Materials Needed

1. 2 Burlap rectangles (cut into 20.5” x 12” rectangles)
2. Frozen, dead Mealworms (1000 large mealworms-2000 small mealworms)
3. Paint tray
4. Lid
5. 500-600mL of Nematode solution (Has to be strong [>100,000 nematodes])
6. Turkey Baster
7. Water
8. 1 Liter containers
9. 1mL syringe
10. Sedgewick Cell (for counting)
11. Counter
12. Microscope

Starting Trays

1. Fold burlap rectangles in half (so it ends up being a double layer around 10.25”x12”). Soak burlap in water for 5-10 minutes
2. Place 1 burlap sheet on paint tray.
3. Load burlap sheet with mealworms. Be sure to keep the mealworms on the top half of the paint tray away from the basin. The mealworms need to be away from the water.
4. Place the second burlap sheet on top of the mealworms, making a burlap sandwich (similar to the petri dish setup). Press down on the edges to keep the mealworms inside the burlap pocket (like a calzone)
5. Apply the nematode solution to the burlap calzone. Be sure to focus on the section with the mealworms in it.
6. Use the turkey baster to suck up the solution that pools in the basin and reapply it to the burlap (like you’re basting a turkey)
7. Put lid on and let incubate for 4 days.

Cleaning Trays

1. After the 4-day incubation period, its time to start cleaning the tray. The basin water will be pretty gross because of the number of mealworms. There may even be a thin film of bacterial growth. That’s fine because the mealworms are not in the water. Pour out the water in the basin
2. Take about 400-600mL of water and pour it over the burlap. This will help get the nematodes out to the burlap and into solution.
3. Use the baster to reapply the basin water to the burlap. This will ensure all mealworms are infected and it helps push nematodes out of the burlap.
4. Pour out the basin water into a collection container
5. Repeat rinsing steps about 4-5 times
6. If using for application:
   1. Collect 1 liter of nematode solution.
   1. Using the syringe, suck up 1 mL of nematode solution
   1. Put 0.1mL of nematode solution into the Sedgewick cell
   1. Count the number of nematodes in cell
   1. Take the total number and multiply it by 10,000 to get the number of nematodes per liter you collected
   1. Collect how every many liters you need from 1 or more trays and combine them into a big bucket for application
7. If not using for application, use the nematode solution to make more trays or plates or dump nematode solution down the sink
8. When finished rinsing, leave only a small amount of water in the basin.
9. Clean trays every 2 days

Timeline of Trays

1. Initial infection period: 4 days after start
2. Ramp up period: 0-4 weeks after start
3. Maximum production: 4-12 weeks after start
4. Plate Fallout: Unknown (we never tested the full lifespan of a tray) 
5. Total plate lifespan: at least 12 weeks (we never tested the full lifespan of a tray) 

DIY Nematode Ranching: General Information

DIY Nematode Ranching: Nematode Small-Scale Propagation Protocol (Petri Dish)

This article was posted in Cranberry and tagged Brandon Gominho, Cranberries, cranberry, nematode, nematode ranching, Nematodes, Shawn Steffan.