Potato slices keep worms moist.
Mealworms are the larvae of the dusky beetle, also known as Tenebrio molitor. The dusky beetle is a holometabolic insect, which means it has four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The mealworm is a dark beetle in the form of a larva, where it remains from 90 to 114 days, before becoming a pupa.
Mealworms hatch from bean-shaped white eggs 1/20 inch (1.27 mm) long. When they hatch, the larvae are white, but will turn honey-yellow or yellowish-brown in a few days. The mealworm, when mature, will be 1.25 inches (3.18 cm) long. Their bodies are smooth and hard, with a shiny appearance.
Whole wheat flour can be used to raise mealworms that are used in fishing.
The main uses of mealworms are as food for reptiles and birds and as bait for fishing. The mealworm is rich in protein, making it the preferred food among reptile and bird owners. Worms can be purchased at pet stores, where they are sold in a container with oatmeal or bran. This is used as food and bedding for earthworms. This will usually set you back around twenty-five dollars for a thousand worms.
Mealworms can be used as bait to catch largemouth bass.
When used as a fishing lure, many commercial providers feed mealworms a juvenile hormone that helps them grow to abnormal sizes, making them more attractive to fish. Yellow mealworm bait is often used when fishing for perch, trout, bluegill, and whitefish. They are especially popular with ice fishermen.
Many people choose to create their own worms as it is so easy and can be fun too. By growing your own worms, the cost per thousand worms is reduced to ten cents, which includes food and bedding. Guarantees an endless supply of lures for avid anglers.
To raise mealworms, you will need a plastic container, whole wheat or wheat bran flour, potatoes, and a starter culture of about 500 mealworms. You can buy the starter culture online. Many pet supply stores also sell a starter culture, but it usually costs twice as much as buying it online.
Fill the plastic container with about an inch of whole wheat flour and add the worm culture. Place a few thin slices of potato in the box to moisten. Keep the temperature around 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23.89 degrees Celsius). Within a few weeks, the worms will pupate, followed by beetles about three days later. Transfer the beetles to another container to breed and lay approximately 500 eggs each.