The pupa are the 3rd stage in the Mealworms life cycle in which the mealworm undergoes metamorphosis from the larva stage (a Mealworm) into a fully grown adult beetle that will start laying eggs in 4-12 days depending on temperature.
When the larvae of the Tenebrio Molitor species of insect known as a mealworm has enoth energy stored in its fat the larvae will complete its metamorphosis cycle from a mealworm into a beetle via a pupa.
Pupas are small and look pale white when they first turn and look like little aliens!
When in pupa form the Tenebrio Molitor uses its stored fat to grow into a beetle.
Pupas cannot move only wriggle and will be in this stage of its life cycle for around 1 week at room temperature (21oc-23oc).
As the Pupa uses energy to undergo metamorphosis into a beetle it is best to feed larvae or pupa to your animals fish reptiles ect as they are more nutritious than beetles. A healthy Mealworm has they equivalent nutrition of beef + omega 3!
The best temperature is 28oc for a pupa, at this temperature they will form into beeltes very fast.
If the mealworm is dehydrated when it begins metamorphosis or the humid is to low for the pupa the beetle may form deformed and be unable to breed. Beetles tend to eat other beetles with deformed exoskeletons as there body under there strong shell is soft. to increase humidity let the pup form or moist soil or coca fiber. When the pupa first hatches it will be pale white with a soft exoskeleton that darkens and hardens from white to brown to black over 1 week. When the beetle is a few days old it will start breeding with female beetles laying around 500 eggs each over there 8 week beetle stage life span. Eggs hatch in as little as 4 days up to 19 days depending on temperature.
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