Females are more attracted to the odors produced by outbred males than the odors produced by inbred males.

Inbreeding reduces the attractiveness of sexual pheromone signaling by male mealworms. Sex pheromonesĪ sex pheromone released by male mealworms has been identified. After 3 to 30 days, depending on environmental conditions such as temperature, it emerges as an adult beetle. The new pupa is whitish and turns brown over time. ĭuring the larval stage, the mealworms feed on vegetation and dead insects and molt between each larval stage, or instar (9 to 20 instars). Over her lifespan, a female will, on average, lay about 500 eggs. Within a few days the female burrows into soft ground and lays eggs. Males insert sperm packets with their aedeagus. It does not store any personal data.Tenebrio molitor larvae eating an apple slice The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Performance'. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Necessary'. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Functional'. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Analytics'. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

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