Keeping Mealworms Alive Long-Term (2023)

FAQs

How long can you keep live mealworms? ›

Mealworms can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks with very little maintenance. After two weeks, the mealworms should be removed from the refrigerator, and a small amount of Easy Water should be added to the top of the bedding. Allow the mealworms to stay at room temperature for about 24 hours.

Fresh vegetables are the best source to offer them. A fresh cut potato or some fresh carrots will give the worms their needed water and nutrients. Because the mealworms can last up to a full year before transitioning into the pupa stage, this will give them plenty of time to eat and grow.

Two or three weeks after the mealworm has pupated, a mealworm beetle will emerge. This is known as a darkling beetle. The egg stage typically lasts 7-14 days but low temperatures and humidity can lengthen double this incubation time.

Initially white and orange, the pests turn black or yellowish in a few days. Mealworm 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.

Overcrowding and excessively deep substrate can cause the bugs to suffocate, overheat, or get crushed. A rectangular tupperware container or a plastic shoebox will work well. Be sure to add ventilation holes at the top! 2" to 4" of bedding is sufficient for keeping mealworms alive and well.

Some examples of bird species that eat mealworms are: chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and the occasional bluebird or American Robin. Dried mealworms do not spoil.

You may feed the mealworms as much as you like – more food means more mealworms. Just be sure to feed them at least every few weeks to maintain a depth of around three inches.

Mealworms for feeding birds

Live mealworms are obviously the living form, while dried mealworms are simply mealworms that have been dried-out via heating or freeze-drying. Dried mealworms aren't as beneficial to birds as live mealworms but are ok to feed and are convenient, easy to store and easy to feed.

It's also important to note that mealworms do not provide complete nutrition and should only be used as a supplemental food source, offered on a limited basis. Overfeeding can cause health issues for adults and young!

Remember that any mealworms left in the container will mature and become pupae, then beetles.

How many mealworms do I need to start a colony? ›

Not only do you need a significant amount to start a healthy, sustainable breeding colony — I recommend 2,500 at the very least to start off — but mealworms are often less expensive when bought in larger amounts. It's important to keep the mealworm colony container relatively clean.

Mealworms effectively degrade biological waste and polystyrene foam [9]. The most common mealworm parasites include Gregarine spp., Hymenolepis diminuta and mites of the family Acaridae.

Habitat: Where Do Mealworms Live? Their normal habitat is dark, cool and moist locations where there is suitable food and sheltered areas such as under rocks, logs, in animal waste accumulations and in moist, stored grain storage areas.

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.

When pupae die and turn black, it's usually because the worms weren't given enough moisture with carrots or potatoes at the end of the larval stage. They need to store the moisture to last through pupation and will dehydrate and die if they didn't get enough. They are also very heat sensitive.

To rehydrate them, we've found the best method is a long soak in cold water for 4 to 8 hours (or overnight). You can also use hot or boiling water for a much faster 30-minute soak, but the hot water tends to break them up a bit more. Put the mealworms in a container, add water and stir them will to separate them.

Keep the temperature of the container above 62 degrees (F).

But, temperatures lower than 40 degrees (F) may cause the worms to die.

Light: Consistent with the name darkling beetle, they prefer the dark. Keep the container out of direct sunlight. However, one source indicated that if mealworms develop faster when provided with light.

Mealworms are able to absorb water from the air through their skin and they make metabolic water as they digest their food, but mealworms do much better if supplied a water source. Some common water sources used are carrots, apples, and potatoes.

Do I Have To Rehydrate Dried Mealworms First? You don't have to soak your dried mealworms in water before you use them. However, soaking them in warm water for 30 minutes before you offer them out is a brilliant way to give your garden birds some extra hydration.

What can mealworms not eat? ›

Mealworms eat a variety of food, including vegetables, fruits, plants and grains, but they largely avoid onions and fruits from the citrus family.

High-protein meals don't tend to produce any better mealworms than a container of quick oats do. If you want to save some money, you can just opt for a cheap container of quick oats. But high-protein meals do help your worms to fatten up quicker, which means you can generate more worms in the same amount of time.

