The first thing you need to know about mealworms is that they’re not actually worms. That’s right, just like peanuts aren’t nuts and tomatoes aren’t vegetables, they’re actually something else completely. Mealworms are a type of black beetle called Tenebrio Molitor (Darkling Beetle) in its larval stage that are commonly used in their live or dried state as feed for reptiles, birds and captive mammals. They are easy to breed and easy to store, so they’re popularity is expanding. Here’s everything you need to know about these amazing creatures.

Life Cycle of Mealworms

Tenebrio Molitor beetles, like all beetles, go through a total metamorphosis so the adult form has a completely different body structure than the larval state. The process begins with adults mating and the females laying from hundreds of eggs in a dark and moist location. It doesn’t take long before they hatch into the creamy colored larval organisms called mealworms that range in size from a half inch to one inch long. Next, they shed their outer exoskeleton, in a process known as molting, at least fourteen times before they turn into pupae. Depending on the ambient temperature, the pupa stage can last from six to three hundred days and then they emerge as adult beetles.

Mealworm Anatomy

Mealworms have a skeleton, legs, a thorax, a long abdomen that’s made up of nine segments, the last one is called “spine.” Mealworms use all that space in their abdomen to store fat, which they will need to support their metamorphosis into an adult beetle. This is why they are so high in fat, averaging about 30%. They have an exoskeleton, which is a skeleton that’s outside the body, instead of one that’s inside the body like worms. Females can lay as many as 500 eggs and prefer to deposit them in a place of complete darkness. Mealworm eggs are tiny whitish specs that can barely be seen with the naked eye.

Mealworm Habitat

Mealworms are originally from Africa, and most likely migrated to the rest of the world in the grains transported on ships. In the wild, their diet consists of grass, sticks, leaf litter, grains, feces, new plant growth, insects and animals. Mealworms are decomposers that serve the important function in our ecosystem of breaking down organic material and turning them into vital soil nutrients. They are an main source of food for wild birds, reptiles, spiders and rodents. Mealworms got their name from their love of stored grains, finding themselves quite at home in mills, warehouses, grocery stores and farm storage bins. In fact, they’ve evolved to prefer these man made habitats to the wild where they face predators. Humans that want to keep mealworms in their homes as pets or to feed pets, can place them in about three inches of wheat bran or oatmeal with a diet of potatoes and apples providing hydration.

Mealworms Make Great Pets For Kids

Mealworms make great pets for kids that are interested in science because they offer an excellent opportunity to observe four life cycle stages: adult, pupa, larvae and egg. It generally takes mealworms only about two to three months to go through all the stages, offering the perfect opportunity for children to observe metamorphosis. They can safely be handled at all stages, except for the egg stage where they can be easily crushed. The idea may be repugnant to some adults and older kids, but young children usually love to hold a fist full of jiggly mealworms in their hands. Best of all, you never have to walk your pet mealworms in the rain or right before you go to sleep. There are many safe experiments that kids can perform with their mealworm pets such as increasing the heat and humidity in the enclosure to get the eggs to hatch faster and seeing what type of diet gets them to grow the largest.

Mealworms are Ideal Feeder Insects

Mealworms provide proper nutrition for a wide variety of pets and agricultural animals. They are the only type of feeder insect that can be the exclusive diet for leopard geckos and some other types of reptiles. They can also be used as treats for backyard chickens, parrots and other pet birds, and as a nutritional supplement at poultry farms. They can be eaten by all types of mammals, including dogs and cats, providing an enjoyable crunch and an abundance of protein and fat. Mealworms are easy to cultivate and they’re also easy to store since their lifecycle can be slowed down by placing them in the fridge. This is because they have what scientists called “antifreeze proteins” that allow them to survive very cold temperatures, coming back to life after being slowly warmed at room temperature. Never use artificial heat sources to warm mealworms that have been in the fridge, including placing them in the sun in front of a window that magnifies the sun’s rays.

Mealworms are on the Menu

The growth of eating trends can be measured by looking at Google Trends results. For example, veganism first showed up regularly in 2004 and is now a more popular search term than “beef” or “meat.” In 2022, five percent of Americans are describing themselves as vegans. A Google Trends search for mealworms shows a steady increase in popularity for the term beginning around 2009 and a sharp increase around 2019. Most of the related terms are for feeding reptiles, chickens and frogs, but the inquiries for mealwormas as a gourmet food for humans are also going up since the government in England declared them safe for humans to eat. They are being touted as an ideal animal protein because they are high in protein and fiber, while being more environmentally friendly than other sources of animal protein. Dried mealworms can be eaten as crunchy snacks or they can be ground and made into pasta, cupcakes, smoothies and burgers. Young people are always looking for ways to set themselves apart, so don’t be surprised if your kids come home tonight demanding to eat mealworms for dinner.