Week 2: Background research and shedding skin as a natural habit of the pet

The scientific name of bread worm is actually meal worms. Meal worms is very different to earthworms. This is because, meal worms is not really a worm. It is a premature stage of a darkling beetle. Like all other holometabolic insects, they pass through 4 stages of life; egg, larva, pupa and adult. Meal worms are like caterpillar stage and the darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor) is like the butterfly stage. The below is the picture of an adult meal worm;

After a week of rearing the bread worms, the most significant activity that was observed was the shedding skin of the worms. As the worm grows, it sheds its skin just like snakes. The skin of the worms does not grow on their body, like human. It is more of a protective layer that surrounds the worm. Furthermore, the skin of the worm is an exoskeleton which hardens when formed and could not be stretched a lot. This is why the worms needs to shed its skin when the size of the worms increases or decreases. The frequency of worms shedding its skin is very dependent at the environment effects such as, temperature, humidity, and protein intake.

Since the worms are very abundant in protein, the skins could easily be rebuilt.

In engineering perspective, the ideas of the skin shedding could be used as a cheap way to maintain an appearance of an object. For example, a layer of chemicals which is almost invisible could be sprayed on the surface of an object. But the layer must be able to protect the objects from incoming pressures. From time to time, when the layer of the surface wears off or full with scratches, the layer could be removed easily, maybe with some solvent or manually. =)

The next habit of the meal worms that could be observe is the worms like to chew on newspapers. It is very surprising as the food stock (bread) is always more than enough. This habit could be the next behavior that can be studied in this 10 weeks period. That's all for this week.

Thank you

--Fun fact: Meal worms are often raised as pet food for lizards, fish and birds---

Introduction of Us and the Bread Worm

Good day to all of you! 

We would like to present to you how does the bread worm benefits the environment and society. By adopting bread worm, it habits and customs may be observed and we will relates to engineering point of view.

Hope you enjoy! ^o^

So, this is us. Starting from left, Chin Choon Ming, Eric Tan Jun Yi, Len Wai Kit, Jeff Ho Szu Jie, and Tsu Weng Huang.

We are from Taylor's University Lakeside Campus, study Bachelor (hons) of Chemical Engineering in Taylor's School of Engineering. We are currently in Semester 7 and we are now taking a subject named "Engineering and Biomimetics".

Through the subject, we are having an opportunity to adopt a live and by analysing it habits and structures hoping to mimic something from it to engineering which it will benefits the society.

This is what we have adopted. Bread worm!!!

[1]

Maybe you may ask why we chosen this creature to study?

So, this is the reason: [2]

• Easy to breed
• Anyone can breed by just a containers and some bread, well that's all
• Normally it breed to feed chickens, and fish etc.

• High Protein
• Land usage, energy needs, and greenhouse gas emissions of this creature has been studied from researchers, they realised that per unit of protein produced, it farms required less land and similar amounts of energy
• It shed it's skin
• Due to its high protein, it provides abilities to shed it's skin
• Some idea may slowly discovered after weeks of breeding it

We are hoping to discover more interesting stuff from this creature. This adoption will be last for about 10 weeks. Are you getting interested to it? Do you want to know more about our findings about this creature?

Stay tuned with us and have a good day! 

Feel free to comment, we are looking forward to improve the blog and also our findings.

Thank you.

References

[1] WEST KNOLL FARM. Available at: http://www.westknollfarm.com/Meal-Worms.html/

[2] Engineering Evil. Mealworm. Available at: http://engineeringevil.com/tag/mealworm/