Mealworm Facts

Mealworms are darkling beetle larvae, or baby darkling beetles. Mealworms get their name from their tendency to eat grains and grain meal products. There are over 20,000 species of darkling beetle, but the common mealworm is the larvae of only one species--the Tenebrio beetle. Mealworms are simple and unique creatures that are also used for scientific research.

  1. Life Cycle

    • Mealworms have a complete life cycle, from egg to death, of about 200 days. They spend as much time as larvae as they do beetles--about 10 weeks. Between larvae and adult life stages, there is the pupa stage. At this stage, the mealworm turns into an alien-looking cocoon and remains still until it emerges as a beetle.

    Shedding

    • While most insect larva quickly turn into adults, mealworms grow from microscopic hatchlings into worms at least an inch long an must shed their exoskeleton several times before pupating. Mealworms can shed their exoskeleton as many as 20 times before pupating into beetles.

    Chitin

    • The mealworm's hard exterior shell is made of a protein called chitin. Chitin is the same material that composes the shells of most shelled animals, including shrimp, crabs, lobsters and insects, as well as body parts of other animals such as squids and mollusks. Chitin is biodegradable and is also what comprise dissolvable stitches.

    Nutrition Facts

    • Mealworms are commonly fed to birds and lizards that are kept as pets. In most cases, they should only be offered occasionally and should not make up the primary food source for any animal because they are not a high enough source of protein. For example, mealworms are about 20 percent protein, 13 percent fat and 60 percent water. They are a good source of fat and phosphorous, which is a necessary nutrient for reptiles.