Emenyu, Thomas2026-10-102026-10-102026Emenyu, T. (2026). Determination of the survivability of mealworm larvae reared on maize bran, rice bran, brewer’s waste and sweet potato peelings. [Unpublished undergraduate research report]. Busitema University.https://bdears.busitema.ac.ug/handle/123456789/10563Undergraduate Research ReportThis study determined the survivability of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae reared on different agricultural and agro-industrial substrates under controlled experimental conditions at the Busitema University Arapai Campus Insect Farming Unit. A completely randomized design was used with seven substrate treatments: 100% maize bran, 100% rice bran, 100% brewer’s waste, 100% sweet potato peelings, and 50:50 mixtures of rice bran, brewer’s waste and sweet potato peelings with maize bran. Each treatment had three replicates, with 50 larvae per replicate, giving 150 larvae per treatment. Larval survival was monitored weekly for 10 weeks. Descriptive statistics and a linear mixed-effects model were used to evaluate treatment, rearing week and treatment-by-week interaction effects. Mean survival across treatments ranged from 89.7% for 100% brewer’s waste to 96.1% for both 100% sweet potato peelings and the 50:50 sweet potato peelings–maize bran mixture. The overall treatment effect was not statistically significant (F(6,14) = 2.50, p = .074), so no single substrate could be declared generally superior on the basis of overall survival. However, rearing week significantly affected survival (F(9,126) = 63.82, p < .001), and the treatment-by-week interaction was also significant (F(54,126) = 3.97, p < .001). In later weeks, the sweet potato–maize mixture showed higher survival than maize bran, while brewer’s waste showed lower survival than maize bran. The study concludes that the tested local materials can support mealworm larval production, with sweet potato peelings and their mixture with maize bran showing promise for further evaluation. Future studies should increase replication, analyze substrate nutrient and moisture composition, and follow larvae through the complete life cycle to distinguish mortality from pupation. The findings are practically useful because they indicate that sweet potato peelings, alone or mixed with maize bran, deserve further testing as locally available mealworm substrates, while brewer’s waste requires closer attention to handling and composition.enOther