How to Raise Mealworms

Housing

Mealworms can be housed in any container that is 6 in. or 15.25 cm tall with smooth, solid sides. No top is required for the housing container if the bedding is kept 2 in. or 5 cm from the top of the container, since mealworms are unable to climb smooth surfaces. An extremely easy and convenient way to house mealworms is in stackable plastic storage drawers. Use 3-4 in. or 7.5-10 cm of rolled oats, wheat germ, bran, or a mixture of all three for the mealworm bedding; they will eat and also burrow in the bedding. No other food source is required except for carrots, sliced potatoes, or sliced apples, which the mealworms will need to obtain moisture. Replace the carrots, sliced potatoes, or sliced apples periodically as they become stale or moldy. If the temperatures are kept around 80°F or 26.7°C the mealworms will flourish, but they can also reproduce and grow at 70°F or 21°C. However, at this lower temperature, the growth and reproductive cycles will be prolonged.

Breeding

Mealworms do not actually breed, since they are the larva stage of the darkling beetle. The beetles are the ones that actually do the mating and egg laying. When the mealworms have grown to about 1 in. or 2.5 cm they will become pupae. After the pupa stage, darkling beetles emerge. The beetles are white when the first emerge, but after about a day, they turn brown. By the second or third day, they are completely black. Once the beetles turn black, they will mate and lay eggs in the bedding. The eggs will hatch in approximately 2 weeks depending on the temperature. The new-born mealworms will look like very small versions of full grown mealworms. They can be housed and fed the same as the adults.

Mealworm (Left) | Pupa Side View (Right)

Pupa Ventral Image Pupa Dorsal Image

Pupa Ventral View (Left) | Pupa Dorsal View (Right)

Beetle Before Hardening (Left) | Beetle After Hardening (Right)