No one is eating the mealworms! (1 Viewer)

[Fraulein ash]

So I was at the hardware store the other day picking up some new birding supplies when I saw a bag of freeze dried meal worms for sale. "Attract new bird to your feeders!" the bag says, which are magic words to a beginner bird enthusiast, as I'm sure you know. Of course I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I know Bluebirds are supposed to enjoy them, and although there are many Bluebirds around our house, they never ever come to our feeder. We also get Nuthatches, Grey catbirds, Chickadees and Titmice, who are also rumored to eat mealworms.


I put the mealworms in one of our feeders. 2 weeks later, there is still the same amount of worms in it! What's the deal? And what am I supposed to do with the rest of these worms?

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Put the mealworms on a birdtable or on the ground, groundfeeding birds eg Blackbirds, Robins etc will eat them. Make sure you have clean water available in this hot weather as dried mealworms can make them dehydrated.

 

[ElCucuy]

thats surprising i bought some off chewies and threw em out there and they go crazy

 

[Nutcracker]

Start off with some live mealworms - Bluebirds are triggered to spot them by the movement. Then once they get used to knowing there's mealworms there to be had, they'll recognise the dried ones too.

 

[Fraulein ash]

Put the mealworms on a birdtable or on the ground, groundfeeding birds eg Blackbirds, Robins etc will eat them. Make sure you have clean water available in this hot weather as dried mealworms can make them dehydrated.

I *would* do this... if I didn't have an army of squirrels on my property. The squirrels do eat the worms. Could I maybe paint a coat of the Cole Flaming Squirrel Sauce all over the mealworms to prevent the squirrels from taking them??

 

[Fraulein ash]

Start off with some live mealworms - Bluebirds are triggered to spot them by the movement. Then once they get used to knowing there's mealworms there to be had, they'll recognise the dried ones too.

Ooooh, where do you get live ones?? Maybe a pet supply store or something? Will squirrels steal the live ones? I know the squirrels will eat the dry ones, and the worms are too expensive to let the squirrels take them.

 

[Nutcracker]

Yep, pet supply stores should have them. Toss down a couple at a go within sight of your Bluebirds until they get used to them.

 

[owhy]

That's interesting, because I can never put enough mealworms out - they usualy go in a matter of minutes. I buy 500g bags and they never last more than 3 days. The local starlings descend in huge flocks to help themselves, then we get the crows, magpies and jackdaws who take big beak fulls at once. Other birds like blackbirds, robins, house sparrows and various tits will eat them too.

Never seen squirrels eating any (they tend to eat fallen seed around the bird feeder), but the two hedgehogs who come into my garden on an evening certainly like them.