Easiest way to changout/clean a mealworm bed?

[FelanMoira]

Okay, I have 2 mealworm tanks going and the "powder" left over from them eating all the good stuff in the substrate needs to be cleaned out. I would love to disinfect the tanks and consolidate into one ... anyone have a good way of getting the mealies/beetles/pupa out and into a clean one?

I'll be keeping the "powder" for a bit in another tank to catch any hatching mealies before I toss it. I just can't see "wasting" the eggs.

I have reptilesupply.com's mealie and cricket substrate coming to start anew!

 

[Stitch]

The only thing I can see working is a sifter.

 

[lazzara8478]

I use a Fine Metal Sifter... Good Luck!

 

[moosassah]

Yup, even a window screen would do.

 

[Alusdra]

I use a handheld one that's (I think) for food. But the spaces are a bit too big and thus sometime bitty mealies will fall through and of course the eggs... It's a good idea to keep the dust around and see what grows. But probably put a carrot or something in there so that they can eat. I've been switching over slowly now for months (separating the 'aliens' into another tank so all the beetles mutate over there) but I have not seen the end of eggs... I guess they can hang out for a loooong time. I despair of ever being able to clean out the mealie tank.

 

[acpart]

I keep everything separated from the beginning: beetles in their own container with gutload. Every month to 6 weeks I take the beetles out (a moist paper towel helps at first and then a sifter, put them in new gutload and put the old gutload (with the tiny mealies and eggs) in a small container. As they start to grow, I sift them into a clean container. Whichever mealies are big enough to stay in the sifter go into my big mealie container. Gradually, all the tiny ones in their small containers get sifter into my big container.

The pupae are pulled out of the big mealie container as I find them and put in their own container without gutload. Every evening I toss the ones that have beetlized into the beetle container.

You could probably achieve this if you start to separate each type gradually.

The biggest problem I have is sifting out the mealworm poop after they've processed the gutload without throwing out the smaller mealworms. I slowly sift into a clean container and pick out the tiny ones that fall in there. I may lose some eggs but you can't have everything.

Aliza

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I also use a fine metal sifter.

 

[FelanMoira]

Had tried the sifter before, and was just wondering how every one else did it.

I think once my gutloading materials get here - when I start cleaning, I'll move the beetles/pupae into one tank and keep the worms in another and try to keep them separated as much as possible.

Thanks!