​The Ultimate Guide to Mealworm Diet and Care

Mealworms are a popular feeder insect for many pets, but did you know that their nutritional value depends heavily on their diet and care? Here's how to ensure your mealworms are as nutritious as possible:

Diet

• Start with a Base: Oats are an excellent staple food for mealworms. They provide carbohydrates and fiber.
• Add Fruits and Veggies:  Offer a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables like carrots, apples, and potatoes. These provide essential vitamins and moisture.
• Protein Boost:  Supplement their diet with protein sources like chicken feed or fish meal.

Housing

• Container: A plastic or metal container with a lid is ideal. Ensure proper ventilation with small holes.
• Bedding:  Use a substrate like oat bran, wheat bran, or cornmeal. This helps absorb moisture and provides food.
• Moisture:  Lightly mist the bedding occasionally to maintain humidity, but avoid excessive moisture.
• Temperature:  Keep the container at room temperature (around 70-75°F).

Care Tips

• Cleanliness: Regularly remove dead mealworms and uneaten food to prevent mold and bacteria growth.
• Separation: Separate pupae and beetles from the mealworms to prevent them from being eaten.
• Gut Loading: Before feeding your pets, gut load the mealworms with nutritious foods for 24-48 hours. This boosts their nutritional value.

By following these tips, you can ensure your mealworms are healthy and nutritious, providing your pets with the best possible diet.

So you have ordered some live mealworms and they have arrived. Now what?? Well it depends on your use for them! 

Mealworms are the larvae of darkling beetles and are often used as food for pets such as reptiles, spiders, birds, and even rodents.  If you want to keep and maintain healthy mealworms, understanding their feeding habits and providing them with a safe and comfortable environment are important steps to take.

Here are the basics:
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• Keep the mealworms in a suitable container.  Make sure the mealworms can’t get a grip on the sides of the container as they could likely climb out. Containers with smooth, slippery sides and surfaces i.e. glass, metal, plastic or wax coated are best for keeping the mealworms inside.  
• Line the bottom of the container. Wheat bran is the most common substrate for mealworms to be kept in.  Other alternatives like oatmeal, grain cereal, cornmeal, or dog food that has been ground down to crumbs are good options for lining the bottom of the mealworms’ container. They will use the substrate as bedding and food.
• Keep the container in a warm place.  The mealworms will be happy at room temperature, but about 80F (26-27C) will be more ideal if you plan to breed and increase your number of mealworms.
• Use moist foods to hydrate the worms. Slices or pieces of fruits and vegetables like potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, cucumber and apples work well for this. Potatoes are an especially good option as they take a bit longer to dry out. **Tip: Minis thrive with small pieces of cucumber! 
• Change the food/ bedding every few weeks. You will need to add more food to the container as the worms consume it, but you don’t need to change all of the bedding until a few weeks have passed. Keep an eye on it to make sure no mold is growing, and that there is no foul odor.

​If you have any problems with your mealworm care, please let us know and we will be happy to help answer your questions.

Regards,
The Bug Farms Team 😊

​Check out this video of our mealworms devouring apple! Mealworms have a big appetite! The more you feed them, the faster they will grow, and the bigger they will become. This apple was completely finished in about 3 hours. Mealworms can eat just bout anything including; oatmeal, bran, fruits, vegetables, algae, and even dry cat or dog food. But mealworms prefer to eat fruits and vegetables like potatoes, apples, and carrots. They love apples! Check out our mealworms at www.thebugfarms.com. Thanks for watching!!