As a past science school teacher, the life cycle of mealworms was a unit I
developed to teach kids about insects, metamorphosis, habitat, you name it.
They each raised their own mealworms and could do amazing population studies.
Here's what you do:
You might find mealworm larvae in your oatmeal if it has been sitting around
for awhile, but more reliably, go to a bait store and pick up a little plastic
container of them (pet stores also sell them for a few bucks). Put the "worms"
in a larger container, allowing air holes for circulation and oxygen. Put in
oatmeal, bran meal, and a few fresh apple slices for moisture. Don't water,
since that will cause an incredible growth of fungi such as you've never seen
before! Then place in a dry, relatively dark place like you cupboard where
they like to live anywhere. They will lay eggs, produce various larval stages
and you'll end up with more mealworms than you bargained for!
Add fresh apple every few days (they don't need much) and fresh oatmeal as it
gets to look yucky and used up. You can also change containers every few
months if you worry about sanitation. THey leave castings and shed
exoskeletons all around. It's pretty cool checking them out in their various
life forms with a hand lens.
Patti Reum
