How and When to Feed Mealworms

How and when should I feed Mealworms? Insects are an important part of wild bird's diets. By providing mealworms for your birds, you can help supplement their diets with this nutritional food source. Knowing how and when to feed mealworms can help you attract birds to your backyard.
Mealworm Feeders: shopbackyardbirdcenter.com/co...
Dried Mealworms: tinyurl.com/je69rakj
Mark McKellar is a wildlife biologist with over 35 years of bird study experience. He has a degree in Fish and Wildlife Sciences from North Carolina State University and has worked for the Department of the Army, the Wildlife Departments of North Carolina and Missouri. He ran nature centers for many years in Missouri and Pennsylvania before buying the Backyard Bird Center in the Northland area of Kansas City. Mark has led hundreds of bird hikes both locally and abroad. He has taught classes about birds and other wildlife to groups of all ages and brings that knowledge to the customers of his retail business every day. More information about Mark at backyardbirdcenter.com/about-...
#backyardbirdcenter, #marksbackyardbirds, #mealworms
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MORE INFORMATION
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Cover photo of feeder with bluebirds by Aspects
Cover photo of hatchling bluebirds by Jimmy McKellar
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:36 Origin of Feeding Mealworms
01:12 Live Versus Dead
01:22 Live Mealworms & Dried Mealworms
02:12 Comparison between the Live & Dead Mealworms
02:59 Live Mealworms
09:41 Dried Mealworms
10:41 Keeping the Big Birds out of the Feeders
10:51 Ways to keep bigger birds out of your mealworms
Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.
Mark's Amazon store:
www.amazon.com/shop/marksback...

[@notesfromleisa-land7893]

I have fed live mealworms for the last 5 years. I'm tired of tending to my live meal worms. I just recently bought some dried mealworms. (My SIL has used dried mealworms exclusively). Today, for the first time, I am feeding dried. When I opened the bag of dried meal worms, I was unprepared to have such a lovely roasted aroma. They really did smell good enough to eat. My backyard birds (all are feeding fledglings now) are used to the wiggly. I put the dried out there: they are trying to figure it out. But the Wren Family Robinson (that's what I lovingly call my Carolina Wren family) didn't miss a beat). The parents clearly knew it was different, but they are desperate to feed their screaming meemies (begging fledglings!). Suet and mealworms keep Bluebirds and Wrens alive during the winter as neither are seed eaters. But most birds enjoy meal worms. Once they are trained to your noises (door opening, whistle, clanking about), they will come directly!

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

They do get n a feeding schedule easily as well. My birds know what time I fill my feeders each morning

[@notesfromleisa-land7893]

@@MarksBackyardBirds I also sprinkle KAL bone meal (not fert) on my meal worms as they are calcium robbing to birds.

[@robertmason4448]

I make my own suet cakes and put dried mealworms in them.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Awesome!

[@6862211]

Thank you!

[@valeriemccann2502]

Fantastic video Thank You

[@causey1956]

Thanks!

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Thank you so much!!

[@coollemonshark5601]

My family and I are taking care of a wild bird, (a youngling yellow-beak sparrow.) to recover, so i've been working my butt off to find what food they eat. When I found out they eat insects, or commercial food, i searched this up. This is very helpful for me to understand if live or dried are better. thank you!

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Live are far more nutritious for them

[@coollemonshark5601]

@@MarksBackyardBirds Alright, thank you!

[@billwatkins1041]

Next spring we will definitely feed live mealworms to our blue birds

[@annereynolds66]

All winter , the wrens went into the bluebird house feeder but the bluebirds finally fought on a couple weeks ago . Those wrens are sassy little things . Thanks for you videos Mark . I know you used to be in PA , any chance you will come back ? We just moved to DE on the border of PA .

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

We loved our time in PA and hope to get back there for a visit soon.