Wheat bran is a common choice for mealworm farm substrate. You can usually find 50-pound bags of wheat bran at the feed store (or they can order it for you). Wheat bran is lightweight and does not compact, so it is easy for the mealworms and beetles to move around in it.

To put it simply most mealworms are imported and may have come into contact with, or been fed, animal protein which could then potentially pass on disease.

You might be surprised to learn that squirrels do eat mealworms, In fact, they absolutely love them because they're high source of protein especially for breeding squirrels. And, the squirrels aren't too fussy if the mealworms are live or if they're dried.

There's a list below of fruit and veg that's safe for mice to eat. Healthy treats such as boiled or scrambled egg, mealworms, lean meat, beans, peas, chickpeas and other pulses.

– Composting Friend – Feed your mealworms rolled oats and peelings, coffee grounds and salad. Both you and your mealworms will be happy subsisting on a similar diet.

Yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor)

This food mixture will produce about 350 adult mealworms in 200 days from 10 females (with 10 males). However, each female can lay about 100 eggs. Incubation: 10-11 days at 20°C; 4-6 days at 30°C; larval period, from about 114 days (10-14 larval instars).

Burrowing and eating are a top priority when it comes to being a mealworm, and they will eat just about anything. They will eat grains, vegetables, any organic material, fresh or decaying. This plays a huge role in the ecosystem. Mealworms aid in the decomposition of any spoiled organic material.

Lesser mealworms readily feed on dead and dying birds. They can become contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, or infectious bursal disease virus.

What kills mealworms? ›

Those bothered by mealworms should remember never to discard infested food without first killing the insects. This is best done by placing the infested food in a container and heating it in an oven at 130° F to 150 °F for 30 minutes.

The cooler temperatures will delay the process of metamorphosis, which stops them from continuing their life cycle and turning into beetles. Therefore, store your container of mealworms in your refrigerator (at 45-50 degrees F), this will cause them to go into a dormant state and be usable for feeding for 6-10 weeks.

Mealworm frass naturally contains chitin which triggers a immune responses in plant cell walls making the plant stronger and able to help fight off disease, fungal issues and damage from pest.

Darkling beetles are active both during the day and at night. With simple care, they can live from three months to over a year.

Darkling beetles are considered an agricultural pest and should not be released under any circumstances. We strongly recommend giving any unwanted organisms to another individual if you do not wish to keep them. As a last resort, place unwanted organisms in a sealed container and freeze for 48 hours.

Mealworms will need at least a couple inches of bedding but it does not have to be deep. After your colony is established you will want to change the bedding out when needed. I change mine about every 3 months, but you may find the need to change it more or less often.

The return on investment (ROI) for mealworms is very high, with farmers typically seeing a return of over 2000% or more on their initial investment.

Upon arrival, immediately place the insects inside a plastic container with air holes and cover them with a two-inch layer of wheat middling or oatmeal to provide bedding and a food source. Then transfer the container to a refrigerator set at 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once they hatch, mealworms molt repeatedly over the course of several months until they are about 1.37 of an inch long and are ready to pupate. They remain as pupae for about one to three weeks before emerging as adult darkling beetles, ready to eat and reproduce.

Caring for mealworms:

Once purchased, it is important that you don't continue to store them in the refrigerator as this can lead to mould forming in the substrate.

How do you store live mealworms for birds? ›

How to Store Mealworms Safely. Once you buy a live batch, place them in a shallow plastic container with a 2- to 5-gallon capacity. Cover with a screen or perforated lid for air circulation.

Make sure you remove the mealworms you are feeding from the storage container in the fridge, and allow them to “warm up” at room temperature for an hour in a dish. This way they will no longer be dormant, and be wiggling around, enticing your pet to hunt.

Note: The ideal temperature to grow mealworms in is between 77 – 81 degrees Fahrenheit. Mealworms do reproduce in temperatures ranging from 65 – 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but temperatures above 86 degrees and below 62 degrees may negatively impact growth.

A 32-ounce container with about 1-2 dozen worms and filled with moist compost should keep the worms healthy and active for about three weeks. Store them out of direct sunlight at a temperature between 50 and 85 degrees.