They go through four distinct stages during their life cycle.

• A female beetle lays as many as 500 Eggs in her brief lifetime of a month or two.
• The eggs are about the size of the full-stop at the end of this sentence.
• After a couple of weeks the equally tiny larvae emerge from the eggs.
• The larvae are known as Mealworms - altho they are not true worms.
   
• The larvae seem to have two purposes in life:                                                           
  • To eat and grow
     
• Any similarity to a true worm is incidental
• Mealworm larvae are golden yellow and have 13 segments                                                                                                                             Beetles at all stages + Pupa
  • a head, three thoracic segments, and nine abdominal segments                           Beetles start off pale>brown>Black
     
• Mealworm larvae are the counterpart of the Butterfly Caterpillar.
• They pull themselves around on six stubby legs
  • one pair on each thoracic segment.
     
• Mealworms are the larval stage of Darkling (Tenebrio) Beetles. 
• Beetles, along with other insects, are members of the phylum "Arthropoda",
  • a word meaning "jointed legs".
     
• Like all members of their phylum, they have their skeleton on the outside, like a suit of armour.
• This is practical when they are under attack but very inconvenient when they are trying to grow.
• Arthropods solved this problem by moulting (shedding) this outer shell-like cuticle periodically.
• Immediately following the moult, the soft white larva expands before the new larger cuticle hardens.
   
• For mealworms this process repeats five times over a 2-month period
  • after which the larva is about 3 cm (just over 1") long.
     
• The final larval moult reveals the next stage  -  the PUPA.
  • these are the "Soft white, caterpillar-looking things"
    • You can see them in the pictures at the top of the page
    • Click on the Pictures to enlarge them and see the Mealworms and Pupae more clearly.
       
• Pupae don't eat and they don't move except for a twitch when disturbed.
• Inside, however, the mealworm is turning into a Beetle
  • much the same as a caterpillar turns into a butterfly while sequestered inside its chrysalis.
     
• In 2 - 3 weeks the Pupa splits open and out walks a beetle,
  • It's white at first but soon turns brown and finally black, after a day.
     
• The Beetles mate and lay eggs, and the cycle repeats itself.
   

Habitat

•  Mealworms and Darkling Beetles are rarely seen in the wild
• They are most often found in barns, grain storage facilities and food preparation areas.
   
• Mealworms and Darkling Beetles are small but not tiny
  • They don't bite, smell, fly or jump and they are extremely easy to care for.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR MEALWORM FARM

• You can keep & breed Mealworms in a  large, relatively flat container with their food source
  • An ideal start number is approx 1000 mealworms,
  • obviously less, if you start with the Beetles, as they can lay up to 500 eggs each
    • Male & Female Beetles MUST be present
    • In the picture below I am using a deeper smaller tub, as I only had about a hundred Mealworms to start with.
       
• This will provide a constant source of "Live Food" thru the winter months and into the Spring
  • and into the start of your Breeding Season, when you need to up the Protein levels for your Birds
    to bring them into Breeding condition.
    • Mealworms are a good, High Protein "Live Food" for your Birds

Ideal foods Sources are :

• Wheat Bran, Oat-Bran, Rolled Oats, Breakfast Flakes/Muesli (If NO sugar or salt added) or chick starter mash

• The food must be kept dry otherwise it can go mouldy.
   
• You've heard the saying, "you are what you eat" well this applies to the mealworms when you use them to feed to your birds.
  • What you have fed them decides how nutritious they will be for your birds!
    • This also applies to the fruit/veg you use as your "Water Source"
    • as well as the substrate you use as their basic "Food Source".
       

• Mealworms can go through their complete life cycle without any added water
  •  They are very efficient at extracting water from the fruit/veg you add.
  •  It is recommended that small bits of apple, potato, carrot, lettuce, Banana etc., be added from time to time as their  "Water Source".
  •  Remember to remove all stale fruit/veg. b4 it goes mouldy and b4 you add new.
     
• They seem to thrive best when the colony of Mealworms has a large surface area.
• Keep the bran or the food source you have decided to use
  •  about 2 or 3 cm (±1") deep in a basin, Cat-Litter Tray, aquarium, or plastic shoe box etc.
     