[@KateBates22zabu]

​@@MarksBackyardBirdsI'm in S.W. PA and love your content August 28, 2023

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Thank you. Glad you like the channel

[@bluedaughter]

I live in a very rural area in Texas and the for the last 2 weeks or so I've seen 2 roadrunners roaming about my front yard and I'd love to have them stay. I know roadrunners will eat snakes, mice, lizards, insects, fruit, and seeds but I highly doubt I'll be releasing bags of live mice or snakes in my front yard. One of the insects listed that they'll eat are Mealworms. If I rehydrate the Mealworms will that make them more appealing to not only the roadrunners but to all the birds? After I rehydrated the Mealworms they did look bigger, fatter, and juicier. I enjoyed this video, thank you for sharing.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

I’m glad you like the video. Roadrunners are awesome birds. Good luck with keeping them around!

[@coolroy4300]

Mostly I feed my bluebirds dry meal worms but I also give them meal worms heated in water with added healthy oils and bird vitamins especially when they're feeding their babies. They love the doctored up version.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Rehydration can help with for sure. Thanks for sharing.

[@pabloco091]

Do you have a link for those blue pan type feeders?

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

shopbackyardbirdcenter.com/collections/mealworm-feeders should work. Thanks

[@lorimiller4253]

I have so many baby meal worms in each container.i feed everyday.eating out house an home.why are they not getting bigger ? An how do u get them red ?

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

I really sorry but I have no experience raising them.

[@jkentsan]

Thank you for the video. I just started feeding my Bluebirds dried meal worms and they began eating within a day or two. I use a circular glass dish and hang it on a Sheppard's hook. I intend to switch to live worms after eggs hatch. My question, though, is how many dried worms to feed per day? You said about 30 or 40 live. Is it the same for dried or fill the dish up?? Not sure.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

It truly can vary from bird to bird. They will eat pretty much all that you give them. Especially live mealworms. I do only give them 20 to 40 a day. Dried mealworms, I fill the dish a couple of times a day if I can. Starlings are my worst problem there.

[@jennifermorris4473]

I had a Mama bluebird become a widow last year. She had six nearly grown babies. Worried for her, I bought them live mealworms. Now I grow them in my basement. It’s been a learning curve, but it’s gratifying to feed the bb’s. I also supplement with dry mealworms if the live ones are still growing and not ready. My question. I recently tossed oyster shell flour in with the dried worms as I’ve read they are very calcium poor. What are your thoughts on this?

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

I don’t think it can hurt. They are out gathering lots of other things insects that are more likely to be calcium rich. They diversify their diets naturally.

[@rociomena3150]

Thank you. I learned a lot. But how many drops of oil?😐. I just put today my first bird house hoping the blue birds make a nest. They come to my feeders so hopefully they make a nest.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Flaming Squirrels recommends 3 tablespoons per 5 lbs and shake it up well (like Shake N' Bake). Good luck with the bluebirds!

[@terrykraker382]

Mark, I have a blue bird nest in my box but nothing in the nest. Should I dispose of the nest or leave it alone? Thanks!! Terry in NC

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

I would clean it out. Bluebirds don’t reuse old nest.

[@terrykraker382]

@@MarksBackyardBirds Thanks Mark and will do!!👍🏻😃

[@JT-sl3ui]

I found it much easier to never feed the live mealworms. Always give the dried and that’s what they immediately adjust to.

[@carl5381]

i just mixed them with regular seed blend and over here in the UK, the magpies and Jackdaw love them! Not so much the woodpigeons, they're really picky about their food

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

That is a perfectly good method to use. Glad your birds like them

[@IDrawToothpicks]

I thought birds couldn't have oils in their b ird food. Or are there exeptions

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

I am not sure what you mean. Certain oils are bad for their feathers. I’m not aware of “food oils” being bad for them.

