Guide to Feeding Live Mealworms to Garden Birds
Feeding live mealworms to the birds in your garden is one of the most important things you can do to help their breeding success, and therefore help reverse the decline in the numbers of many of our once-common species of songbirds.
For those of you that haven’t fed live mealworms before and don’t know too much about them, or you have but want to learn more, then here’s a detailed look at what’s involved and what the benefits are.
Mealworms are the larvae form, or second stage of life, of the beetle, Tenebrio molitor, which is a species of darkling beetle. So mealworms aren’t worms at all, but a larva which, if left to develop, would eventually become a beetle (having turned from egg to larva to pupa first).
You can safely feed both dried and live mealworms to birds. Live mealworms are obviously the living form, while dried mealworms are simply mealworms that have been dried-out via heating or freeze-drying. Dried mealworms aren't as beneficial to birds as live mealworms but are ok to feed and are convenient, easy to store and easy to feed.
Buy Live Mealworms Buy Dried Mealworms
Many birds are attracted to live mealworms, particularly the soft-billed bird species and include;
Gardens aren’t, typically, great places for birds to find an abundance of natural food. Some of the reasons are obvious such as manicured lawns and areas covered in paving, but it’s also to do with the fact that urban areas are generally and increasingly far less suitable for most invertebrate species. And even in rural areas, invertebrate numbers have also drastically decreased due to factors such as pesticides, pollution and climate change. So live mealworms are, in effect, a portion of natural food.
Live mealworms are a perfect natural food for both nestlings and fledglings and, in both cases, will of course be fed to them by their parents.
It's the aforementioned ‘natural’ bit which is important here because live mealworms have two things which young birds in the nest and fledglings vitally need: liquids and protein.
The liquid element is important because, unlike an adult bird which can drink from a birdbath or natural source, a bird which is being fed by its parents is solely dependent on the moisture content in the food to keep it hydrated until it is old enough to fend for itself. Insufficient hydration threatens the life of the young bird, especially as other bird foods such as seed mixes and suet do not contain liquid. Of course, natural invertebrates have this moisture content, but, and as we’ve already mentioned, natural invertebrates numbers are a fraction of what they previously were in most parts of the country.
Live mealworms are high in protein (50.4% to be exact) - which is needed for healthy growth and therefore to help ensure that as many of the young birds as possible survive to become adults.
Of course, the one thing that puts many people off buying live mealworms and feeding them to their garden birds is the wriggle. But really, you just need to get over it – and most people do and more quickly than they imagine!
So if you haven’t before fed live mealworms to your garden birds, then please, please give it a go. And the very best reason for doing so is the difference it can make to the breeding success of your local birds
"One customer trebled the population of House Sparrows, in 4 years, by feeding live mealworms" A great example of which is one of our customers who roughly trebled the population of House Sparrows, in his local area of a Northamptonshire village, over a four year period as a direct result of feeding live mealworms throughout the breeding and fledging seasons from a caged feeder.
A great example of which is one of our customers who roughly trebled the population of House Sparrows, in his local area of a Northamptonshire village, over a four year period as a direct result of feeding live mealworms throughout the breeding and fledging seasons from a caged feeder.
If you're wondering "How do I feed mealworms to birds?" - there are a number of different types of mealworm bird feeders, though their main features commonly include:
What then separates out different live food feeders is that some allow for any size of bird to feed, whereas others allow only smaller species such as house sparrow and robin. On the latter, this is achieved by a cage around the dish which has access holes which only allow smaller birds in - such as the design of our Caged Live Food Feeder. Or, you could choose a Live Food Feeder which will allow any size of bird to feed.
Ideally, you should have both types of mealworm feeder as it’s just as important for larger species such as Blackbird and Starling to get a good supply of mealworms for their young, as they are a smaller species. For the open style of mealworm feeder which allows all sizes of birds, it is quite likely though that frequent refilling will be necessary - especially if you’re lucky enough to have Starlings breeding closeby.
For any type of feeder you use, which isn't protected by a cage and therefore allows all species of bird to easily take however many live mealworms they want, then note that, and in particular in the breeding season, even a large quantity of the mealworms can very quickly be taken. This will especially be the case if starlings visit your garden. Therefore, putting out a small scoop of live mealworms every few hours is a sensible way to manage supply and demand.
The breeding and fledgling seasons are unquestionably the best because although adult birds at all times of the year will benefit from eating live mealworms, the real benefit is for young birds and fledglings in the nest.
