#mealworms

[cosmiclion]

Guys I feel like a mighty god just accepted a sacrifice from me 🛐

#not eli's art #not fandom #video #original video #no sound #animals #invertebrates #invertebrate #insects #insect #bugs #bug #bugblr #mantids #praying mantis #mantis #mealworms #predation #i feel honored #not kuro #not yoi

[todaysbird]

anybody here who farms insects for human consumption and would be willing to participate in a interview for a (positive) article around insect farming? please dm me with your email and i’ll reach out!

#insect #insect farming #entomology #mealworms #cricket #not birds #This is an article about potential benefits to consumers and the environment #so if you aren’t farming insects for human consumption but you feel you might have an important take/valuable insight #please reach out as well

[uncharismatic-fauna]

hi! can you talk more about how the yellow mealworm beetle can be used to dispose of plastic and styrofoam? i just think that's so neat :)

I sure can!

Basically, researchers at Stanford University found that mealworms (the larval stage of the YMB) are able to consume and digest polystyrene; specifically styrofoam used for packing and insulation. This means that they're able to break down polystyrene while still being safe to use as a food source for other animals like chickens (Link 1). However, it should be noted that the styrofoam tested contained a toxic substance often used as fire retardant, and the mealworms excreted that substance in their waste. So if mealworms were to be used for large-scale polystyrene disposal, a seperate system would have to be in place for safely removing those toxins from the environment following their excretion. There are also concerns that the excretions contain microplastics-- partially digested plastics that would then be consumed and build up in other animals (link 2).

In short, mealworms provide a promising path for reducing polystyrene pollution, but they aren't a perfect solution yet.

#jack speaks #yellow mealworm beetle #mealworms #asks #answered

[empthylee]

Good choice for Halloween🍭

#armored core 6 #armored core vi #IA-02: ICE WORM #mealworms #gummy worms

[mellifexfarm]

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY MURPHY YURKEY

#murphy #mealworms

[halltastic]

Nix ready for lunch

#lizards of tumblr #lizardposting #lizard photography #lizards #lizard #geckos of tumblr #leopard geckos #leopard gecko #gecko #geckos #reptilelover #reptile owner #reptile photography #reptiles #reptile #reptilesofinstagram #reptilephotography #reptile lover #reptiles of tumblr #lunch #lunchtime #mealworms #mondaymood #monday motivation #mondayvibes #monday morning #happy monday #pet of the day #pet lovers #small pets

[poorlydrawnmothman]

what if i gave you mealworms

It would matter how you gave them to me? Cuz like if it was a large container of them I think I would freak out, but is it was only a few of them I would just look at them

#mothman #poorlydrawnmothman #anon ask #ask blog #mealworms #drawing #cryptid #I feel like I would stick my hand into the container tho #but I would be scared that they would bite #can mealworms bite? #idk man

[hapalopus]

tbt when i used this image in my thesis defense

#mealworms

[sages-herp-garden]

so not long ago veronica declined to eat a mealworm that i left in her enclosure, and despite having no food it survived in its deli cup long enough (a couple weeks!) to pupate. i did what anyone would do and popped a lid with air holes on his deli cup so he wouldnt escape once he had proper legs and allowed him to pupate. i kept the beetle around as a curiosity until he gave a couple death fakeouts, at which point he was fed to ash's bearded dragon.

fun fact: mealworms and superworms can break down and digest microplastics while still being perfectly safe to eat! this guy subsisted for his whole life on a bit of amazon packaging. i salute your contribution to the environment, little man.

this adventure got me interested in breeding my own guys--though i'd want to do superworms (their larger cousins) because those are more expensive.

(me to mom, after an excursion to buy superworms: you know you just spent $20.50 on these?

mom: what? they don't cost that much. check the receipt

me: where do you think i got that number???)

so i've been looking into that for a while. cut to today, when ash called me over to look at a really big beetle (always my jam) and i went "WHOA that really is a massi--wait that's a superworm"

ash affirmed that she, too, recognized him as such immediately, and then we looked at him in puzzlement. we have no idea how or when he escaped his container to pupate in the first place.

the good news is that he was actually very cute and spirited, and i'm doubly excited to raise these funky dudes. in the meantime, ash says her bearded dragon was delighted with the snack :D

#insects #beetles #worms #sage speaks #sage pets #sage original post #mealworms #superworms #feeder insects #animal death #snacky bois meet their inevitable fate just later than expected #long post

[crevicedwelling]

i sent in an ask awhile ago about what bugs would tolerate handling and you suggested mealworms/beetles and i looked them up and it seems like it will be pretty simple! but im not sure i trust all these guides especially since theyre mostly about keeping them for food. do you know a dedicated site to bug pet care? i need to know what substrate would be healthiest for them and which moisture sources theyll like the most. also since theyre supposed to be kept cool and dark and i live in california, would the inside of a cabinet be a good place for them to spend most of their time? i would leave it slightly open for air flow but it gets way hot and its the coolest darkest spot i can think of. im deeply deeply excited 2 meet them. i think the best part of keeping a bug is that they arent there to keep you company or be pet or dressed up or whatever, its all about taking something that would have a hard dangerous life in the wild and basically putting it in bug heaven with the caveat that you get to stare at it through glass a lot. its mutualistic in that way so i want my bugs to be the happiest and healthiest they can be. keep up my end of the bargain lol

cool temps is only if you want mealworms to last a long time and slow their pupation for feeding them to reptiles. if you are keeping them as pets, warmth is fine for growth!

