Temperature management is the most critical environmental variable for mealworm welfare and productivity, with optimal thermal conditions improving both insect health outcomes and the ethical standing of insect farming operations.
Mealworm temperature welfare occupies the frontier of applied insect welfare science, where the precautionary principle is beginning to inform practice even without definitive evidence of sentience. The thermoregulatory behavior of mealworms when given thermal gradients, actively moving toward preferred temperatures, suggests at minimum a functional temperature preference system that may have welfare relevance. Temperature management within optimal ranges is good practice for both welfare and productivity reasons, as temperature extremes reduce growth efficiency and increase mortality regardless of their welfare significance. End-of-life thermal treatment deserves particular attention, as the currently standard practice of slow freezing may be less humane than alternative methods if mealworms have any capacity for aversive experience during the cooling process.