Effect of Expanded Polystyreneon Growth and Development Time of Tenebrio molitor

Many studies have reported that mealworms can ingest plastic during their larval stage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of expanded polystyrene consumption on the growth and development of mealworms during their larval stage. We found that the growth rate is significantly different between mealworms consumed wheat bran and mealworms consumed expanded polystyrene (p < 0.001). The transformation into pupa occurred faster among the mealworms consumed expanded polystyrene than those consumed wheat bran (p < 0.001). However, the survival rate was not significantly different between the two groups of mealworms (p = 0.786). Based on the data, we conclude that mealworms consuming expanded polystyrene have a slower weight gain and a shorter development period than mealworms consuming wheat bran, but the expanded polystyrene does not affect the survival rate before the transformation into pupa. Practically, we anticipate that mealworms can be a resource for the sustainable and eco-friendly removal of expanded polystyrene waste.