Mealworm Facts
May 15th 2017
Q.
What birds eat mealworms?
A.
Some people think that if you don't have bluebirds, there's
no reason to feed mealworms. But even if you don't have the right habitat for
bluebirds, many other birds will enjoy them, including some of our most beloved
feeder birds. We've
had chickadees, nuthatches,
and titmice eat
mealworms from the feeders at our house. Other birds that eat mealworms
regularly include wrens, orioles, robins, woodpeckers,
and some warblers, like the Pine
Warblerpictured
right.
Q.
How do I serve mealworms to the birds?
A.
Put mealworms in a feeder visible and accessible to the birds. For birds that
are not routinely at your feeder (orioles, bluebirds, robins), put the feeder
near where you have seen them feeding or perching. Common feeder birds will eat
mealworms right at their regular feeding station.
Because
mealworms can crawl, it is best to place them in a feeder where they cannot
crawl out: a cup-type feeder with smooth sides that are more than 1" high. A
tray or platform feeder can also be used, but make sure it has sides so the
mealworms don't crawl out.
Q.
Do roasted or dried mealworms work as well as live mealworms?
A.
Frankly, no. I won't say that birds will never eat
dead, dried-out mealworms, but I can say that fresh, live mealworms will ALWAYS
be preferred over dried or roasted or canned mealworms.
Q.
What fun behavior can I look for if I feed mealworms to the birds?
A.
Look for parent birds taking a mouthful of mealworms back to the nest or nest
box to feed to their nestlings. After the young leave the nest, watch for
parent birds feeding mealworms to their fledglings, as they cry and wing quiver
in a tree. Watch juvenile birds approach a mealworm feeder on their own,
helping themselves to the food for the first few times in their life!
Bluebirds
will become accustomed to you feeding mealworms and will wait nearby as you fill
the feeder, and swoop in as soon as you've left.
Q.
How do you keep mealworms?
A.
We sell mealworms in a plastic container with holes in the cover and filled with
wheat bran which they eat. They can be kept for weeks at 40 - 50 degrees F in
the refrigerator. Lower temperatures can kill them. They be slow moving when
they are in the fridge.
About
every two weeks or so, pull the container out of the fridge, add a few small
chunks of carrot, which they will consume as a source of moisture. At the end
of the day, remove any remaining carrot, replace the cover, and put them back in
the fridge.
When
buying mealworms, make it your last stop on the way home. Leaving mealworms in
a warm or hot car for hours can kill them.
You
can get a lot of enjoyment from watching birds eat mealworms, and the mealworms
are quite a treat for the birds!