Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
These superworms can turn plastic into a meal – and they could hold a possible solution to plastic recycling in the future. Skip to main content. News. 24/7 Help. For premium support please call
Superworms should not be confused with darkling beetle mealworms sprayed with juvenile hormone. [6] Studies have found that in the wild the larvae sometimes live in bat guano, and they tend to cannibalize the pupae of their own species. [7] Researchers have discovered that the larvae can subsist on a diet solely of polystyrene (Styrofoam). [8]
For example, mealworms fed only on plastic show very little weight gain, unlike mealworms fed on a normal diet of bran. [5] This is due to plastic lacking water and nutrients needed to grow. [ 5 ] Plastic-fed mealworms can still derive energy from their diet, so they do not lose weight like starved mealworms do.
Zophobas atratus is a species of darkling beetle, whose larvae are known by the common name superworm, kingworm, barley worm, morio worm or simply Zophobas.Superworms are common in the reptile pet industry as food, along with giant mealworms (Tenebrio molitor larvae treated with juvenile hormone [citation needed]).
For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ways to reach us
Hung Vu for The University of QueenslandPlastic is choking our environment. About 400 million tons of plastic waste is thrown out every year with between 75 to 199 million tons floating in oceans ...
In 2016, it was also reported that superworms (Zophobas morio) may eat expanded polystyrene (EPS). [30] A group of high school students in Ateneo de Manila University found that compared to Tenebrio molitor larvae, Zophobas morio larvae may consume greater amounts of EPS over longer periods of time.
How can people get over the 'ick factor'? The aversion to eating insects is deeply rooted in cultural and societal norms, particularly in the U.S. Patrice encourages us to keep an open mind ...