The mealworm is a worm-like larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
Is a mealworm really a worm?
Mealworms that birds, reptiles, and other animals love aren't really worms. They are the larvae of darkling beetles. There are over 20,000 different types of darkling beetles and mealworms come from the species Tenebrio molitor. A darkling beetle experiences complete metamorphosis which means that it has four distinct
Why are mealworms called mealworms?
Why are they called mealworms? In fact, what we generally call “mealworm” is not a worm but it the larvae of a flour beetle. The Latin name of the beetle is Tenebrio molitor. It belongs to the Coleoptera order just as the ladybug or the rose chafer. The distinctive attribute of the Coleoptera is the hardened front pair of wing call ...
What is the life cycle of mealworms?
In the larva stage, the mealworm’s life span is around 90-115 days. A mealworm’s life cycle lasts for a period that can range from 2 weeks to a few months. If the conditions are favorable and the temperature is warm, the pupa stage lasts for a few weeks. However, if it is very cold, this stage can last for a couple of months.
How long before mealworms turn into beetles?
Two or three weeks after the mealworm has pupated, a mealworm beetle will emerge The mealworms, which are the larvae of the darkling beetle, will need 3 months or more to go through their life cycle and reproduce to make new mealworms. They will change from larvae (mealworm) to pupae, then from pupae to mature beetles.
What are the 3 main body parts of a mealworm?
While there are a million different types of insects, ALL have a hard exoskeleton (exo means outside) which is segmented into three parts, the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.
Does a mealworm have a heart?
Mealworm cells need oxygen, but mealworms don't have hearts or lungs. How can they get oxygen to their cells? Although mealworms have mouths (to eat with), they do not breathe through lungs like mammals, reptiles, or birds.
How many body parts does a mealworm have?
Even though mealworms look like worms, they have six jointed legs like adult beetles (worms don't have legs). Mealworm larvae are yellow and have 13 body segments—a head, three thoracic segments, and nine abdominal segments.
Do mealworms have eyes?
Mealworms have simple eyes that can sense changes in light brightness but cannot give the mealworm a clear picture of its surroundings. It seems mealworms mainly use their senses of touch to find their way around. They crawl with their legs and appear to sense an edge with both their legs and antennae.
Can mealworms bite?
Do Mealworms Bite? No. Like superworms, mealworms do have mandibles, but they seem to be too small and weak to be noticed by humans or reptiles if biting is attempted. Mealworm beetles also do not seem inclined or able to bite.
Do mealworms have DNA?
For the raw samples of yellow mealworms and superworms, the DNA concen- trations (ng/µL) and purity (A260/280), were 25.1–40.4 and 1.39–1.68 respectively.
How many hearts does a meal worm have?
These five pairs of aortic arches can be called five hearts even though they do not fit the general definition of a heart since that includes one organ having multiple chambers, and an arch has none. If you consider each of these aortic arches as a heart, then a worm has ten hearts.
What do mealworms turn into?
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.
How long do meal worms live?
between 3 and 12 monthsMealworm beetles are slow moving, but their ability to fly allows them to easily travel and infest new areas. Adults live between 3 and 12 months.
How can you tell if a mealworm is male or female?
On the underside of the rear end of the beetle there are segments of the body. The plates of these segments are called sternites. In the female there is little or no separation between the three most posterior sternites while in the male the intersegmental membranes are clearly visible with a lighter coloring.
Do mealworms make noise?
Mealworms do not stink (like crickets). They are silent.
Do mealworms poop?
From there, they will continue to eat, shed, grow and, of course, poop. The mealworm poop is more endearingly referred to as frass. The frass and shed skin may need to be cleaned out every month or so.
How many hearts does a meal worm have?
These five pairs of aortic arches can be called five hearts even though they do not fit the general definition of a heart since that includes one organ having multiple chambers, and an arch has none. If you consider each of these aortic arches as a heart, then a worm has ten hearts.
Can mealworms harm humans?
Mealworms are safe for human consumption. EFSA's latest batch of scientific opinions on novel food applications includes a significant first – a safety assessment of a proposed insect-derived food product: dried yellow mealworm.
What do mealworms turn into?
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.
How can you tell if a mealworm is male or female?
On the underside of the rear end of the beetle there are segments of the body. The plates of these segments are called sternites. In the female there is little or no separation between the three most posterior sternites while in the male the intersegmental membranes are clearly visible with a lighter coloring.
What do mealworms eat?
Many predators target the eggs, including reptiles. During the larval stage, the mealworm feeds on vegetation and dead insects and molts between each larval stage, or instar (9 to 20 instars). After the final molt it becomes a pupa. The new pupa is whitish, and it turns brown over time.
What is the name of the mealworm?
Species: T. molitor. Binomial name. Tenebrio molitor. Linnaeus, 1758. Mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio molitor) illustrated by Des Helmore. 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.
How do mealworm beetles reproduce?
Mating is a three-step process: the male chasing the female, mounting her and inserting his aedeagus, and injecting a sperm packet. Within a few days the female burrows into soft ground and lays eggs. Over a lifespan, a female will, on average, lay about 500 eggs.
What are the nutrients in mealworms?
Mealworm larvae contain levels of potassium, copper, sodium, selenium, iron and zinc that rival that of beef. Mealworms contain essential linoleic acids as well. They also have greater vitamin content by weight compared to beef, B12 not included.
