Mealworm
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| Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 |
Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life-stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae typically measure about 2.5cm or more, whereas adults are generally between 1.25 and 1.8cm in length.
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[edit] Use as pet food and bait
Mealworms are typically used as a food source for reptile and avian pets. They are also provided to wild birds in bird feeders, particularly during the nesting season when birds are raising their young and appreciate a ready food supply. They are commonly used for fishing bait.
They can be purchased at most pet stores and are also available via mail order and the internet. Mealworms are typically sold in a container with bran bedding.
When rearing mealworms, commercial growers incorporate a juvenile hormone in to the feeding process, to keep the mealworm in the larval stage and achieve an abnormal length of 2 cm or greater. This crop is primarily sold for fishing bait. One grower has also developed a process that changes the color of the larvae to a somewhat red color.[citation needed]
[edit] Human consumption
Mealworms have been incorporated into tequila flavored novelty candies. However, mealworms are not traditionally served in tequila or mezcal drinks, the latter sometimes containing a larval moth (Hypopta agavis). It is also common practice for some reality television shows to challenge participants to eat mealworms, sometimes alive.
[edit] Life cycle
- Incubation: 10-11 days at 20°C; 4-6 days at 30°C
- Larval period: 90-114 days (10-14 larval instars).
- Pupal period: 30 days at 15°C; 9 days at 25°C; 6 days at 35°C.
- Adult: 30-60 days
[edit] External links
- Mealworm information from the Center for Insect Science Education Outreach at the University of Arizona
- How to raise mealworms
- Darkling Beetles
