Just ordered some live mealworms for the birds for the 1st time ever!

[Finedon.Dandy]

Oooooh how exciting! I cannot wait to see my robbins and blackbirds lil faces when I take delivery!

I paid £22 for a huge bag of dried mealworms that lasted ages last year but having found myself unable to buy in bulk at a cheaper price this year I had a quick look on the internet and (hope its not too bad a price) have paid £5.40 (incl delivery) for 3 x 40g tubs. I plan to make these last 2 or 3 months (by storing in the fridge) so dont think thats too bad really. I think the worst that can happen is Oliver get some out of the fridge (take a while to warm up and start wiggling apparently) and think its some wonderful new delicious conconction I have made for his tea!

Apparently the pigeons dont eat these so I am hoping that they take exception to the favouritism and move somewhere else or away from my veg at least! - just hope they dont seek revenge and start on my cabbages etc that seem to have been ignored so far.

[Alison]

From experience, the pigeons DO eat them but you can live in hope that they might eat them a bit less!

[Tam]

I remember quite a few years ago breeding mealworms. I used a biscuit tin and there were various foods as well as the bran. I think there were squares of hessian between each layer of food. It wasn't quite as easy as the article I followed said, but it certainly wasn't rocket science. My visiting toads enjoyed it when I produced too many beetles !

[Flapjack]

I had a brief attempt at growing mealworms earlier this year. We don't have a garage and it was too cold to put them outside so they lived in their tupperware box under the sink - My husband hated them! when they started turning into beetles he begged me to get rid of them so they all got eaten by the birds.

The birds in our garden love them, especially the blackbirds (pic) and the starlings. The pigeons won't touch them though!

[Capsid]

I tried them and the starlings took them all, about 30 worms at each visit. It's amazing that they can fit so many in just the one beak. The other birds didn't get a look in.

[Tam]

I remember the joy a robin gave to a friend's husband, after he became wheelchair bound with a really nasty affliction. I bought her some mealworms and he started feeding the resident pair of robins. Very soon one of them would sit on his or the chair arm after taking his fill of mealworms from his hand. I was so pleased it had this effect, but I think we all enjoy getting any wild creature to give us its trust

[seasprout]

Starlings marmalized all my Meal worms as well, Robins managed a few, but the Starlings remembered where i put them and constantly empty the feeder pots.

[mrdinkle]

I have a pair of robins that come for mealworms, though I ran out and did not feed them for a few days and i've not seen them since. just got some more and they are nowhere to be seen.

[mrdinkle]

your Water forget-me-not looks lovely michelle and that black bird looks well fed!

[Flapjack]

Thanks! She certainly had her fill of worms this year!

At first the starlings were eating all of the mealworms and would chase the blackbirds away when I put them out But I found that if i stood 6 feet away from the mealworms, the blackbirds would fearlessly fill their beaks but the starlings would shoot up into the trees and wait for me to go inside