3 years and still be able to eat it as if it were fresh!!
One day this will be everyday technology and you can say you heard this first on MFK!!