Firstly, this is because live mealworms are packed with protein, and secondly, they’re full of moisture - which is critical to the survival of young birds in the nest because clearly the only liquid they get is from food the parents bring them.
Outside of the breeding and fledgling seasons, garden birds benefit from a supply of live mealworms simply because of the vast reduction in invertebrate numbers. In the past, it has been suggested that all-year-round feeding of any type of food isn’t necessary for wild birds visiting gardens. However, we’re now way beyond that point, and the fact is that many species of birds in urban and indeed more rural areas are very dependent on the food we put out throughout the year - and it doesn’t get better than live mealworms.
Moulting is the process in which birds shed their old feathers and grow new ones in an annual process - and generally occurs after the breeding season in late summer.
"Since feathers are around 4-12% of a bird's body weight, a great deal of protein is needed to replace them"
In addition, birds such as robins and blackbirds become more reclusive because their flight ability is often impeded, therefore they're more vulnerable to predators. So a relatively easy supply of protein-rich and fluid-rich food close-by is hugely beneficial.
In times of low rainfall, ground-feeding birds such as Blackbirds are often unable to find sufficient natural food, and in particular, earthworms, as the worms are well below ground level and in damper soil. In these conditions, live mealworms are the best food to put out for garden birds, as they're not only high in fat and protein, but also moisture which is very important when adult birds are feeding their young. Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Starlings and Robins will all readily feed on live mealworms.
For anyone feeding the birds in their garden, there are few things more rewarding than putting out live mealworms in the breeding season.
"The spectacle of adult birds taking the mealworms to their nest for the young, then feeding the fledglings a few weeks later, is simply brilliant."
It’s also highly rewarding because it’s done in the knowledge that feeding live mealworms at this time of year increases breeding success for a host of different garden bird species.
The main issue, as we see it, is that most people are keen to feed birds such as Robin, House Sparrow and Blackbird with live mealworms – with all of these species readily taking them – but larger species, such as Magpie, are not so welcome, plus Starlings will often arrive in numbers and can make short work of a bowl of food. However, if a caged feeder is used it will allow small birds to feed and certainly keep out Magpies, Jackdaws and Starlings, but will also prevent Blackbirds from feeding, too. As a specific, it’s really important to allow at least some live food for starlings, as the species has been in serious decline and needs our help as much as many other species.
So, the answer is to definitely use a Caged Live Food Feeder to allow Robins and other small species to easily feed and with no risk of larger species taking the mealworms, but also provide a more limited supply in a feeder such as our Live Food Bird Feeder.
Depending on which species you have visiting your garden, it could be emptied fairly quickly, but that's just something that has to be accepted – and you can, of course, leave it for an hour or two before refilling.
If the Live Food Bird Feeder is used or the slightly larger Robin Feeder, then positioning it relatively close to your house may deter larger, shyer species such as magpie from visiting it. In addition, hanging the feeder from a tree or feeder station may also help keep larger species off as it will be difficult – though probably not impossible – for them to cling on to the feeder. That said, hanging the feeder up also makes it more difficult for blackbirds, as these species are naturally a ground feeder.
Of course, the best solution will vary between different gardens and dependant on various factors and, in particular, what species of bird occur locally, but overall having both a cage feeder and an open one, which would ideally be on the ground or on a table, is the best approach.
If you’ve not bought live mealworms before, then we suggest you start with smaller quantities which come packed in plastic tubs which can safely be stored at between 8-10°C in a cool dark place. The reason for these conditions is because it causes the mealworms hormones to go dormant and keeps them from morphing into a beetle.
Simply store them in a cool dry place and not below 5°C. if you have a suitable shed or outdoor store, you may prefer to use these locations, but wherever you store, make sure your live mealworms don’t freeze and are protected from frost and are also not too warm.
However, prior to cooling your live mealworms, it’s fairly important that you provide them with our Mealworm Food before they go dormant - where they then tend to stop eating. If stored correctly they should last several weeks.
Dried mealworms, although not as beneficial to birds as live mealworms, are often overlooked and are okay for birds to eat and can also be beneficial as well, and are certainly convenient, easy to store and easy to feed.
Although you have to add water to dried mealworms to bring back their hydration value, they still have some of the fat, protein and fibre that live mealworms have to keep birds healthy and growing. They can also be added to dried bird food including seed mixes or suet pellets.
Dried mealworms obviously don’t wriggle away or go bad quickly, and therefore need less care than live mealworms, and only need water to be rehydrated.
