Darkling beetles (also known as Mealworm Beetles) are prolific breeders. It is harder to stop them breeding than it is to get them to breed.
There are 4 stages in the life cycle of a mealworm:
Eggs: In a matter of days after mating (dependent on incubation temperature) the female will burrow into soft ground and lay between 70 and 100 eggs. The egg stage typically lasts 7–14 days but low temperatures and humidity can lengthen or even double this incubation time.
Larva: The Larva (known as mealworms) will eat various fruits and vegetables. During this stage a mealworm will shed its skin 10–14 times as it gets too big for its old skin. They are a tan colour but when it sheds its skin it is a white colour. Shedding is when the skin of a mealworm splits down the back and the mealworm slides out. On its last shedding it loses its skin and then curls up into its pupa form.
Pupa: The pupa is the inactive non-feeding stage that the mealworms go through. The mealworm remains in its pupa stage for 6–30 days (dependent on incubation temperature). The pupa starts a creamy white and changes slowly to a brown colour during its pupation stage which includes a complete metamorphosis which transforms them into reproducing adult beetles.
Adult: Two or three weeks after the mealworm has pupated, a mealworm beetle will emerge. These are known as Darkling beetles. The newly hatched Beetle will sit still as its wings unfold and dry. It will appear as a creamy colour and will slowly brown over a period of 2–7 days. Once the Beetles have turned black they will become sexually mature and begin to look for a mate.
Darkling beetles can live for quite some time however they slow down their reproduction after about 3 months.
Mandatory Insects
