How do you clean your mealworm containers?

[Klogue1]

Just curious. How do you separate the bedding from the frass and shed skin? I don't really have a set way of doing it so I decided to ask. I don't notice a lot of build up in frass but when I have to clean out the drawers (I just use 3-drawer systems for each "generation" of mealies) I usually sift out mealworms then put the bedding and whatever else is in it in another container, then tap it continuously on the floor or my knee. I'm not a science expert so I can't really explain how it happens (though it may just be something simple and I'm coming up blank on it) but anything heavier than the bedding comes up to the surface where I can just scoop it up and dump it (such as skins, dead skinny carrot pieces I may have missed, or large pieces of bedding). It works that way for me since I use corn meal and my own powdered blend so it's just powder basically and most other stuff is heavier than it.

 

[acpart]

I have 2 ways to get things clean(er):
--after I sift the grain out of the mealworms, there's often a lot of shed skins. I put the mealworms on one side of a plastic tub and blow. The shed skins get blown to the other side and I pick them up and toss them.

--once I have mealworms that are large enough not to go through the holes of the strainer, I just strain the mealworms and throw out whatever goes through, which is usually just frass.

Aliza

 

[Klogue1]

Ah, thank you! I never even thought about blowing the shed skins out. Even though I have noticed how much of a pain it is to pick them up off the carpet after breathing near the drawer :main_laugh:

 

[JeepFreak81]

I picked up a strainer at the dollar store I actually think it's for squeezing the water out of tuna cans. Works awesome, some of the small mealies will fall through but no big deal.