
Suitable For
Grade 8
Difficulty
2
Time Required
Months
Supervision
Advised
What’s it about?
A complete life cycle of a mealworm takes six months. Mealworms are actually the larva stage of the Darkling Beetle. The adult meal worm is a nocturnal beetle that is approximately one inch in length and dark brown or black in colour with a hard outer shell. In this science experiment, study the four phases of a mealworm’s life over six months:
Topics covered
Meal worms
What will I need?
- LARGE CONTAINER
- MEALWORMS
- CARDBOARD
- OATMEAL OR BRAN
- RUBBER BANDS
- APPLE
- MESH CLOTH
Procedure (Method)
A complete life cycle of a mealworm takes six months. Mealworms are actually the larva stage of the Darkling Beetle. The adult meal worm is a nocturnal beetle that is approximately one inch in length and dark brown or black in colour with a hard outer shell. In this science experiment, study the four phases of a mealworm’s life over six months:

- Obtain a few dozen mealworms from a pet store in your area.
- Get a glass or Perspex container about 30cm x 20cm x 10cm high to be used as shelter for the mealworms.
- Fill the bottom of the container to a height of about 3-5cm with oatmeal or bran as food for the worms and place an apple in the centre which the mealworms will use for water.
- To allow air to reach the worms, cover the top opening of the container with a sheet of cloth mesh and hold in place on the sides with a few rubber bands.
- Cover the mesh with a loose piece of cardboard to help keep the moisture in the container but still allowing air to come in.
- Place the mealworms inside the container. Place the container in a cool, dry place and study them frequently over the next 6 months!