While they may not sound particularly appetizing, mealworms have been making a real indent into the food market at the moment, even with human diets! For a long time, the grub has been a staple in the diets of pets, being particularly popular with chickens and lizards, like the cute and scaly bearded dragon. Buying mealworms from pet stores can be somewhat expensive, so we will teach you how you can raise mealworms yourself.
The reason the mealworm has been growing in such popularity recently is that they have an exceptionally high protein content and compared to other insects they have exceptionally low chitinous content in their carapaces. This makes them much healthier for pets, as they are less likely to compact in the stomach or throat and cause choking hazards.
In the rest of this guide, I will take you through why people are using these mealworms more and more for even their own diets. More importantly, I will also show how to raise mealworms of your own if you want to take part in this new, emergent trend.
Mealworms for pets – Chickens and Lizards
Bearded dragons and other lizards are particularly partial to mealworms. Normally fed on a diet of insects like locusts or crickets, supplemented with a nice portion of leafy greens as well. Mealworms are an excellent addition to this for your pet lizard, and work great as a nice treat.
Some bearded dragon owners love to use mealworms as a way to make their pets get more exercise. By placing them around a room where they can be seen, a bearded dragon will chase them down, engaging the predator instincts that these lizards do not often get to exercise.
Surprisingly, chickens also seem to love these little treats. They absolutely adore eating mealworms, but there are some very strict laws in place with regards to the feeding of mealworms to your chickens. The FDA completely forbids the import and use of dried mealworms due to their origin being nigh on unverifiable. It is possible that dried mealworms have been in contact with and ingested animal proteins, which are incredibly bad for animals like chickens to consume.
Mealworms for humans?
It may disgust some to hear, but some humans love to eat mealworms. In fact, several countries around the world (namely Cuba and India) have been enjoying these little grub snacks for centuries!
If you are planning on eating mealworms, you have got to make sure you cook them properly. Mealworm sushi is not on the menu – in fact it can be really bad for you. Most people will roast the mealworms they want to eat, then grind them into a powder. After that you can put them through oatmeal, sprinkled on rice, and placed innocuously throughout many different meals.
How to raise your mealworms
So, now the exciting part. If you want to make mealworms and their high protein content a regular part of your or your pet’s diet, then read on to find the best ways to raise a mealworm!
In this section I will check through the central things you need to bear in mind: the mealworm substrate and diet. Considering these two elements will tell you all you need to know about raising your mealworms. Mealworms tend to live from nearly 4 months up to a year, depending on how you raise them.
They have four stages in their life cycle: egg; larvae; pupae and adult (beetle). These grubs are only really grubs during the first three stages, they are not useful as food after having hatched into full adult mealworm beetles. (Only use mealworms during the larvae stage to eat for feed pets)
Upkeep
The Substrate
One of the important elements of mealworm upkeep is what is known as a “substrate”. This material has a mix of moisture and nutrients that keep the mealworms healthy and hydrated as they move across it.
The name “mealworm” comes from the fact that these grubs would usually show up tucked within grains. More experienced raisers of mealworms will use a mix of grains, ground pet food, milk powder, and other types of dried feed that can keep the creatures healthy.
The recommendation for most mealworm farmers is wheat bran or dried oats. Make sure to freeze your substrate for at least two days before using. This will help kill any bacteria or mites. You can also get the same result by heating the substrate to 130 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
Substrates are a difficult art to master, so it is recommended to experiment with your mealworms if you want to see the best results. These results are often best measuring by seeing the increase or variance you see in weight and length of the mealworms, maybe measuring them every few weeks.
You want to make sure you put at least 3 inches of substrate on the bottom of your container initially, and refresh this every month or so if you see it being diminished.
The Container
A plastic container works best for housing mealworms, as there is no risk of the grub’s moisture degrading their container. For 1000 mealworms, it is recommended you provide a container that is at least 10 gallons in volume.
In general, it is recommended to find a container with a larger surface area if at all possible. This decreases the number of mealworms stacked on top of each other, and this in turn reduces risk of cannibalism among your colony.
Our recommendation is to use at least 3 different plastic containers, you can usually find these stackable containers at your local store. This will help you keep track of your mealworms throughout their life cycle (Pupae and Beetle, Larva, Eggs).
If you do use the three container method, substrate from the beetle container should be moved every 2-4 weeks into the egg container. This will let the little mealworms hatch and thrive without competing with larger mealworms for food.
Diet
So, these little grubs are going to be a big factor in your meal plans. What do they need to eat to stay healthy before you snack?
There are couple of things you need to make sure your mealworms are eating regularly:
- Mealworms do not need loads of water.
o Instead, they need plenty of fruits and vegetables for their hydration.
- Sweet, softer fruits like berries are essential.
o Provide a smaller amount of these, as they decay very very quickly.
- Hardier vegetables are also great.
o These decay less quickly, so have to be changed much less. ( Potatoes, Carrots)
- The most important element is a really varied diet to ensure that the mealworms have the maximum nutrient intake possible.
Mealworm care check sheet
- Get your container! Make sure there is enough space for your mealworms (10 gallons for 1000 mealworms.)
- Place it in a cool, dry area that is not too humid (excess moisture can be very bad, as can be a lot of heat.)
- Find the right substrate, and layer it 3” thick along the bottom.
- Add the mealworms.
- Add plenty of food, refreshing as you see it get diminished.
- Vary diet plenty to avoid cannibalism.
- Check your mealworms every few weeks to see how they are growing!
- Let the colony grow before using them for treats. (You want a steady supply of mealworms)
In conclusion, mealworms are a great asset to any diet, be it in pet, food or human! If you want to raise mealworms, you should focus on experimenting with the substrate you give them and providing a healthy, varied diet of fresh fruit and vegetables.
