Mealworms/ Darkling BeetlesHere at Riverbend we love to feed our hens a treat or five of Mealworms and they LOVE them. So every once and a while we have Mealworm starter kits available so you and your flock can enjoy the fun times as well.
What Are Mealworms Mealworms are the brown worm-like larvae of darkling beetles. They are the second of four stages of life and exist to eat and grow until they have enough energy stored to begin transformation into pupae and then beetles. Important! Mealworms can get into and ruin stored flour, pet food, mill feed, cereal and other dry goods. This is why we suggest having a container with lid, high sides and smooth. Make sure the lid and container have adequate ventilation to prevent mold. Did You Know? 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. They retain much of their nutrients, last longer than live worms, and are easily stored until needed. |
Live Mealworm Nutritional Values*
Protein: 20% Fat: 13% Fiber: 2% Water: 62% Dried Mealworm Nutritional Values* Protein: 53% Fat: 28% Fiber: 6% Water: 5% *Approximate values. Scientific Classification · Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Arthropoda · Class: Insecta · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Tenebrionidae · Genus: Tenebrio · Species: Molitor |
Life Cycle
A darkling beetle experiences complete metamorphosis going through four stages egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The amount of time a darkling beetle spends in each stage depends on temperature, humidity, food, and water.
Egg
The egg is tiny and about the size of a speck of dust. The egg has a sticky coating so it is quickly concealed by the substrate. It can take one to four weeks for the larva to hatch.
Larva
The larva known commonly as a Mealworm will spend eight to ten weeks in this stage, mostly eating and storing away energy for its next molt. The Mealworms hard exoskeleton will need to be shed ten to twenty times throughout the larval stage. After each molt the Mealworm will be soft and white but its exoskeleton will harden quickly.
Pupa
The Pupa stage of the Darkling Beetles life is a dangerious time and lasts about three weeks. The pupa has little ability to move and is very helpless, if you do not provide enogh food for the other beetles and worms they can and will eat the pupa. You can seperate the pupa into a small container with straight sides inside your colony so they can have some protection.
Adult
The final stage is the Darkling Beetle and lasts up to three months. Freshly emerged the beetle will be soft and white. As the outer shell hardens, it will turn brown and then black. The beetle does have wings, but it is unlikely to fly. When the beetles are one to two weeks old they will begin to mate and reproduce. A few days after mating, the female will burrow and lay her eggs. Darkling beetles are prolific breeders and females can lay hundreds to thousand of eggs during their adult lives. After a few months the beetles will start to die off.
A darkling beetle experiences complete metamorphosis going through four stages egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The amount of time a darkling beetle spends in each stage depends on temperature, humidity, food, and water.
Egg
The egg is tiny and about the size of a speck of dust. The egg has a sticky coating so it is quickly concealed by the substrate. It can take one to four weeks for the larva to hatch.
Larva
The larva known commonly as a Mealworm will spend eight to ten weeks in this stage, mostly eating and storing away energy for its next molt. The Mealworms hard exoskeleton will need to be shed ten to twenty times throughout the larval stage. After each molt the Mealworm will be soft and white but its exoskeleton will harden quickly.
Pupa
The Pupa stage of the Darkling Beetles life is a dangerious time and lasts about three weeks. The pupa has little ability to move and is very helpless, if you do not provide enogh food for the other beetles and worms they can and will eat the pupa. You can seperate the pupa into a small container with straight sides inside your colony so they can have some protection.
Adult
The final stage is the Darkling Beetle and lasts up to three months. Freshly emerged the beetle will be soft and white. As the outer shell hardens, it will turn brown and then black. The beetle does have wings, but it is unlikely to fly. When the beetles are one to two weeks old they will begin to mate and reproduce. A few days after mating, the female will burrow and lay her eggs. Darkling beetles are prolific breeders and females can lay hundreds to thousand of eggs during their adult lives. After a few months the beetles will start to die off.
Raising and Breeding
Breeding will take a while to get started, but once there are plenty of beetles laying eggs you will have worms for as long as you need.
Food/Substrate
The substrate of the container will be the food, only put in two to three inches of substrate leaving at least a two inch gap between your lid and the substrate. Excellent types of substrate are bran and oatmeal, there are other things you can use such as cornmeal, ground up dry dog food, cereal and many others. The substrate will need to be topped up often as Mealworms eat ALOT.
Water
Do not use a dish of water as the Mealworms and beetles will crawl in and drown. Potatoes and carrots work wonderfully, only put in as much as they can eat in a week as it can go moldy. If you wish you can use many other fruits and veggies to supply the moisture they need, apples, pumpkin and cabbage are some of the things we use.
Temperature and Lighting
The ideal temperature for growing your colony is between 20ºC and 25ºC. If the colony gets to cold they will go into hibernation and stop breeding and growing, the coldest they can go and survive is about 5ºC. The colony prefers low light or even darkness but can easily survive and thrive in normal household light,
Maintenance
Any dead worms, pupae, or beetles can be removed from the container BUT the beetles will often use the dead to lay their eggs by for a food source. If the container begins to smell like ammonia, is mostly frass or becomes moldy, it is time to clean the container. You will need to remove all of the Mealworms, beetles, and pupae, discard the food and waste, and clean the container. Once clean, replace the food substrate and return the insects to the container.
It is helpful to have a second container to aid in raising Mealworms and keeping them odor free. After your colony is going strong, you can move any beetles to the second container where they will begin a new colony. By the time the second colony is established, the original container should have very few Mealworms. You can move any remaining worms to the second container and the original container can then be cleaned and prepared to repeat the cycle.
Raising Mealworms is fairly easy since they are prolific breeders and are hardy insects. They rarely smell, are easy to care for, and don’t take much work.
Breeding will take a while to get started, but once there are plenty of beetles laying eggs you will have worms for as long as you need.
Food/Substrate
The substrate of the container will be the food, only put in two to three inches of substrate leaving at least a two inch gap between your lid and the substrate. Excellent types of substrate are bran and oatmeal, there are other things you can use such as cornmeal, ground up dry dog food, cereal and many others. The substrate will need to be topped up often as Mealworms eat ALOT.
Water
Do not use a dish of water as the Mealworms and beetles will crawl in and drown. Potatoes and carrots work wonderfully, only put in as much as they can eat in a week as it can go moldy. If you wish you can use many other fruits and veggies to supply the moisture they need, apples, pumpkin and cabbage are some of the things we use.
Temperature and Lighting
The ideal temperature for growing your colony is between 20ºC and 25ºC. If the colony gets to cold they will go into hibernation and stop breeding and growing, the coldest they can go and survive is about 5ºC. The colony prefers low light or even darkness but can easily survive and thrive in normal household light,
Maintenance
Any dead worms, pupae, or beetles can be removed from the container BUT the beetles will often use the dead to lay their eggs by for a food source. If the container begins to smell like ammonia, is mostly frass or becomes moldy, it is time to clean the container. You will need to remove all of the Mealworms, beetles, and pupae, discard the food and waste, and clean the container. Once clean, replace the food substrate and return the insects to the container.
It is helpful to have a second container to aid in raising Mealworms and keeping them odor free. After your colony is going strong, you can move any beetles to the second container where they will begin a new colony. By the time the second colony is established, the original container should have very few Mealworms. You can move any remaining worms to the second container and the original container can then be cleaned and prepared to repeat the cycle.
Raising Mealworms is fairly easy since they are prolific breeders and are hardy insects. They rarely smell, are easy to care for, and don’t take much work.
