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Mealworms are small tan and brown worms that you may have seen outside near stumps or under leaves. In the wild, mealworms are technically considered pests, but they can be very valuable to pet owners. many species lizards, fish, and birds eat mealworms as a source of protein and fat. chickens and other farm animals also enjoy mealworms. But since mealworms are a common pet food, you may be wondering what mealworms themselves eat. Let’s dive into their diet!
What are mealworms?
Mealworms are not actually worms. They are the larval state of the dark beetle. Beetles have four stages of development:
When the dark one beetle lays an egg it takes 4 to 20 days for the egg to hatch. What comes out of the egg is a mealworm. Mealworms eat everything they can and then enter the pupal stage of development by cocooning themselves in an exoskeleton. After a period of development, the adult beetle will break out of the exoskeleton and look for other beetles so it can start lay eggs which starts the whole process again. A single female black bug beetle can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime. That’s one of the reasons why there are so many mealworms.
During the larval stage of development, the mealworm’s job is to find enough nutrients to sustain the pupa while it’s done growing. That’s why mealworms are prolific eaters and will eat just about anything.
What do wild mealworms eat?
In the wild, mealworms eat vegetables, decaying material, animal waste, grains and fruits.
Such as burrowing in the ground, rotting leaves, grain that is rotting in a field, vegetable gardens and places with a lot of vegetation. Mealworms are omnivores, meaning they will eat all types of food. They even eat other mealworms that have died. Mealworms like to eat apples and other fruits, potatoes, oats and grains and birdseed. Wild mealworms also eat decaying matter such as mold, dead leaves, rotting fruits and vegetables, and rotting plants.
What do mealworms eat in captivity?
Mealworms can also be hand-reared in captivity. Why would anyone want to breed mealworms? Many people breed mealworms because mealworms are a great source of protein for pets such as fish and lizards. Mealworms reproduce quickly and many people find it more convenient to breed mealworms than going to the pet store and buying them to feed their animals. Mealworms in captivity raised as food for other animals will eat whatever they are given. They can survive on oatmeal, bran, fruits, vegetables, algae and even dry cat or dog food. But mealworms prefer to eat fruits and vegetables such as potatoes, apples and carrots.
Growing mealworms at home
It is very easy to grow mealworms at home. All you need to grow mealworms at home is a container to keep them in, such as a plastic container with a lid. It doesn’t have to be big. Poke holes in the top of the container that allow air to flow in, but are not large enough for the small mealworms to escape.
Put a few inches of a substrate such as whole oats or bran or a mixture of grains into the container. The mealworms will dig in that substrate to lay their eggs and they will eat it as well. Mealworms eat grains such as oats. Cut a potato or apple in half and place half in the bowl. The mealworms eat the potato or apple and also get water from it. There is no need to put a separate water source in the container. Make sure to change the food often and don’t let it get moldy.
You will need to buy a few dozen mealworms at a pet store to start your mealworm container. Place the mealworms in the container and place the container somewhere warm. The ideal temperature for mealworms is around 72 degrees. If you put them somewhere cold, the cold will stop all development and put the mealworms in suspended animation. If you’ve ever wondered why mealworms you buy are kept refrigerated, here’s why. They go to sleep because of the cold.
Allow the mealworms to develop further and after a few weeks they will go through the growth process to become black beetles. The beetles mate, the females lay eggs and before you know it your tank is full of mealworms. Just keep feeding the mealworms and you should have a steady supply that you can use to feed yourself chickens, birds, lizards and other animals.
A Complete List of Foods That Eat Mealworms
You can feed mealworms with almost anything you have in your kitchen, including:
- Oats or oatmeal
- Bran
- apples
- bananas
- Kale
- berries
- seeds
- Oranges
- coffee grounds
- Grapes
- All kinds of lettuce
- Watermelon
- potatoes
- Barley
- grain
- Rice
- peaches
- pears
- Mango
- cat food
- dog food
And many others. Mealworms get most of their moisture from fruits, so if you’re growing mealworms, be sure to include some fruits in their habitat, as well as other foods.
What do mealworms not eat?
There aren’t many things mealworms don’t eat. They are easy to keep and raise, providing a stable, high-protein food source for your chickens, lizards, birds and other pets.
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