The early bird catches the worm, but if you want to give your feathered friends a nutritious snack, mealworms for birds for birds will make your garden a popular place to visit any time of day.
All species of birds need a regular supply of protein-rich “bugs” to stay strong and healthy. If you add live mealworms to your wild bird feed supplies, you’re giving Mother Nature a valuable helping hand. Their little wriggles are also a true “eye-catcher” for birds!
However, dried mealworms are also much appreciated and are more convenient to store and handle.
More About Mealworms For Birds
What are mealworms? Well, they are not actually worms! They are the larvae from a specific breed of beetle, especially prepared to be an important food source for birds, but clean and easy for homeowners to deal with.
If you opt for live ones, then you will need to store them in a shallow plastic container with a breathable screen or perforated lid (preferably kept in a fridge). Add in loose oatmeal and some slices of apple to keep the larvae in good form ready to share them with your garden birds.
How To Offer Bird Mealworms
Whether you use live or dried mealworms, you should provide them on a dish with a rim on a bird table or within a feeder, not on the ground. This gives birds the confidence to call in for this tasty and nutritious treat, but also keeps the live mealworms in one place.
Mealworms are a good way to attract regular bird visitors and a wide variety of species to your garden. That means supplying them regularly and in sufficient numbers (around 100 mealworms at a time) to support habitual feeding on your premises.
Birds That Like Mealworms
Bluebirds, thrushes, wrens and nuthatches are among the birds who make a beeline for mealworm feasts.
Providing them in winter to keep birds alive and in spring to support the growth of fledglings can be particularly important, and nesting birds will be especially grateful for this food source.
Keep in mind that mealworms are an excellent addition to your wild bird food, but not sufficient nutrition in isolation. Your feathered garden visitors will also need a diet with higher levels of calcium to survive and thrive, which can mean adding seeds and mealworms together in your feeder.