What Mealworms Eat: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Diet and Care

What Mealworms Eat

1. Grains and Bedding: Mealworms thrive on a diet of dry grains, such as oats and wheat bran, which also serve as their bedding. A thick layer of these materials provides comfort and nutrition, aim 1/2-1" thick.

2. Fruits and Vegetables: Mealworms enjoy a variety of kitchen scraps, including:

   • Lettuce
   • Potato peels
   • Apple cores
   • Banana peels

   However, be cautious about moisture levels; limit wet food to about 30% of their total diet to prevent mold growth.

3. Polystyrene: Research has shown that mealworms can digest polystyrene, a common plastic. They can break it down and excrete harmful chemicals, making them potentially valuable in waste management efforts.  But use caution - in general, if you don't want whatever is eating the mealworms to eat polystyrene, don't feed the mealworms polystyrene....

4. Gut-Loading: For optimal nutrition, gut-load mealworms with nutrient-rich foods, like dark leafy greens, before feeding them to pets.  Ensure you provide the gut-loaded mealworms to pets within 24 hours of gut-loading, or the nutrients will begin to reduce.

5. Water Gel Crystals: Mealworms here at Midwest Mealworms are fed wheat bran and water gel crystals.  This allows for full control of the process, keeping our costs low and labor predictable - that's how we currently keep our mealworms priced so well!!  Just like all food/moisture the mealworms eat, they will poop it all out within 2-3 days.

What Mealworms Won’t Eat

While mealworms are not particularly picky, there are some foods you should avoid:

• Meat: Mealworms are primarily herbivores, and feeding them meat can lead to health issues, both for the insects and the animals consuming them.  They'll eat some meat, but keep it a low portion of their diet.  Want proof?  Check out this example, done in house at Midwest Mealworms, to see how well they eat chicken.

• Highly Moist Foods: Foods that are overly wet can create unhealthy conditions, promoting mold growth and bacteria.  Mealworms don't like rotting/decaying things....for that, you're better off using black soldier fly larvae.