Mealworm help

[Bellasmom]

Nic,
I just saw this post from you about turf banks. How long can you leave them in place, will the beetles keep using them or do you have to replace them at a certain point. I have just enough room to be able to put a couple of small ones down.

“Logs, leaves and hedges sound great for beetles. I accidentally discovered that they also like turf banks when I was making a new flower bed once. I left a small pile of turf on the path for a few days, before deciding what to do with it and when I came to move it lots of beetles had moved in. That solved the problem of what to do with it and I now have a few small beetle banks hidden away in corners! My garden isn’t very big either, so everything has to be done on quite a small scale.”

[Nic]

Hi Bellasmom

I tend to leave them where I put them, if they are not in the way and just add to them if I have any more turf, as they do begin to flatten over time. I’m guessing, long term they might work even better for beetles, etc. with some wood (twigs, etc.) between the layers (I might try that next time!). I don’t seem to see as many beetles around them if they have been left with no new layers added for a year or two. But they just add to the variety of mini-habitats.

[Celeste]

Hi Nic,
I read this post a while ago and was SO dismayed at the negatives you were getting previously.
As you said; a forum – we are all here to help and support each other. You have been a good and true friend to us all; helping, informing and encouraging us.
When I meet resistance (some neighbours!) I like to think of Spike shuffling about under the footsteps of T. Rex 🙂 With our help the hedgehogs will still be here when we are long gone.
My garden is already friendly but my project is to build a turf/log pile under the corner crab apple tree soonest.
Thank you for the outpouring of advice you give us

[Tim Wood]

Hi Nic,
Your advice on calciworms appear to be contrary to other guidance from hedgehog care sites. I have also looked into this and it appears that the calcium content of calciworms is misleading because not all the calcium is digestible.

I have read that a large proportion of the calcium is locked away in a certain exoskeleton which means it can pass through the gut of some animals without being digested. Therefore the actual amount of calcium available for digestion is lower than the presumed calcium proportions in the food source. Eg as in a ground up Petri dish test sample.

Is there any new update on calciworms ( black soldier fly larvae) and their digestibility? It would be good to know.

[Nic]

Hi Tim Wood

Thanks for that information – very interesting and sounds logical. I’m not sure which hedgehog care sites you are talking about (BHPS and Hedgehog Street, which I tend to think are pretty reliable, recommend meaty hog food or cat/dog food). Or what you think my ‘advice’ was – my thoughts about the matter have been misconstrued/misrepresented in the past. But yes, it also seems the calcium can vary largely in calci-worms depending on what they are fed (even disregarding any potential problems with digestibility). Some are apparently fed, literally, on rubbish. Sadly I don’t know the answer to “Is there any new update on calciworms ( black soldier fly larvae) and their digestibility?” From what I’ve seen much research about insect larvae, etc. seems to be geared towards them being used for i.e. cattle feed or even as a potential protein source for humans.

Although some people seem to think calci-worms are a better alternative to mealworms (for hedgehogs) because of mealworms having a bad phosphorous/calcium ratio, but there is the other possible question of calci-worms potentially not being good for hogs by having too much calcium in them. That, potentially, could cause problems to hogs, as it does with humans – i.e. kidney stones, etc. I think more needs to be known about any potential harms.

So, to clarify, my feeling has been and still is that we don’t know enough about calci-worms, particularly in relation to hedgehogs (i.e. for me, the jury is still out) and so, as it is not necessary to feed hogs any extras on top of meaty hog/cat/dog food, my feeling is that calci-worms are best avoided and that it is best to stick to the meaty hog food, cat or dog food or cat/kitten biscuits – and water to drink, of course.

If you do find out the answer to your question, I would be interested to know.

[Nic]

Hi Celeste

Thank you so much for your kind words. I am always happy to try to help people to help the hogs, if I can, so it’s a pleasure – usually! I love the thought of Spike and his relatives shuffling around in T.Rex’s footsteps! I really hope you are right that the hedgehogs will be around for a very long time. We can only do our best and hope for a bit of luck now and then.

That’s great that you still have a new project in your already wildlife friendly garden. Good luck with it – I hope all goes well and that the hogs appreciate all you hard work!

Happy hog watching!

[Author]

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