Mealworms are a treat for bluebirds

Eastern Bluebird with his catch

Not everyone gets excited over these squirming larvae but mealworms are a four-star meal for bluebirds. A simple open tray feeder stocked with these wiggly creatures can make bluebirds regular visitors to your yard.

Mealworms are the larvae for the darkling beetle, a pest that sometimes is seen in granaries and other grain storage sites. With a size of 1 to 1½ inches long, these insects are packed with protein which is essential for the muscle development of birds.

Mealworms can be fed to birds as live insects or in dried form. The live insects are preferred but birds will accept the dried form as well.

If your backyard is a mix of trees and bushes with little open space, you probably won't see bluebirds even if you do offer them mealworms. However, many other birds savor mealworms. Mealworms are a treat especially at this time of year when insects are scarce.

Mealworms are especially good to have during nesting time for good nourishment for developing chicks.

Woodpeckers, Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmice, chickadees, catbirds and starlings enjoy these nutritious larvae. Robins, mockingbirds, catbirds and starlings especially enjoy mealworms if placed on an exposed tray feeder.

Live mealworms should be offered in a shallow glass or plastic dish with straight, smooth sides. They can climb out of rough containers. You won't have that problem with dried mealworms of course!

Larger birds, especially starlings, can gobble up an entire offering of mealworms if left unchecked. Special feeding stations enable smaller birds, including bluebirds, Tufted Titmice and wrens, to dive in through small holes at either end. The starlings are too big to enter the holes. Wire mesh or a plastic panel blocks starlings on the sides.

Bluebird enters holes on ends; clear panel blocks starlings

The Bird House has containers of live mealworms available now through October. The larval stage lasts from 90 to 114 days, more than enough time to feed the birds. 

Here is one technique we use to keep mealworms alive and nutritious if they aren't to be served right away: When you bring the mealworms home, place them in the refrigerator to put them in a semi-dormant state. Every third day, we return them to room temperature and offer them an apple slice or a bit of a carrot. Watch them wiggle to the top of the container to eat! After 12 hours of feeding, return the mealworms to the refrigerator. They'll be plumper and make a more nutritious meal for the birds to eat.

The Bird House has several different types of feeders specifically designed for offering mealworms to birds. Check the feeder that best fits your circumstances.