Meal Worm Facts

Mealworms are types of beetles known as tenebrio or darkling beetles. Mealworms have four stages of life: egg, larva, pupa, and the adult stage.

Identification

Mealworms have an outer shell that's hard to the touch. Mealworms tend to stay small in shape, rarely growing longer than 1 ¼ of an inch.

Life Cycle

Mealworms begin as an egg and follow a process that's similar to a moth or butterfly. The egg hatches and becomes a larva, which then becomes a pupa before the mealworm becomes an adult.

Eggs

Female mealworms lay batches of eggs, typically around 270 eggs at a time. The number of eggs the mealworm lays can reach higher numbers, but is generally 500 eggs or less.

Molting

The shell of the mealworm isn't a permanent attachment. As the mealworm grows larger, it molts, or sheds its outer shell. The shell later grows back and molts again as it continues to grow. This can happen nine times during the mealworm's life.

Food

Mealworms prefer eating dead or dying materials such as dead leaves and grass. They also eat plants that are alive, but only when their preferred foods aren't available.

References

• Mealworm Facts and Information