Mealworm Facts for Kids

14 Mealworm Facts For Kids

1. A mealworm is the larva of the yellow mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor).
2. You can identify a mealworm larva by there long, segmented worm-like bodies and brown-orangish color.
3. Mealworms may have the word worm in their name, but they are not actually worms, they are a beetle larva.
4. Mealworms are native to Africa, but have been introduced into several other continents, like Europe and North America.
5. Mealworms are the larva stage of the yellow mealworm beetle’s four stage life cycle.
6. The mealworm larva stage lasts between 3 and 4 months before it pupates and hatches as an adult beetle.
7. Mealworms are omnivorous and eat plants and dead insects.
8. Mealworms have a head, thorax, six legs, abdomen, and spine.
9. Mealworms have an exoskeleton, which is a skeleton wrapped around the body, unlike a human skeleton which is inside the body.
10. The average mealworm reaches an inch in length before turning into a pupa.
11. Mealworms are a common pet food that is fed to birds, fish, and reptiles.
12. Since mealworms are used as pet food its common for people to raise them on their own.
13. Mealworms are sometimes considered pests and need to be eradicated; they can destroy dry goods.
14. Mealworms have been observed eating Styrofoam, a polystyrene foam that takes about 500 years to decompose.

Mealworm Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on mealworms. Below are three pictures of various mealworm species. These pictures should help you better understand the different types of mealworms found around the world.

A close up of a mealworm.

A picture of a pile of mealworms.

A picture of an adult pupa and larva of the mealworm beetle.