Quantities greater than 2500 of our Large or Extra-Large mealworms will be shipped in a cotton bag instead of a plastic container. Smaller quantities and smaller worms will still be shipped in a clear plastic container with worms and bedding in it. Included with your order is a packing list.

Please see our mealworm care guide here.

Our worms are born and raised on our farm in Alberta, Canada.

If kept refrigerated and following the care instructions included with your order, mealworms can survive for several months. At lower temperatures, they will remain in a dormant state.

Our mealworms primarily eat our Optimum Mealworm Food and Bedding, but also receive fresh squash, carrots, potatoes or lettuce as moisture sources.

No, our worms are not fed any animal products at any stage of their lifecycle. They are only fed fresh vegetables and our Optimum Worm Feed and Bedding.

No, our worms are not treated with hormones or chemicals at any stage of their lifecycle.

No, our worms are not labelled or packaged for human consumption.

Mealworms are shipped in our Optimal Worm Feed and Bedding. It is plant-based and safe for chickens and birds to eat. It is not sawdust.

Mealworms will sometimes pupate into their next phase of development if stressed. The pupae are absolutely harmless. They can be fed to your chickens and pets just as you would feed a worm. In fact, our wild birds seem to prefer them and will take them first. Once your worms are refrigerated, the pupation process will slow.

Absolutely! We recommend that you keep your worms in a refrigerator. Don’t worry, they can’t climb smooth plastic so they won’t escape through the holes in the lid!

We do not carry dried mealworms.

Commercially available mealworms are not inspected, and there is no guarantee that these worms were not fed animal proteins or other inappropriate feed. Additionally, fresh mealworms have a higher level of fat (approximately 27% vs 18% dried) and protein (49% vs 36%) compared to dried. But those numbers vary depending on the feed and drying method used.

The majority of dried mealworms on the market today are industrially produced in China and then imported and repackaged for sale. They are freeze-dried and sold in bulk, which lowers the costs.

Our mealworms are more difficult to ship and obviously cannot be stored indefinitely, which is why they are more expensive per kg.

Feed sparingly, as chickens will sometimes choose mealworms over their regular feed. Feed your adult chicken 10-12 mealworms each day as a healthy protein supplement. You can double their mealworm intake in extremes of hot or cold weather, during breeding, and when moulting. This will help your birds deal with stress.

Absolutely! We have kits available under the mealworm section, which include all of the mealworm stages needed to easily start your own colony.