[@fordwayne3833]

Hello, I found your channel today because I just rescued a juvenile mourning dove that had fallen in a parking lot. It appears to have dropped from the nest 1 week too early. I know they fly off 30 days after hatching. I know a lot about cats and dogs, but not birds. Called my vet, he was no help. Saw a video on how to feed it. Fed it some ground sesame mixed in water to a paste. It ate, but I hope it survives. Should I try oatmeal? Any advice would be really apreciated. I'm an engineer and animal enthusiast, studied lot of biology in college, but little experience with birds. Thanks.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

thanks for tuning in. I am not an expert in caring for orphaned wildlife. I do know that doves feed their young pigeon milk. I would recommend calling Lakeside Nature Center in Kansas City. They are the animal care experts in our area.

[@fordwayne3833]

@@MarksBackyardBirds Thanks for replying, unfortunately the bird died a couple hours after feeding.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

@@fordwayne3833 Sorry to hear that.

[@fordwayne3833]

@@MarksBackyardBirds I tried, better than leaving it with stray cats around.

[@yes350yes]

Ive tried to attract bluebirds to my mid-west yard although I live on a small lot and with no success , in fact ive never even seen a bluebird here, but there are lots of birds. I blame it on my location.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Habitat is so important to bluebirds.

[@jamesmiller6186]

I found a dead female on top of her nest which also contained her five live babies. No apparent physical damage so I am wondering what may have caused her death; and will the male continue to raise the young. We did have a period of unusual weather being very hot for a couple days followed by very windy and rainy.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

He may try though he is not as dedicated as she is. Hopefully

[@jamesmiller6186]

@@MarksBackyardBirds Any idea as to what caused the death.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

@@jamesmiller6186 There really is no way to know. Birds die of natural causes every day. Dehydration is a common cause but I doubt that was the case here. She may have had a parasite infection or any number of possible issues.

[@FrankBoston]

Parasite infection will always be my first guess by the description of the death scene you gave. Knowing if a nest was previously in there would help, because they'd of had longer to establish. Still, they could establish on a new nest and wreak havoc. Housing bluebirds is quite bittersweet. A lot of bad comes with the good... Nature happens... You care, and that's cool. Best of luck. After 1 batch hatch and fledge, clean out the box, even rinse with bleach and water. Dry and put back up.

[@user-sc5nm4sl8b]

I’ve had them out for a month and I live in Ohio. None have came and there dried mealworms, I need help.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Are they in a feeder all by themselves or are the mixed in with seed? If they are by themselves, I would try stirring in a drop or two of olive oil. Do you regularly see bluebirds in your area?

[@user-sc5nm4sl8b]

@@MarksBackyardBirds I do have eastern bluebirds and a lot of them they just don’t eat my mealworms

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

@@user-sc5nm4sl8b wow! I would try some live ones (at least once) and see if you can't train them to eat the dried.

[@user-sc5nm4sl8b]

@@MarksBackyardBirds one more question. I ordered shelled peanuts for a feeder I have that is wired and has like a 1 inch by 1 inch square for them to get the food out of. Is that to big or too small for birds to get the shelled peanuta

[@straightforward]

Thank you! I started feeding dry mealworms this winter, for the wren's. At first, I think they (and the starlings) liked the cat food better. They caught on, though. Also found out chipmunks know how to chow down on dry meal worms. lol Enjoyed all of them. Do you know if there's a suet bluebirds like? & is there a suet with meal worms? I suppose I could make my own. I've never seen a bluebird that goes to a feeder. I might have my robins figured out, though. They came back early this year and covered my neighbor's hawthorn. I'll be planting a few!

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

There is a mealworm suet cake. shopbackyardbirdcenter.com/collections/no-melt-suet-cakes/products/birdwatchers-best-nevermelt-suet-insect-cake There are also suet nuggets that are great to mix in with the dried mealworms and sunflower kernels. shopbackyardbirdcenter.com/collections/specialty-suets

[@annereynolds66]

@@MarksBackyardBirds you are right of course. I bought the suet nuggets with the hot pepper and they loved it this winter

[@mattcarr2050]

starlings are terrible and very bad for native species

[@straightforward]

@@mattcarr2050 But, they are here...and they love my lawn. They do make a beautiful song when they want to. And a beautiful skyline in the fall. js

[@combatduckie]

i feed mine mealworms all year round, they re eating me POOR!!! 😭😭 i feed them 5-10 kgs. dried mealworms per month....