I don’t know if any decent places with a pet mealworm caresheet vs feeder, so I’ll just summarize what I think will work here. for Tenebrio molitor, the yellow mealworm:

get a large tub or tank (lid optional but should be very ventilated—screen or cutouts work best) and fill to 2” or more with grain-based substrate like bran, oatmeal, or chicken feed and put some mealworms in it. put a piece of cardboard egg carton on top; you’re done!

they will eat pieces of pretty much any vegetable or fruit for moisture and extra nutrients—see what works with the scraps from your own meals. humidity is not a concern as long as there is moisture food to eat. take care to not wet the substrate too much which will support mold and mites, so with a small population of mealworms some carrot chunks or potato or 1/4 of an apple core will work well. remove treats as they get eaten, desiccate, or mold, and replace with fresh ones. feed them more treats as they breed. dry dog food or high protein chicken feed are often accepted as protein treats, and while there isn’t really a limit on how much you can feed them just a little should be enough. adults eat the same food as larvae.

heathy mealworm larvae should be plump and firm to the touch. soft, “C” shaped mealworms that do not move are getting ready to pupate. pupae start white and soft, become yellowish and hard, and then the brown limbs of the developing adult become visible through the exoskeleton and the adult will eclose. adults hatch white and sclerotize to red and finally dark black. they’ll lay eggs in the substrate or in the fibers of the egg carton. black, shrivelled mealworm larvae and pupae are dead and should be removed.

cannibalism can be a concern when protein and moisture are low, so keep on top of the supplemental food. having a sifter or sieve to sort out mealworms works well when changing substrates, as the lower levels will be mostly dusty dry frass (poop) once the upper levels of substrate are eaten. the powdery dusty frass may be of allergenic concern, and is gross to breathe in so do your sifting outdoors if possible or in a room you can vacuum.

you can also try keeping mealworm larvae on a mixture of barely moist coconut husk bedding, leaf litter, and rotten wood, offering small amounts of grains and vegetables as they eat it. this substrate is less edible but they can still grow on it, although the humidity may mean mites and mold which are both gross. superworms (Zophobas atratus) can thrive on this style of keeping since they eat more (less mold) and digest wood better. they’re quite a bit bigger and can make a worse stink, but otherwise care is very similar. they do fine on grain substrate too, but will need more moisture food.

#beetles #bug care #mealworms

[lelemoo]

Motivational mealworm

#Meme #dank memes #memes #motivation #motivating quotes #motivational #art #mealworms #Mealworm

[nyctibiius]

they seasoned my worm scoop :c

#reptiblr #spiderblr #mealworms #tw bugs #jumping spider

[notdogice]

OKAY FUNNY STORY TIME!

13 years ago my 3rd grade teacher had given the entire class a mealworm as a little science project thingy where we would observe how the mealworms would grow, pupate and become beetles. We were allowed to give our mealworms names so I named mine Zim because Zim is my favourite Invader Zim character and I was just unable to come up with a name of my own. After some time, other kids' mealworms had pupated, but Zim had not. My friend had lost her mealworm in her desk and it had pupated by the time she found it and it would eventually become a beetle. Zim, however did not. When it came time to take them home, most of my classmate's mealworms had pupated or had became beetles already. After some time at home, Zim would die without ever pupating.

Funny, isn't it?

#Mealworms #Invader Zim #That's how nature goes sometimes. #This experiment is how I learned that it was a mealworm I ate in the Frosted Flakes that one time. #Never really like Frosted Flakes after that. #Sorry Tony but I don't like you. #But at least you're not as bad as Flat Stanley. #Fuck you Flat Stanley. #My hate for you has lasted for 15-16 years. #I will never be okay with Flat Stanley. #You and your hey is for horses. #Hey is for everybody. #Horses are beautiful and I will not take your horse slander. #Once again fuck you Flat Stanley. #I've only drawn you once and it was to shred you. #I used one of those hand crank shredders too. #That's how much I hate Flat Stanley. #Zim is great. #Better than Flat Stanley. #Funny Story. #11 PM POST

[8-legged-cats]

They crave the tometa

#dubia roach #mealworms #bug tw

[xxcatgore]

food for a hedgehod mealworm thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!im hungry

#shadow the hedgehog #sonic #sonic the hedge #shadow fanart #mealworms #weirdcore #hungrycore

[social-muffin]

@lilacdon20 you asked for the name of my hamster so I shall introduce him to you all!

This is my son,💜Skull Junior!💜

He loves to sleep all day, run in his wheel or dig all night and his favourite snacks are meal worms!

He's an adventurous little guy. Has somehow managed to escape his cage twice and also like to climb places, which is how I ended up making him Skull jr! :D

Because when I first saw him, about two years ago now, it looked like he was preforming stunts, just to get my attention. These days he likes to just be in his cage and chill. 💜

I truly love he with all my heart even if he doesn't understand the concept of being held.

#muffin whispers #Skull Jr. #hamster #mealworms #Hand reveal? #Meh #i love he <3