The eggs, the dust and the mealworms

It appears that the beetles have been busy...

I have to say that I didn't really see the eggs that they had laid, but I started noticing dust on the side of my boxes that I had considered to be mould.

As I looked at it closely I realised that the dust was moving and that I had finally bred my first mealworms. 

What I thought was dust was actually the infant mealworms.

Over the next few days I started seeing more and more of them, moving like one large, swarming organism and surrounding any bits of veg in the box. Their movements are quite mesmerising:

However, soon after receiving these new arrivals, I noticed the level of condensation in the boxes getting worse and worse. One day there seemed to be very little movement in the box and, I think, a number of mealworms had died - most probably of suffocation.

To deal with this development I bought some hessian to cover the top of the box (and help keep out roaming infants who can climb up the side of the box) and allow more air flow. This has seemed to solve the problem.

I think that I will also need to monitor how well the infants develop in different-sized boxes as there may be too much competition for food.

So all-in-all an interesting few days. Recommendations are: its probably not dust that you see - they're mealworms, keep good ventilation - especially when their numbers increase, and the amount of space and food offered will determine the number that will mature.

The speed with which the mealworms mature will determine when I can start cooking with these protein packages. I also plan to split them up into groups to see how different foods, and environments may affect their growth and taste... all exciting stuff to come!

And when you think that 38% of the world’s total land area was used for agriculture in 2007, the idea of using these space and energy-efficient creatures becomes more and more appealing.

With a little help from my friends...the beetles

I have found that breeding insects is a fascinating process, although it also takes some time (one of the current barriers to mass production of insects as a protein source) as the need to split the chrysalises from the mealworms and then any beetles from the chrysalises.

Each box has been laid with oats and - in the boxes for mealworms and beetles - some veg (I have been using leftovers such as offcuts of carrots, ginger, broccoli etc. as well as apple cores, and the remains of grapefruit after breakfast). 

The shop-bought mealworms have gradually been metamorphosing one-by-one and I have had to pick each pale, shape and put them into another box and wait, and check and wait.... and within a week or so I have got beetles!

These little beauties are now going to help provide me with my own generation of mealworms that I can feed and eat. In order for them to lay eggs I have also added egg boxes to their box, which apparently act as a favourite place for beetles to lay them.

The transformation from mealworm, via their chrysalis into a beetle must take so much energy - the larger exoskeleton and body must require a lot of protein - hence the mealworms are packing a lot in before undergoing the process.

I'll be keeping my eyes out for eggs and then my first generation of mealworms. Keeping them in the airing cupboard at as close to 30 degrees as possible is the best environment for them and the heat that we've had here in the UK has been helping towards that end.

I know that eating insects is going to be a big step for some people (unless we can start sneaking them into our food without people knowing a la any sweet with crispy shell, made from cochilea), so - if you want to learn more about how you can eat more sustainably without taking that plunge (yet!) then take a look at the Sustainable Food Trust site.