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

As much as you will put out, they will consume!

[@crystalo3550]

I feel you I'm trying to farm them specifically for my chickens and I just can't seem to figure it out

[@coolroy4300]

I've never met a bluebird that didn't like dried meal worms .

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

So true

[@julieackerson3111]

I have been contemplating feeding my Hooded Orioles mealworms here in San Diego CA. No bird took up the dried mealworms...so I would have to feed live. It’s just hard for me because I am vegan....although spoiler alert 🚨....my cat is NOT. He is not even a vegetarian. Just the live feeding makes things much more difficult for me. Anyhow....the days, months have gone by and me still not offering live mealworms. Would it be too late now in the season - mid summer to offer hooded Orioles mealworms. I feel like I see several juveniles already on my jelly feeder and heard Orioles only have one clutch per year. Mostly I wanted to offer mealworms during nesting...

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

I'm not sure of your exact timing but my guess is the young are pretty far along in their maturation cycle. If you feed them now, they may remember that dependable food source in the future!

[@MegInWhispers]

cats are obligate carnivores. i hope you are not trying to feed your cat a vegetarian diet. they require meat, ideally wet canned food (because it contains much more water and less additives than dry kibble, and cats need to ingest a large portion of thwir daily water intake via their food) to thrive.

[@coolroy4300]

The closer you put your bluebird feeders to a window the easier it is to keep the unwanted birds away . Trust me mine are like no more than 2 feet away. No way can I afford to feed everyone especially Squirrels meal worms.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Sorry for the late response, good advice.

[@knoxtheox897]

how do you deter starling from you mealworms?

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

The feeder style I featured at the end of the video is the only way that I know of. Use their size against them.

[@knoxtheox897]

@@MarksBackyardBirds I would also like robins to come to

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

@@knoxtheox897 That feeder would keep the robins out as well. Not sure of any method that would allow robins and not starlings.

[@mattcarr2050]

BB gun

[@joequillun7790]

Dried meal worms @ the 8 min. mark. Of course the black birds will eat them too. How bout squirrels?

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

While you never say never, I just not had problems with, or many reports of squirrels eating my them

[@jefwisse1957]

My biggest problem with feeding mealworms is rain. That's why I don't feed them in an open tray where they get soaked if its raining. I usually feed the mealworms in palntpots or just disperse them between the flower beds and in the grass. In the Netherlands we don't have bluebirds but we do have blue tits blackbirds, robins, wrens, sparrows, great tits, finches, tree creepers, woodpeckers thrushes, pigeons turtledoves and also starlings. All of these birds, except the finches, eat about 3 pounds of life mealworm a week. They know when it's feeding time and the appear as soon as they see me. If I don't show up in time the call me or they peck at the window. In the spring they eat the mealworms out of my hand and feed them to their offspring. If a leave the door open the blue tits fly into my garden shed where I keep the mealworms. I keep the mealworms alive by feeding them apple peels and rusks. In the summer time the wrongs fly up to me when I play their songs on the computer. The sit even on the computer and try to figure out where this other wrens are hiding, its so funny.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Wow. You definitely go through a lot of mealworms. We do t have nearly the issue with rain that you do. Thanks for sharing

[@jefwisse1957]

@@MarksBackyardBirds I don't think the birds agree, they think; why don't you feed us more mealworms dude. I've got more than 70 birds in my back garden and they can eat a formidable amount of food although they are small creatures.

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Eating like a bird just means you eat all the time!

[@jefwisse1957]

@@MarksBackyardBirds And they do 😂😂😂

[@hldizio]

So far I only have ants

[@MarksBackyardBirds]

Lots of insects available for them at this time. May take a while for them to find them. Are you feeding live or dried ones?