Mealworm Response Lab
Mealworms are the larvae of the Mealworm Beetle, also known as the Darkling Beetle. The Mealworm Beetle life cycle consists of four stages: the egg, the larvae, the pupa, and the adult. Mealworm beetle eggs are small elongated spheres, about the size of a dime. The eggs hatch anywhere from four to nineteen days after being laid. When the mealworm beetles hatch, mealworm larvae emerge. These larvae feed on plants and dead insects. As these larvae grow, they periodically molt and shed their exoskeleton. Mealworm larvae are high in protein and make good food for birds and reptiles. Mealworm beetles spend eight to ten weeks in their larval stage. After the larvae have completed their last larval molt, they transform into an …show more content…
After one or two weeks an adult beetle will begin to breed and lay eggs, as many as 500 at a time. Mealworm larvae live most of their lives under rotting logs and decaying organic matter, and therefore, are not used to light. Because of this, being exposed to bright light for extended periods of time can greatly stress the larvae and may even lead to death. Mealworm larvae bring positive benefits to the environment. They are one of the top decomposers of dead organic matter and therefore, keep the earth cleaner. Mealworm larvae are also an important food source for many animals such as birds, reptiles, and other small animals. Mealworm beetles are part of the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Insecta, Order Coleoptera, Family Tenebrionidae, Genus Tenebrio, and Species Molitor. During the experiment, 10 mealworms were placed in one side of a two chamber petri dish. The opposite side was covered in a shade cloth to create darkness on one of the two chambers. The mealworms were exposed to the different types of the light in the starting chamber, and mealworms remaining in the starting chamber were counted every minute for five minutes. The control group was dark on the starting chamber and normal classroom