How to Care for Mealworms in the Florida Heat
When you get a new pet like a reptile or spider, you’re signing up for a lot of responsibility. One of the things a lot of pet owners don’t realize is that you’re signing up to share your home with insects. That’s right, if you have an insectivorous pet, you’re going to need to keep some creepy crawlies around for them to eat.
Picking a staple feeder insect for your pet is a big choice. There is a lot to consider and a lot of good options out there. One of the more reliable insects people commonly choose is the humble mealworm. They’re healthy for most pets, easy to keep long-term, and very easy to raise in a colony. The main benefit of keeping a colony of feeders in your house is that you won’t have to make runs to the pet store to buy pet food (ideally, ever).
But if you live in Florida, you might have to make some adjustments to keep your mealworms healthy in the heat and humidity. In this article, we’ll talk about how to keep mealworms in Florida, and how to keep them healthy long-term.
Why Mealworms?
The mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) is a species of darkling beetle native to the area around the Mediterranean sea. Compared to their cousin, the superworm (Zophobas atratus), mealworms are smaller, leaner insects. They’re a very common feeder insect, your local pet store probably sells them.
And there’s a reason mealworms are so easy to get. They have a good nutritional content, they’re reliable, and they’re very hardy. You can even keep them dormant in the refrigerator for a long period of time and they’ll be ready to go when your pet needs a snack.
For starters, let’s look at the standard nutrition facts for mealworms.
Mealworm Nutrition Facts
Protein: 20%
Fat: 13%
Moisture: 62%
Ash: 1.5%
Fiber: 5.7%
Calcium to phosphorus ratio: 1:8-1:17
There are two or three things you’ll probably notice here. One is that they have a good protein and fat content. Another is their low calcium content. This is actually very common with most feeder insects, and you will normally have to supplement them by dusting.
The other thing you might notice is the high fiber content mealworms have. This is the biggest downside of mealworms as a feeder. They have a very dense, chitinous shell that can be hard to digest for reptiles prone to digestive problems, like bearded dragons. For reptiles with sensitive stomachs, we recommend going with superworms instead.
But for other reptiles, like Leopard Geckos, and other pets like tarantulas, mealworms can still be a viable food source.
Optimal Conditions for a Mealworm Habitat
Raising mealworms is very similar to raising superworms. Here are the highlights: you need two large storage tubs, one with a low ceiling and a wide floor for your mealworms and another with taller walls for your beetles.
The tub for your mealworms should have a layer of edible substrate in it, like oats or breakfast cereal. The tub for your adult beetles needs egg flats to give the beetles somewhere to hide. When the beetles start to reproduce, you can take out the eggs and move them to a deli cup so they can hatch.
Mealworms naturally like a warm, humid climate, especially to stimulate reproduction. Ideally, you want the temperature of your habitat to be between 75 and 85°F, with a humidity between 50 and 60%.
This isn’t necessarily hard to achieve in Florida, but it can be hard to control. You need to make sure the humidity doesn’t go too high, especially in your mealworms’ tub, because their substrate could start to mold. High humidity is one of the main causes of disease in insect colonies, and it can cause mass die-offs.
High heat also isn’t ideal, though the stakes are much lower. If your insects’ habitats get too warm, they will normally just stop reproducing. It takes a lot of heat to cause darkling beetles to die.
Adjusting for Florida’s Climate
It’s not hard to keep insects warm and humid in Florida. What you’re worried about is too much of a good thing.
Passive Climate Control
Ideally, you should be able to set your feeder insects’ habitat up so that the climate conditions will maintain themselves. The first thing you should invest in is a thermometer/hygrometer to put inside your insects’ habitat. This will let you monitor the conditions inside.
Be smart in constructing your storage tubs. You can cut pieces out of the roof to control how much airflow the interior gets. If you need lower humidity, try making bigger holes. You can cover the openings with mesh to prevent escape attempts by your beetles.
You should also be careful about the kind of substrates you use. Coco coir is notoriously moist, so stay away from it. Vermoulite does a good job of absorbing moisture, so you could consider putting a layer of it under your mealworms’ edible substrate (oats, etc.).
Cleaning
Keeping things clean is another key. Insects have active metabolisms that will raise the temperature and humidity of any container you put them in. You should check on the condition of your mealworms’ substrate every few days and change it out regularly.
You might want to keep a spare storage tub set up so you can swap your mealworms out while you clean their container. When you do, toss the old substrate and clean the walls with alcohol or bleach, then let it dry thoroughly. This will prevent moisture from settling in patches in the substrate, which is how mold starts.
Active Climate Control
If you need to pull out the big guns, you have two options. You can either add a fan to the room where you keep your feeders, or you could invest in a small dehumidifier. This approach will work better if the feeders have their own space with its own microclimate. So consider keeping them in a closet separate from the rest of the house where the dehumidifier can keep the air dry.