Determining the Effect of Different Reproduction Factors on the Yield and Hatching of Tenebrio Molitor Eggs
Whereas the production of conventional livestock can rely on years of knowledge and experience, the mealworm production industry is still in its early stages. Although the yellow mealworm <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> has been cultivated as feed for pets and zoo animals for quite some time, th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/7/615 |
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| author | Lotte Frooninckx Siebe Berrens Meggie Van Peer Ann Wuyts Laurens Broeckx Sabine Van Miert |
| author_facet | Lotte Frooninckx Siebe Berrens Meggie Van Peer Ann Wuyts Laurens Broeckx Sabine Van Miert |
| author_sort | Lotte Frooninckx |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Whereas the production of conventional livestock can rely on years of knowledge and experience, the mealworm production industry is still in its early stages. Although the yellow mealworm <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> has been cultivated as feed for pets and zoo animals for quite some time, the optimization of the reproduction process has not been widely explored. For reproduction, beetles are placed in crates supplemented with a substrate to oviposit their eggs. After a specified time, the beetles are removed, and the eggs are further cultivated to develop into larvae. Factors such as oviposition duration and beetle density influence the number of produced mealworms per beetle, partly due to the cannibalistic behavior of the beetles. However, reproductive success has mostly been assessed by determining the number of offspring several weeks after oviposition. As a result, the number of eggs laid and their hatch rates are unknown. In this research, eggs are separated from the oviposition substrate, i.e., harvested. This approach allows to determine the influence of beetle density, oviposition duration, beetle age and the use of a grid during oviposition on the number of eggs produced and the egg hatching rate and timing thereof. In addition, the influence of the harvesting method on the hatching of <i>T. molitor</i>′s eggs was determined. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:17:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-baa2ed369061493494e69ad1487713b9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:17:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-baa2ed369061493494e69ad1487713b92023-12-01T22:17:20ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502022-07-0113761510.3390/insects13070615Determining the Effect of Different Reproduction Factors on the Yield and Hatching of Tenebrio Molitor EggsLotte Frooninckx0Siebe Berrens1Meggie Van Peer2Ann Wuyts3Laurens Broeckx4Sabine Van Miert5RADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, BelgiumRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, BelgiumRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, BelgiumRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, BelgiumRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, BelgiumRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, BelgiumWhereas the production of conventional livestock can rely on years of knowledge and experience, the mealworm production industry is still in its early stages. Although the yellow mealworm <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> has been cultivated as feed for pets and zoo animals for quite some time, the optimization of the reproduction process has not been widely explored. For reproduction, beetles are placed in crates supplemented with a substrate to oviposit their eggs. After a specified time, the beetles are removed, and the eggs are further cultivated to develop into larvae. Factors such as oviposition duration and beetle density influence the number of produced mealworms per beetle, partly due to the cannibalistic behavior of the beetles. However, reproductive success has mostly been assessed by determining the number of offspring several weeks after oviposition. As a result, the number of eggs laid and their hatch rates are unknown. In this research, eggs are separated from the oviposition substrate, i.e., harvested. This approach allows to determine the influence of beetle density, oviposition duration, beetle age and the use of a grid during oviposition on the number of eggs produced and the egg hatching rate and timing thereof. In addition, the influence of the harvesting method on the hatching of <i>T. molitor</i>′s eggs was determined.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/7/615<i>Tenebrio molitor</i>insect farminginsect breedingreproductionyellow mealwormoviposition |
| spellingShingle | Lotte Frooninckx Siebe Berrens Meggie Van Peer Ann Wuyts Laurens Broeckx Sabine Van Miert Determining the Effect of Different Reproduction Factors on the Yield and Hatching of Tenebrio Molitor Eggs Insects <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> insect farming insect breeding reproduction yellow mealworm oviposition |
| title | Determining the Effect of Different Reproduction Factors on the Yield and Hatching of Tenebrio Molitor Eggs |
| title_full | Determining the Effect of Different Reproduction Factors on the Yield and Hatching of Tenebrio Molitor Eggs |
| title_fullStr | Determining the Effect of Different Reproduction Factors on the Yield and Hatching of Tenebrio Molitor Eggs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determining the Effect of Different Reproduction Factors on the Yield and Hatching of Tenebrio Molitor Eggs |
| title_short | Determining the Effect of Different Reproduction Factors on the Yield and Hatching of Tenebrio Molitor Eggs |
| title_sort | determining the effect of different reproduction factors on the yield and hatching of tenebrio molitor eggs |
| topic | <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> insect farming insect breeding reproduction yellow mealworm oviposition |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/7/615 |
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