Mealworm question

As worms, or beetles?  

Maybe, I've never given it any thought, when I raised mealworms, it was for feeders, most beetles do fly though, some don't, but they're in the minority.

Some flying insects are reluctant to fly, many years ago, I'd caught a water strider and had it on the walk looking at it, when it flew off. I'd never

seen  one flying, and have never seen it mentioned in any book. 

 
The beetles have wings. Although I’ve never seen an adult in my culture fly, I’m pretty sure they can as adults. If I’m wrong, please correct me.

 
They are darkling beetles so their elytra are fused together after pupating. This creates a really hard exoskeleton and prevents water from escaping. All darklings are unable to fly.

 
Apparently, darklings do in fact sometimes fly (in a limited way), but it's not a "normal" ability, and is caused by an occasional failure of the elytra to fuse during eclosion - 
 



 
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A lot of desert darklings do have their elytra fused, and don't even have flying wings underneath, Tenebrio molitor and a lot of the other grain pests on the other hand don't have fused elytra and can in fact fly, though I found the adults in my T.molitor culture were usually reluctant to unless conditions were bad. 

 
Other than the desert dwellers, most darklings are spectacular fliers.  I've seen molitor fly but forget the conditions spawning it.

 
BensBeasts1 said:
They are darkling beetles so their elytra are fused together after pupating. This creates a really hard exoskeleton and prevents water from escaping. All darklings are unable to fly.
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I have done a autopsy on my dead E. Armata. They did not have any wings. 

But Ben, I believe we are talking about the more Forest species. 

Dynastes TItyus hunter said:
Some don't some do.
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I believe all Tenebroides sp. can fly. But like Goliathus have said, it's in a limited way.

 
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