Why mealworms are important

For mealworms this process repeats five times over a 2-month period, after which the larva is about 3 cm long. The final larval molt reveals the next stage, the pupa. Life cycle. Darkling beetles follow a life history known as complete metamorphosis. Like butterflies and moths, they go through four distinct stages during their life cycle. A female beetle lays eggs, as many as in her brief lifetime of a month or two.

The eggs are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. After a couple of weeks the equally tiny larvae emerge from the eggs. The larvae are known as mealworms, but of course they are not true worms. The larvae are golden yellow and have 12 body segments. They are the counterpart of the familiar caterpillar in the butterfly story. Mealworms pull themselves around on six stubby legs that are all crowded at the front. The larvae seem to have two purposes in life: eat and grow.

Beetles are arthropods, and like all members of their phylum they wear their skeleton on the outside like a suit of armor. This is very practical when they are being attacked, but very inconvenient when they are trying to grow. The arthropods have solved this problem by shedding molting their shell periodically. Immediately following the molt the soft, white larvae expand before the new larger shell hardens.

The pupae don't eat and they don't move except for a twitch or two when disturbed. Inside, however, the mealworm is turning into a beetle, much the same as a caterpillar turns into a butterfly while sequestered inside the chrysalis.

In 2 or 3 weeks the pupa splits open and out walks a beetle, white at first, but soon turning to brown and finally black after a day. The beetles mate and lay eggs, and the cycle repeats. Habitat and food. Mealworms and darkling beetles are rarely seen in the wild, but when they are, it is likely to be in a field where wild grasses flourish and seeds are plentiful. They are most often found in barns, grain storage facilities, and food preparation areas.

This organism has benefited by living close to human enterprises, because we unwittingly provide a much better environment for the success of mealworms than could be found in the natural world. For this reason mealworms have become a minor pest in grain storage areas. Mealworms and darkling beetles are excellent classroom animals—they exhibit interesting behaviors, they are small but not tiny, they don't bite, smell, fly, or jump, and they are extremely easy to care for.

Mealworms live right in a container of their food source: bran, cornmeal, rolled oats, breakfast flakes, or chick starter mash. All are excellent foods, but bran and chick starter are recommended. The food must be kept dry. Mealworms can go through their complete life cycle without any added water they are very efficient at extracting water from the food , but it is recommended that small bits of apple, potato, or carrot be added from time to time.

Mealworms should be kept in large, relatively flat containers. They seem to thrive best when the colony has a large surface area. They get water from eating fruits and vegetables that contain water. They also like to eat decaying matter, whether that is a dead animal or dead plants. They won't feast on anything that is living.

Mealworms are eaten by many other animals, including some humans. In some cultures, mealworms are fried in a pan and eaten whole, as a snack.

They are actually very nutritious and contain a lot of protein and no fat. Animals that eat mealworms are birds, rodents, spiders, lizards and even a few other beetles. Two Types of Life Cycles of Insects. Types of Lime Green Caterpillars. Easy Way to Make Flubber. What Causes Maggots. How Does Mold Grow on Cheese? What Is the Life Span of a Ladybug? They are available live or pre-killed and dried.

Live mealworms can be stored in a refrigerator for months. All you have to do is take them out of the refrigerator about once a week and give them some food for a few hours. They are also easy to raise and reproduce in large numbers. A female darkling beetle can lay hundreds of eggs. Dried mealworms are worms that have been freeze dried or slowly oven dried. Dried worms usually float which can make them a great treat for ducks and fish.