RE: the "digging for mealworms"...
Solution:
* 2 Critter Keepers
* 1 Mesh Tank Sceen
* 2 large bowls (1 for 'garbage', 1 for 'food')
* Tweezers/feeding tongs to pick up stubborn objects (mealies, sheds, whatever)
1) Place mesh screen over EMPTY mealie tank #1
2) Dump a small portion of of FULL mealie tank #2 over the top of the screen...bang on the screen a little and teeny mealies/substrate should fall through, back into lower tank.
3) Pick out any skins/dead things/pupae/old substrate etc, dump into "garbage" bowl
4) Pick out the fattest mealies (usually at the bottom, hiding
), dump into "food" bowl(s)
5) Flip screen over & dump excess into lower tank #1
6) Repeat until satisfied
I'm sure a sieve or small-holed/mesh collander might work just as well...
It takes me almost no time to do this now, keeps the mealworm substrate fresh, and lets you pick out the fat, large mealworms from the rest...I don't refrigerate mine and as long as I pull the biggest ones out for feeding, I can go for a few weeks without having anything pupate on me.
Hope this has been some help!