How big do mealworms get?
Commercial growers incorporate a juvenile hormone into the feeding process to keep the mealworm in the larval stage and achieve an abnormal length of 2 cm or greater .
When were mealworms approved for food?
In May 2017 , mealworms were approved as food in Switzerland. In June 2021, dried mealworms were authorized as novel food in the European Union, after the European Food Safety Authority assessed the larvae as safe for human consumption.
Where did mealworms originate?
Mealworms have generally been considered pests, because they feed on stored grains. Mealworms probably originated in the Mediterranean region , but are now present in many areas of the world as a result of human trade and colonization. The oldest archaeological records of mealworms can be traced to Bronze Age Turkey.
What is a mealworm?
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. Mealworms can be found throughout most of the world where they prefer warm, dark, and damp places like under decaying logs ...
Where do mealworms live?
Mealworms can be found throughout most of the world where they prefer warm, dark, and damp places like under decaying logs and leaves. They are designed for burrowing and eating and will feast upon grains, vegetation, spoiled food, and many other types of fresh or decaying organic matter.
How long can mealworms be kept in the refrigerator?
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.
Can mealworms get into pet food?
Mealworms can get into and ruin stored flour, pet food, mill feed, cereal and other dry goods. Mealworms are a popular feeder insect for bearded dragons, bluebirds, chickens, fish, and many other animals. They are high in protein and fat and are easy to maintain. They are available live or pre-killed and dried.
Can darkling beetles lay eggs?
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. They retain much of their nutrients, last longer than live worms, and are easily stored until needed.
What is a mealworm?
Well, it is a stage (the larval stage) in the life cycle of an insect (darkling beetle). Its name is coined with reference to its food habit, which includes cereals, grains and cornmeal. Scroll down to find more info regarding facts about mealworm related to its types, habitat, identification, feeding, rearing, infestation and life cycle.
What are the three types of mealworms?
There are three types of mealworms, namely, the yellow mealworm ( Tenebrio molitor ), dark mealworm ( T. obscurus) and the giant mealworm ( Zophobas sp.). Of these, the yellow mealworm is the most abundantly found species. As the names suggest, they are demarcated by their color shade and size.
How long does it take for a mealworm to hatch?
During spring, the adult female beetle lays about 300 or more eggs, which hatch to mealworms within 4-20 days.
How big are mealworms?
Mealworm Description. As expected, the young mealworms are smaller in size (approximately ½ -¾ inch in length). Similar to other insect larvae, they are heavy feeders and devour constantly. Their size increases to about 1¼ inch within the next few weeks.
What temperature do mealworms need to grow?
While live mealworms require warm climatic condition (temperature ranging from 77-81°F) for gaining optimal growth, storage for consumption is best done in the refrigerator to slow down their rate of metamorphosis. « Previous Post.
Why do we study mealworms?
For science students, studying about the life cycle of mealworm is often included as a part of the curriculum. This allows students to understand molting of larvae during the growing stages, and succession from one stage to another.
Can you feed mealworms to birds?
Mealworm for Pets. For those who have pet birds, mealworms need no introduction. Yes, they are favorite foods for woodpeckers, bluebirds, wrens, chic kadees and many more birds in the list. In addition, mealworms along with other insects form the bulk of the diet for pet fish, rodents, lizards and other exotic pets.
Why do mealworms grow?
A mealworm spends its time eating and growing in order to save up energy for the next transformation.
How long does a mealworm live?
The second stage of life lasts about eight to ten weeks and is spent as a brown larva. This is the stage where the insect is a mealworm. When first hatched, it is quite small but will grow to one to one and a half inches long.
What is the life cycle of mealworms?
Life Cycle. Mealworms that birds, reptiles, and other animals love aren’t really worms. They are the larvae of darkling beetles. There are over 20,000 different types of darkling beetles and mealworms come from the species Tenebrio molitor. A darkling beetle experiences complete metamorphosis which means that it has four distinct stages of life.
How many times do worms molt?
Since it has a hard exoskeleton, the worm will need to molt and shed its hard outer shell in order to grow. Molts will occur ten to twenty times during this stage of life. A recently molted worm will be soft and white, but the exoskeleton will quickly harden.
Overview
Relationship with humans
Tenebrio molitor is often used for biological research. Its relatively large size, ease of rearing and handling, and status as a non-model organism make it useful in proof of concept studies in the fields of basic biology, biochemistry, evolution, immunology and physiology.
Mealworms have generally been considered pests, because they feed on store…
Reproduction
The mealworm beetle breeds prolifically. Males insert sperm packets with their aedeagus. Within a few days the female burrows into soft ground and lays eggs. Over her lifespan, a female will, on average, lay about 500 eggs.
After 4 to 19 days the eggs hatch.
During the larval stage, the mealworms feed on vegetation and dead insects and molt between e…
See also
• Zond 5, a 1968 space mission on which mealworms were among the first terrestrial organisms to travel to and circle the Moon
• Organisms breaking down plastic
Gallery
• In a bedding of bran
• Mealworm detail
• A mealworm pupa with molted larval skin
• New adult
• Mature adult
External links
• Darkling Beetle/Mealworm Information. Center for Insect Science Education Outreach. University of Arizona.
• Mealworms and Darkling Beetles (Tenebrio beetle). FOSSweb.
• How to Raise Mealworms