• If the container sides are steep and smooth, it is not necessary to keep the container covered.
  • I use an orange mesh 10kg carrot bag doubled over
    •   this keeps the container covered but allows plenty of air - essential
       
    •   NEVER PUT A solid LID OVER YOUR CONTAINER - YOUR MEALWORMS MAY DIE!!

  Mealworms can't climb the shiny plastic sides of a container, so won't escape        Click on Picture to enlarge > >

• Adults and larvae seem to prefer hiding under bits of paper or light cardboard
  • I use cardboard egg boxes which is ideal as it is undulating and provides shaded areas
•  The Pupae give no indication that they care either way - they are in a kind of "Limbo"

The mealworm's preferred environment

• Is very dry, moderately warm and dark.
• A bit of apple or other fruit/veg provides extra moisture for the mealworms and seems to stimulate rapid growth.
• Keeping the container on the top of a wardrobe in a warm room seems and ideal environment.
   
• As the temperature increases, so does the rate at which mealworms advance through their life cycle.
   
• Under ideal conditions, the complete life cycle can take place in as little as 3 months
  • but more likely it will take 4 months.
  • Cold slows the process almost to the point of suspended animation.
  • Mealworms can be put into the refrigerator (not the freezer) for periods of time to stop metamorphosis.
    • or if you are storing them to feed to your birds and don't want them to continue with their life cycle.

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LIFE CYCLE

• Most people start out with Mealworms and go thru all the stages up to eggs being laid and hatching
  • Others buy them in as Beetles - to cut out a lot of waiting
• Keep them in the Bran or Oatmeal with a piece of Fruit/veg as their water source.
• Then when they've grown sufficiently and moulted out of their skins for the final time
  • (they moult approx. 5 times as they grow out of their skins and shed them)
    • You will see the shed skins like those of a snake, littered in the Food source.
  • They then turn into the soft white pupa
  • They stay as fairly immobile Pupa for 10 - 20 days
     
• At this point a lot of people remove the Pupa into a separate container with similar Food source in the bottom
   
• They then hatch out into "Darkling Beetles"
  • They are Pale coloured when they first hatch but soon darken up into Black
     
•  Remove these Beetles and keep them in a separate container.
  • Use the same Food and water source as for the Mealworms
  • They can fly but tend not to so keep the container covered with something they cannot
    penetrate but still allows air to circulate freely.
     
• The Beetles will lay their eggs 5 - 10 days after they have morphed into Beetles
  • You will not see the eggs as they are minute - as small as a full stop.
     
• Eggs Hatch 7 - 14 days after they have been laid
  • You will not see the small mealworms until they have grown up to about 1/8 - 1/4"
    • Smaller Finches consider them a delicacy when they are young and soft at this stage/size of their growth.
       
• So, basically they are removed into separate containers at each stage of their development.

If you order Mealworms, Beetles/Pupa thru the Post to use in a Breeding Programme

• What to do when they arrive.
• Mealworms &/or Beetles are usually Posted out in a container with a "breathing" cap to provide air.
• Keep the Beetles in a Warm room/area in low light.
• At warmer room temperatures, larvae will soon pupate.
• Cover Beetles loosely with a paper towel to provide crawling space.
• Beetles can fly but rarely seem to
  • a paper towel should keep them enclosed where you want them.
  • or mesh Carrot bag if they are in the mealworm/pupa stage.
  • THEY MUST HAVE plenty of AIR CIRCULATING or they MAY DIE !
     
• Add slices of potato or carrot etc (see above) for moisture and add a substrate of bran/oats etc. for food.
  • Replace as necessary or if it becomes mouldy.

If you Order Mealworms to Feed to your Birds, thru the Post

• Keep them in a cool environment i.e. Fridge (not for human use preferably!!)
• They need no special care but should be used as soon as possible, as they have a rather short life span.
• Store in a cool place at 45 to 65º F out of direct sunlight.
• Keeping them cool slows development, so they do not metamorphosise into Pupae
• Keep them in a feed medium (see above) Bran etc.,
  • this keeps them healthy and nourished until you are ready to feed them to your Birds.
  • Don't forget to add a small piece of Fruit/veg as their water source