Darkling Beetle Life Cycle

The darkling beetles are black colored beetles with a round or elongated dome-shaped body. The adult darkling beetle or darkening beetle are metamorphosed from a larva. The larvae undergoes complete metamorphoses to an adult darkling beetle. The commonly known mealworm, is not a worm. It is in fact the larvae of the darkling beetle. The mealworm looks like a worm, but it has six small jointed legs. Let us see some darkling beetle facts before moving on to the darkling beetle life cycle.

Darkling Beetle Facts
The following paragraphs will contain some darkling beetle information that will help you understand the darkling beetle better.

Darkling Beetle Scientific Classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Family:	Tenebrionidae
Genus:	Tenebrio
Species:	T. molitor

Darkling Beetle Information
The darkling beetles have hardened front wings called elytra. The antennae rises from under ridge to near the eyes. These antennae have many segments that are enlarged near the tip. The head of the darkling beetle is visible from the top that is followed by the pronotum and elytra.

Darkling Beetle Habitat
The darkling beetle is found almost all over the world and commonly found in the temperate regions. The darkling beetle habitat includes dark, cool places that are moist like under the rocks, logs, etc. They are also found around chicken barns, grain houses and animal burrows. You can read some Japanese beetle facts.

Darkling Beetle Diet
The darkling beetle feeds on fresh as well as decaying vegetation. They are scavengers and eat grains and seedlings. They are considered a pest due to their feeding habits. They eat all decomposing matter that includes dead plants and animals. They take up water from the food that they eat.

Darkling Beetle Care
If you are planning to raise these beetles, then you need to follow some darkling beetle care. You need to take a clear plastic cup with lid. You can even use a cardboard box, aquarium tank, etc. for raising a mealworm. You need to fill the cup with about 1/8" of wheat bran or crushed wheat flakes. Then place a crumbled piece of paper and a slice of apple or potato. Make sure you replace the slice of apple or potato before it becomes moldy. Place the mealworm in the cup and cover with lid. Remember to add holes to the lid. The mealworm will use the wheat bran, apple and potato as food. It does not need water, as it obtains water from the slice of apple or potato.

When handling the mealworm, use a plastic spoon to scoop it out. If you want to pick it with your fingers use you thumb and forefinger to pick up the mealworm. Hold the worm at the side and gently squeeze it. They are very squirmy and wiggly, so you need to use a firm, yet gentle grip. The larvae will grow about 3 cm in size before pupating. By this time, the larvae must have undergone molting 9 - 20 times. The adults will emerge from the pupae after 2 to 3 weeks. Then in about 7 to 10 days, the female will lay eggs, if there is a male beetle preset. After 14 days, the eggs hatch.

Life Cycle of a Darkling Beetle
The darkling beetle life cycle is known as complete metamorphosis. The darkling beetle undergoes 4 distinct stages in its life cycle. The female beetle lays about 500 eggs in her lifetime. The eggs are really, really tiny like a speck. After a few weeks, tiny little larvae hatch from the eggs. These larvae are known as mealworms, that you commonly buy from pet shops. The larvae are not true worms and are golden-yellow in color. They have 12 body segments and are similar to the caterpillar phase of the butterflies. They mealworms have 6 legs in the front part of their body and all they do is eat and grow.

Like all members of their phylum, the beetles wear their skeleton outside their body. This is helpful protection against an attack by predator, but inconvenient while growing. Thus, the beetle undergoes molting of its shell periodically. After molting, the soft, white larvae expands and gradually develops a hardened shell. This process is repeated many times and by the end of the process the larvae grows about 2 cm long. After the final larval molt, begins the pupal stage.

Unlike the larvae, the pupae do not eat or move and only twitch once or twice, if disturbed. Inside the pupa, the mealworm turns into a beetle and in about 2 to 3 weeks, the pupa is split open. Slowly, a beetle walks out of it that is white in color. Gradually, the white beetle turns into brown color and after a day, the beetle turns black. And just as any other creature, the beetle will mate, thus repeating the darkling beetle life cycle.

This was some information related to darkling beetle life cycle. The darkling beetle is found all over the US and is one of the most popular classroom insects. These beetles do not bite, fly, release obnoxious smells and are easy to care for. However, they tend to turn pests when feeding on new planting or grains in stores. I hope this article on darkling beetle life cycle has helped you learn some darkling beetle facts.