PRODUCTS
Dried mealworms provide healthy treats for your favorite backyard birds or chicken flock. At INSECTCIBUS we only sell mealworms 100% farmed, processed and packaged in Canada. Also, no growth hormones are used in the farming of our mealworms. Mealworms are one of the most popular healthy options to a varied balanced food diet for your chickens. For instance, dried mealworms contain 53% protein, 28% fat, 6% fiber, and 5% moisture. The reputable site of Springer Link, publishers of scientific reports, provides more info on the nutrient composition of mealworms. Also, dried mealworms are an attractive food source to offer to your chickens and wild birds because they replicate an omnivorous or insectivorous natural diet.
Mealworm droppings is called frass. It contains all the regular nutrients you would expect from good manure. If you are looking to add a natural sustainable product to your fertilizer, mealworm frass is the solution you need. Read this article on how Insect poop can be used to make sustainable fertilizer
Life cycle of mealworms
Mealworms are the larva form of an adult darkling beetle the “tenebrio molitor”. They go through four life-stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. A larva typically measures about 2.5cm or more, whereas an adult darkling beetle measures generally between 1.25 and 1.8cm in length. The skin of the mealworm splits and the mealworm slides out. In other words, they molt in order to grow. This molting process happens between 9 and 20 times during the larva phase. If a mealworm is white it’s a sign it has molted recently. The pupa is the inactive stage beetles go through during their transformation process to an adult darkling beetle.
The female starts laying eggs as little as a few days after mating. Over a lifespan, a female will, on average, lay up to 500 eggs. The duration of the whole life cycle depends heavily on the incubation temperature. A temperature of between 28 and 30 degree Celcius is ideal for a faster reproduction cycle of beetles.