Mealworms
Mealworms are usually only occasional pests of the homeowner. They are considered scavengers and are among the largest insects that infest stored products. Most prefer to feed on decaying grain or milled cereals in damp, poor conditions. These insects are usually found in places not frequently disturbed such as dark corners, under sacks, in bins and where feed is stored. Indoors, they are usually found in basements or at grade level, sometimes infesting cornmeal, flour, cake mixes, cereals, meat scraps, dead insects, bran and litter from chicken houses. Mealworms have been found living under old carpeting and in straw-stuffed chairs in damp areas. Yellow mealworm larvae are known as “golden grubs” and make excellent fish bait and serve as food for animals in aquariums and zoological parks..
IDENTIFICATION
Young larvae are white, darkening with age. Larvae of yellow mealworms are honey-yellow, while dark mealworms are dark-brown.
Mealworms have a smooth, highly polished, shiny, elongate, hard, cylindrical (wormlike) body about 3-mm thick and up to 3.17-cm long at maturity. Beetles are robust, black and nearly 1.9-cm long, resembling many ground beetles in size, shape and colour.
Yellow mealworm adults are shiny, dark-brown or black, whereas dark mealworm adults are dull, pitchy black. Eggs are white, bean-shaped and about 1.27-mm long. Pupae are white at first, turning yellow, and are not enclosed in a case or cocoon.
Mealworm adults do not move as fast as ground beetles. Also, the hind leg of a mealworm adult has only four tarsal segments, while the hind leg of a ground beetle has five tarsal segments.
LIFE CYCLE & HABITS
Adult beetles are attracted to night-lights, are strong flyers, and are found in dark places. Each female lays about 275 eggs, which hatch into larvae in 4 to 14 days. Eggs are laid singly or in clusters during the spring over a period of 22 to 137 days. Larvae may spend up to two years in this stage depending on the environment. Individual larvae may wander far from the food source to pupate, making it difficult for homeowners to locate the source of infestation.
Most larvae mature by fall, overwinter and pupate in the spring, with the pupal stage lasting 7 to 24 days. Adults emerge in the spring and early summer, living two to three months.
CONTROL MEASURES
PREVENTION
Mealworms are not always considered pests since some people raise them for fish and animal food.
Use good night-light discipline to reduce beetle attraction and infestation indoors. Sanitation is the simplest means of controlling mealworms. Moist, dark, undisturbed areas containing damp grain or milled cereals should be eliminated. Litter remaining in old or abandoned poultry houses can create explosive infestations, bothering residents as far as 804 metres away. Poultry litter dumped into piles outdoors can result in mealworm migrations indoors. Waste grain products in a sanitary landfill may become a source of infestation.
Eggs and larvae of mealworms are sometimes accidentally eaten in cereals and breakfast foods. These infestations in foods and seeds can be eliminated by heating in a shallow pan in the oven at 54°C for 30 minutes or placed in a deep freeze at -17°C for seven days. However, seeds saved for planting may have the germination reduced after super heating or cooling. Sometimes simply collecting individual mealworms with a broom and dustpan and crushing before disposal is useful.
INSECTICIDES
Pyrethrins alone or with a synergist has been used successfully for treatment of wooden floors or walls of empty granaries or warehouses. Insecticides labeled for mealworm control include pyrethrins (Pyrenone), resmethrin (Synthrin) and silica gel (Drione, PT 230 Tri-Die). Always read and carefully follow label directions and safety precautions.
This publication contains pesticide recommendations that are subject to change at any time. These recommendations are provided only as a guide. It is always the pesticide applicator’s responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific pesticide being used. Due to constantly changing labels and product registration, some of the recommendations given in this writing may no longer be legal by the time you read them. If any information in these recommendations disagrees with the label, the recommendation must be disregarded. No endorsement is intended for products mentioned, nor is criticism meant for products not mentioned. The author, The Ohio State University and Ohio State University Extension assume no liability resulting from the use of these recommendations.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
HYG-2083-97
William F. Lyon
Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.
Contact us now at 1800 819 189 or fill out our online form for a free quote and expert advice on pest control solutions.
Why Choose us?
100% pest control guarantee
We guarantee to rid your home or business from pests and offer all customers a 3-6 month warranty.
Free Quotes & Advice
Call, Email or Instant Message us and we'll give you honest advice on how to effectively solve your pest problems.
100% Customer Satisfaction
We're not happy unless you are! We promise to return for free if pests reappear during your warranty period.
Residential & Commercial
We specialise in the removal and prevention of pests for all types of properties and sizes.
100% Money Back Guarantee
If you're not totally satisfied with the results of our work then we promise to provide you with a full refund.
Same Day Express Call Outs
Get in touch and one of our qualified pest technicians can meet and treat on the very same day!
Why our clients love us
-
BEST pest control company in Sydney as the name suggests! Nigel is amazing and did a super thorough job of spraying our place for German cockroaches. This was following a... read more
Vanessa Chen
100% best pest control company out there. So friendly, extremely efficient at getting back to you, great advice and knowledge on all kinds of pests. Used them at my apartment... read more
katie teo
Amazing job ! I was trying to get rid of cockroaches for a long time! I think I tried all the products and methods on the planet to kill them.
They... read more 
Sandrine Z
-
I went with the general pest control service. John was amazing. He arrived early. He explained the treatment thoroughly before he started. After the treatment, he explained what would happen... read more
Phuc
Very prompt communication from the customer service team, considerate when I had to change date and made rebooking easy. The service was good as well, thorough and reasonably priced. Will... read more
Leanne Chen
Blake is very professional. His work has been very thorough and very efficient. Since we use their service we have never have any issues with pest control at... read more
Joy Kawser
-
We have used Sydney Pest Control services twice and Alan and team were professional, the products worked a treat and lasted more than 6 months. We had issues with rodents,... read more
Ana Neves
Excellent, very professional company. Very organised and disciplined They have a dedicated pre-service chat/email team that looks into what bugs you have. And puts together a detailed... read more
Paul L
Could have sold me a service I didn't need, but chose to give me some great free advice on how I could deal with my issue cheaply.
George Dobson
-
Provided good advice and were very helpful along the way.
Andre Emery
We have had 2 treatments at 2 different properties with Sydneys Best Pest Control and the service and treatments provided have been no less than fantastic.
The technicians were on-time and... read more 
Stephanie Knight
They got rid of cockroaches at my place - 0 cockroach sighting 2 months later!! (they were coming in from surrounding apts). The technicians are very experienced at their... read more
Cecilia
