Temperature-dependent Development Model of Larvae of Mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Effects of cold exposure on Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) pupal period, proportion of adult emergence, weight and deformation percentage

“…In insects, increasing temperatures generally speed up the ovulation rate, egg number and larval developmental stages and decreases adult life. In agreement with that, in a study conducted with T. molitor by using six different temperatures (from 15°C to 30°C) and the 14L:10D light condition, Koo et al (2013) reported that larval development period decreased with the increase in temperature. Kim et al (2015) suggested that the optimal rearing temperature of T. molitor, which they produced massively, was 17.027.5°C, whereas that of the hatching rates and length of the egg periods was 2527.5°C.…”

“…In the study conducted by Koo et al (2013) with T. molitor, beetles were reared at six different temperatures. They found that the developmental period decreased with increasing temperature as can be expected for poikilotherms up to species-specific limits.…”

Influence of Temperature and Humidity on the Development of Tenebrio molitor L.

“…Technological indicators widely used in world practice, the specific climatic conditions of each region, the specificity of the Tenebrio molitor beetles and, of course, the nature of variability depending on the knowledge and skills of specialists. In particular, the minimum and maximum temperatures for Tenebrio molitor pupae were defined as 10°C (Punzo and Mutchmor, 1980), 15°C (Kim et al, 2015), 17°C (Koo et al, 2013), 20°C (Martin et al, 1976), given that the optimum temperature is about 25-27°C (Siemianowska et al, 2013), 27-28°C (Kim et al, 2015;Koo et al, 2013;Spencer andSpencer, 2006), 27-33°C (Hardouin andMahoux, 2003) and a maximum temperature of 30°C (Manoilovich, 1987;Koo et al, 2013), 35°C (Kim et al, 2015;Punzo and Muchmore, 1980). Also, relative humidity for moderate development of larvae is at least 12% (Punzo, 1975;Punzo and Mutchmor, 1980), 30% (Fraenkel, 1950), 60-70% as optimal relative humidity (Spencer and Spencer, 2006), 70% (Hardouin and Mahoux, 2003), 75% (Punzo, 1975;Punzo and Mutchmor, 1980), a maximum of 98% (Punzo, 1975;Punzo and Muchmore, 1980).…”

Effects of cold storage on the developmental biology of Tenebrio molitor L., 1758 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) at different larval stages

“…According to Li et al (2014), the egg period lasts 3-9 d, the larval stage 26-76 d, and the pupal stage 5-17 d. Before emergence, most of the larvae go through typically 15 to 20 instars (Park et al, 2014). However, developmental rate and size of insects is affected by factors such as temperature, humidity, light, food and density of samples in breeding tanks (Koo et al, 2013).…”

“…They are in high demand for use as natural feed sources for poultry and fish. For this reason, producers keep the T. molitor in the refrigerator until supplied to costumers because cold storage extends the shelf life of the farmed insects (Levie et al, 2005;Koo et al, 2013;Bovera et al, 2015;Sihyeon et al, 2016). However, this can cause deformed adults with low egg quality or nutritional value to reach the customers depending on the length of the waiting period.…”