Updated: 15 February 2018

What do I need to prepare for the Hive?

1. Mealworms

2. Food for mealworms 

  • Moisture
    • prefer thinly sliced fruits and less fibrous vegetables
    • not recommended: potatoes
    • most recommended: carrots (least likely to mold)
    • Portion per feed: 1 medium-sized thinly sliced carrot for the entire Hive
  • Carbohydrate
    • wheat flour, cornmeal, oatmeal, wheat bran, etc
    • it's recommended to sterilize grains by 
      • freezing grain overnight -> take out to let it reach room temperature before feeding
      • oven baking to prevent any microorganisms or mite -> take out to let it reach room temperature before feeding
    • most recommended: wheat bran
    • Portion per feed
      • Bedding method
        • 1-2" of bedding or one month worth of feed laying on the tray
        • advantage: less hands-on and less time required
      • Feed method
        • 1 small handful of grains per tray
        • advantage: provide fresher grains to mealworms
  • Read here for more information about frequency and feeding information

3. 1x Plug outlet for the Hive 

  •  we will ship the plug type according to the country that you are in
  • you can plug the Hive into your normal power supply
  • electricity usage:
    • 5W - 65 W
    • 0.84 kWh - 10.92 kWh (per week)
      • Reference 
        • 0.18 - 2.19 USD (in US at 0.20* USD/ kWh / week)
        • 0.14 - 1.75 USD (in Canada at 0.16* USD / kWh / week)
    •  Keeping the Hive in a cool, dry place can hugely reduce the power consumption of the Hive.