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Thanks!

Welcome to Mealworm Company. Please feel free to read our free mealworm information.  We have a mealworm section with lesson plans for teachers that use mealworms.

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Raising Mealworms

Equipment

You will need least 3 containers, preferably plastic.  Suggested
dimensions for this rearing container is 41 cm x 28 cm x 15 cm.

FOOD:

Feed
the mealworms mixed grains such as: oat or wheat kernels (10 parts),
rolled oats (oatmeal) or whole wheat flour (10 parts); wheat germ or
powdered milk ( 1 part); and brewer’s yeast (1 part). Brewer’s yeast
can be obtained at health food stores. This is an important ingredient,
because it provides proteins and trace elements essential to the
insects’ growth. To supply the water that these insects need to
develop, provide bits of vegetables (cabbage, carrots, potatoes,
lettuce, etc.) or fruit (mainly apple). Monitor this item daily to
watch for visible mold growth. Immediately replace the water supply
when mold growth appears.

Supply of Mealworms: 

Of course, you can get the mealworms for your starter culture here but they can be purchased from pet shops where they
are used as food for reptiles and amphibians.   Bait shops may also have
these available but be careful with those.  Over often the mealworms sold for bait are treated with a hormone.  Those mealworms will be sterile when they become beetles.

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Culture Management:

Step 1: In one of the culture containers, place about 2.5 cm of the grain
mixture, the mealworm larvae, and bits of vegetables and/or fruit for the
water source.

 Step 2:  As soon as the first pupae appear (this is a non-feeding
and non- ambulating stage), transfer them to another container, an
empty box. This will prevent the larvae from eating the pupae. For the
same reason, the adults must be separated from the pupae as soon as
they emerge from the pupal ’skin’ (exuviae). 

Step 3:  Transfer the adults into a
third box, also containing 2.5 cm of the grain mixture and chunks of
vegetables or fruit. The males and females of the mealworm are
indistinguishable.

General Information:  They mate 2-5 days after emerging, and the female
lays up to 40 eggs a day. The eggs take 12 days. on average, to hatch.
The larvae molt several times over a period of about 10 months, until
they reach 25-30 cm in length. It takes about 12 days for the pupa to
complete metamorphosis into an adults. The adult lives, generally. only
2 months. All in all, at temperatures from 18?to 25?C. the insect’s
life cycle is about one year. Culture Maintenance Replace the pieces of
fruit or vegetables when they dry out, and remove any dead insects.
Stir the grain mixture from time to time to incorporate the larval
skins, so that they will also be consumed by the larvae. Change the
mixture when it begins to look sandy. You will have to remove the
insects one by one or separate them using a sieve.

Helpful Hints:

Clean the containers thoroughly before using them. To speed up the
insects’ development, keep your ‘farm’ at a temperature of from 70 to 80.  At temperatures above 80 Degrees negative effects on growth and development begin to appear. Things like deformed beetles or worms pupating while still small will be noted at higher temperatures.  Avoid placing the containers in bright sunlight. Keep the cultures in a
dimly lit, dry, and well ventilated place. Keep the mixture as dry as
possible to avoid mold and other undesirable organisms. Keep your
insects in a number of different containers to minimize losses due to
contamination or any other problem.

When to Begin Harvesting the Larva:

Since
you are developing a stock culture and it is the larval form of this
insect that is eaten, you would want to wait for the first generation
after the parents to harvest any larvae. In concrete terms, this means
that you must feed the larvae that you obtain from a commercial source
until they become adults, allow them to reproduce, and then ‘harvest’
the larvae of the new generation. Make sure, of course, that you leave
enough of the larvae to keep your farm running! Preparing the Insects
for Use Before you begin whipping up delicious insect meals, you must
take some precautions: Always kill the larvae by freezing them alive.
About 48 hours is sufficient. You can keep them in the freezer for a
few months if they are properly wrapped in airtight bags or containers.
Insects can deteriorate quickly, just like meat that is left out on a
counter. Always keep them in the freezer until you are ready to use
them. It is also a good idea to rinse them in running water before you
cook them. Never eat any insects of doubtful quality (rotten smell,
unusual color, etc.). If in doubt, DON’T.