Fast Facts for Kids
Mealworm Facts for Kids

Mealworm Facts for Kids

  • Common Name: Mealworm
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Genus: Tenebrio
  • Description: Larva of the Yellow Mealworm Beetle
  • Distribution: Worldwide (Except Antarctic)
  • First Appeared: ~295 million years ago

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.

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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.

Close Up of a Mealworm

A close up of a mealworm.

A Pile of Mealworms

A picture of a pile of mealworms.

Adult Pupa and Larva of the Mealworm Beetle

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

Mealworm Resources

We hope you found the above mealworm facts, information, data, and pictures both fun and educational. You can continue to research mealworms using one of the below additional resources. They were chosen for their credibility and accuracy; you can trust their information when it comes to mealworms. Thank you for choosing Fast Facts for Kids.