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How To Culture Mealworms
from the Primer of Wildlife Care, Bruckner Nature Center
Mealworms
Life Cycle
Mealworms are the larvae of the beetle
Tenebrio molitor. During
their life cycle these beetles undergo complete metamorphosis: egg, pupa,
and adult. Times required for each stage under average conditions are
listed below.
Egg.......4 weeks
Larva....10 weeks
Pupa......3 weeks
Adult.....4 weeks
Culturing Mealworms
Mealworms are handy for feeding to a variety of animals, such as birds,
bats, amphibians, and reptiles. To culture mealworms, use a plastic,
metal, or glass container with smooth sides to prevent escape. Cover the
colony with a screen; secure the screen with an elastic band. The size
of the container will be determined by the number of larvae to be
cultured:
wide-mouth gallon jar....1,000 mealworms
15 x 12 x 6 inches........5,000 mealworms
36 x 24 x 12 inches.....50,000 mealworms
NOTE: To discourage mites from invading the mealworm colony, place the
container in a bowl of water.
Feeding Mealworm Colonies
Use any of the following mixtures:
- Wheat bran
- One part pulverized dry cat or dog chow + 3 parts wheat bran
- Quaker oats + 1/2 cup bone meal powder + 1/4 cup multivitamin powder
Cover food and mealworms with 2-3 layers of moistened burlap. Sprinkle with
water once weekly to maintain moisture level in colony. Burlap also
simplifies collecting mealworms. The larvae gather between the burlap
layers and can easily be scooped by hand or picked out with forceps.
NOTE: Mixtures of foods, such as oats, intended for human consumption are
less likely to contain contaminates, such as mites, that can destroy a
mealworm colony.
Moisture
Lay slices of apple, potato, carrot, or over-ripe banana over the surface
of the colony to provide fluids for the mealworms. In addition to
obtaining moisture from these vegetables and fruits, mealworms lay their
eggs on them. Collect these and save them when starting a new colony.
Temperature
Mealworms thrive in a warm (80-90 degrees F) environment. To maintain the
larvae in a state of dormancy, cover the container with cloth to prevent
condensation, and set in the refrigerator (40-50 degrees F). Mealworms
will die at lower temperatures.
Cleaning the Colony and Starting New Colonies
Over time, a build-up of powdery residue will appear in the container.
This residue, called frass, consists of mealworm wastes and eggs. Sift
this out once a month using a colander, window screen, or tea strainer.
Keep frass in a separate container and add bran and potato slices. The
eggs will hatch in about one month. Two weeks after hatching, sift out
the tiny larvae and put them in a container with fresh food, burlap,
and vegetable slices as described above.
REFERENCES:
Barnard, S.M. 1990. The Maintenance of Insectivorous Bats in Captivity.
Morrow, GA: Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources
Berg, L. 1988. Care of Mealworms. Rehabilitation Manual. 11th ed.
Austin, TX: Wildlife Rescue, Inc.
Heinemann, J., Mealworms: their care and feeding. Wildlife J. 9(1):16.
Snedigar, R. 1963. Our Small Native Animals: Their Habits and Care. New York, NY: Dover Publ., Inc.
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