Our Mealworms Turned into.....Beetles!

The wait is over!  We finally know what our mealworms turn into!!  A darkling beetle!  The mealworm shed for the last time and made it's protective pupa. Although we didn't have to feed the pupa, it did twitch if we touched it. Then...10 days later.....the darkling beetle!

This pupa is about halfway through it's transformation.
You can see the black dot where the eye will be!

There is it's shed skin and the pupa!

Everyone is amazed that you can now really
see the three body parts!

The beetle moves much faster than the mealworm.

The beetle is very gentle, but it will hop/fly to get away from anything that is scaring it!  We have had some beetles escape, but thankfully we always manage to find them!

It can even walk upside down.

Where is it?

They still love eating oats and getting moisture from carrots!