324 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1941 



One of the most convenient means of maintaining a supply of in- 

 sects is to raise mealworms {Tenebrio Ttiolitor, or Tenebrio ohscurus). 

 These are generally fed in the larval or worm state, which is about an 

 inch long and y^ inch in diameter. Such larvae are easily raised and 

 appear to be almost ideal food. 



In the National Zoological Park, the mealworm cultures are kept 

 in deep trays or drawers about 40 inches long, 20 inches from front to 

 back, and 8 to 10 inches deep, with metal bottoms and a metal over- 

 hang at the top. Bran is put in the drawer to a depth of 3 or 4 inches 

 and two layers of burlap are placed on the bran. The culture is occa- 

 sionally sprinkled lightly with water to supply moisture, and pieces of 

 potato, apple, and various green foods are put into the bran to supple- 

 ment the mealworms' diet. 



Because the larvae congregate between the two layers of the burlap, 

 it is an easy matter to scoop up quantities of them after raising the 

 top layer. It is also possible to separate them from the bran by sifting 

 through a coarse mesh screen, allowing the bran wdth the dusty residue 

 and small worms and eggs to fall back into the tray. 



Small cultures can be kept in pound coffee cans, or almost any con- 

 tainer that has ventilation and will retain the insects. 



Grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets are favorite foods. Wlienever 

 they can be captured alive, they afford excellent variety in the diets 

 of the many creatures that eat them. It is probable that grasshop- 

 pers or crickets could become staple articles of food for many ani- 

 mals by arranging for the capture and proper drying of them in 

 regions where they are especially plentiful, as for example, in the 

 grasshopper-infested regions of the western United States and of 

 Africa. Analysis of grasshoppers shows that they are excellent 

 food, and cliickens fed on grasshoppers have made good growth.'^ 



Wuxworms and the adult waxmoths {Galleria mellonella) are 

 excellent food for small toads, frogs, and many other creatures — 

 particularly those that require very soft, tender insect food. They 

 are pests of bee culturists and can sometimes be obtained from bee 

 raisers. Cultures can be maintained in almost any sort of box or 

 container that is tight enough to prevent the insects from escaping 

 and that provides some ventilation, such as that given by screen wire 

 openings. The waxworms are supplied with old bee comb on which 

 they feed. If bee comb is not available, the insects will thrive on 

 the following mixture: 1 part of fine corn meal, 2 parts of whole- 



'' Information on the value of grasshoppers as food for animals and methods of capture 

 and treatment are to be found in Locusts versus agriculture (pp. 35-37), by Igmieio 

 Villamor, published by the Agricultural Service of the Philippine Islands, Manila, P. I., 

 1914. This article tells of excellent success in feeding chickens with locusts ; Grasshopper 

 control in Indiana, by J. J. Davis, Circ. No. 88, Indiana Agr. Exp. Sta., Lafayette, Ind., 

 January 1919 ; Grasshoppers and their control, by J. R. Parker, Farmers Bull, No. 1828, 

 U. S. Dep. Agr., Washington, D. C. 



