Writing with Scientists: Investigation of Meal Worms, by Student Scientist C., Age 9, Kentucky

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	Investigation of Meal Worms By: Student Scientist C. Kentucky, Age 9 My investigation of Meal Worms My Topic I think they are cool. I am very interested in different worms like mealworms. I am learning how mealworms live. I am hoping to learn how long they live. Questions I want to know more about their habitat. What do they eat? How do they eat? Do they start out as an egg? I want to know more about mealworms. Expected Outcome I think it will tern into a moth. I think it will change into a moth because its body looks like a moth. It feels like a moth, and it is the same color of a moth. What is the life cycle of mealworms? Hypothesis The mealworms are going to turn into a moth. Testing my hypothesis Materials In our first sample 2 cups of sand 5 twigs 3 cups of water 3 leaves In our second sample 1 rock Lots of grass 2 cups of water 1 cup of sand 1 cup of oatmeal Procedure Can you believe that we have in total 9 pupas? That is so cool! We measure all the pupas in each variable every day. Our teacher gave us some of the supplies. Some we brought the supplies. The most important ingredient of all is the mealworms. We wanted to see witch habitat they liked best. We figured out that the temperature has to be 75 degrees in order for it to go thought metamorphosis. So we took that chance. Further Investigation We used digital blue, and took pictures of our experement and us. We used hand lenses to look up very close! They like shade! They will die with sun My investigations They shed a lot when the temperature is 75 degrees. Oh they like the cur ten sand that we got. They love to dig. The container will smell funky for a wile. It will have yellow pokadots in the sand that’s problem there urine & a sine that there going to form & hatch in a couple of weeks. They attend to grow every day. I learned that mealworms don’t like water! Inferring/ Predicting We think it is going through metamorphisis. We think it will hatch in 10-12 days at least! My sayings We have been trying to get them thought metimorfisis. Also seeing if they will live thought the habitat that we made for the mealworms. I think so because I could see how they lay eggs. Also I could learn how you know what’s a boy and what’s a girl! Further Questions Why do they die after laying eggs? How do you know how old they are? Will they turn dark just like their name says? (DARKLING BEETLE). I would change the habitat so that it won’t be the same. I would measure the pupas only. I would not measure the mealworms.

Scientist's comments

Streylan —

I really like your excitement about science! It sounds like you tried to make good homes for your mealworms, but remember that when doing an experiment, it is important to only change one variable at a time. If not, you will not be able to tell which of the variables is responsible for the differences that you see. Make sure to check the spelling in your report so that anyone who reads it will be able to understand what you want to say. I hope that your pupae have emerged. What new experiments can you do on these cool insects?

Susan Perkins