How to select mealworms? These practical methods are worth learning

1. Light and dark separation method using their photophobic trait 

     Place the active larvae and the motionless pupae in sunlight, cover half of the insect box with newspaper, and the larvae will immediately crawl toward the dark area and be separated.

2. Screening method 

     The larvae have slender bodies, while the pupae have plump, wide bodies. Place them on a screen of about 8 mm and shake gently, and the larvae will fall through and be separated.

3. Manual picking method suitable for separating a small number of pupae 

     The advantage is that it is simple and easy to do; the disadvantage is that it is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Because the pupae are too small, a person picking them with even slight force will crush and kill the pupae.
4. Food lure method and frass separation method using the trait that the insects move while the pupae do not ⟦10 1. Food lure method 

1. Food baiting method 

     Put some larger pieces of vegetable leaves in the insect box, and the larvae will quickly crawl onto the leaves to feed. Take out the leaves and they are separated.

2. Frass separation method 

     Place the larvae and pupae together in a wooden box spread with a thicker layer of frass, and expose them to strong light (or sunlight). The larvae will quickly burrow into the frass, while the pupae cannot move and remain on the surface of the frass. Then use a broom or brush to gently sweep the pupae into a dustpan and they are separated. The above methods can also be used to separate dead insects from live insects.