Although not quite as high in protein as live mealworms, dried mealworms are still pretty good and certainly the next best thing. Of course, being dried means all the fluid content has been removed, so before putting them out for birds they will need to be soaked in clean water. This process only takes about 30 minutes, and once sufficient water has been absorbed they’re ready to put out
Feeding live mealworms to the birds in your garden is unquestionably beneficial to them, and especially during the breeding seasons. Initially, the wriggle of live mealworms might seem off-putting, but the vast majority of people soon get used to it. Ideally, two types of special feeder are needed: once which all sizes of birds can access, with the other a caged feeder which just smaller birds can access. Dried mealworms are an alternative, but don’t have the same level of benefit to birds.
The nutritional value of live mealworms, particularly due to the high amount of protein, coupled with the reasonable number of species that feed on them, makes them an excellent choice of feed for your garden birds. However, it's important that other bird feed, such as sunflower hearts, seed mixes and suet pellets are also out to ensure a good balance of foods and that all species are provided for.
If you want to learn more about other types of bird food and how to store your bird food - read our guides on "What to Feed Wild Birds" and "Bird Food Storage".
For those of you that haven’t fed live mealworms before and don’t know too much about them, or you have but want to learn more, then here’s a detailed look at what’s involved and what the benefits are.
What are mealworms?
Mealworms are the larvae form, or second stage of life, of the beetle, Tenebrio molitor, which is a species of darkling beetle. So mealworms aren’t worms at all, but a larva which, if left to develop, would eventually become a beetle (having turned from egg to larva to pupa first).
Mealworms for feeding birds
You can safely feed both dried and live mealworms to birds. Live mealworms are obviously the living form, while dried mealworms are simply mealworms that have been dried-out via heating or freeze-drying. Dried mealworms aren't as beneficial to birds as live mealworms but are ok to feed and are convenient, easy to store and easy to feed.
Buy Live Mealworms Buy Dried Mealworms
Which birds eat Live Mealworms?
Many birds are attracted to live mealworms, particularly the soft-billed bird species and include;
- Blackbird
- Blackcap
- Blue Tit
- Dunnock
- Great Tit
- House Sparrow
- Nuthatch
- Robin
- Starling
- Song Thrush
- Wren
Why are live mealworms so good for garden birds?
Gardens aren’t, typically, great places for birds to find an abundance of natural food. Some of the reasons are obvious such as manicured lawns and areas covered in paving, but it’s also to do with the fact that urban areas are generally and increasingly far less suitable for most invertebrate species. And even in rural areas, invertebrate numbers have also drastically decreased due to factors such as pesticides, pollution and climate change. So live mealworms are, in effect, a portion of natural food.
Can nestlings (baby birds) eat mealworms?
Live mealworms are a perfect natural food for both nestlings and fledglings and, in both cases, will of course be fed to them by their parents.
It's the aforementioned ‘natural’ bit which is important here because live mealworms have two things which young birds in the nest and fledglings vitally need: liquids and protein.
The liquid element is important because, unlike an adult bird which can drink from a birdbath or natural source, a bird which is being fed by its parents is solely dependent on the moisture content in the food to keep it hydrated until it is old enough to fend for itself. Insufficient hydration threatens the life of the young bird, especially as other bird foods such as seed mixes and suet do not contain liquid. Of course, natural invertebrates have this moisture content, but, and as we’ve already mentioned, natural invertebrates numbers are a fraction of what they previously were in most parts of the country.
Live mealworms are high in protein (50.4% to be exact) - which is needed for healthy growth and therefore to help ensure that as many of the young birds as possible survive to become adults.
Of course, the one thing that puts many people off buying live mealworms and feeding them to their garden birds is the wriggle. But really, you just need to get over it – and most people do and more quickly than they imagine!
So if you haven’t before fed live mealworms to your garden birds, then please, please give it a go. And the very best reason for doing so is the difference it can make to the breeding success of your local birds
"One customer trebled the population of House Sparrows, in 4 years, by feeding live mealworms" A great example of which is one of our customers who roughly trebled the population of House Sparrows, in his local area of a Northamptonshire village, over a four year period as a direct result of feeding live mealworms throughout the breeding and fledging seasons from a caged feeder.
A great example of which is one of our customers who roughly trebled the population of House Sparrows, in his local area of a Northamptonshire village, over a four year period as a direct result of feeding live mealworms throughout the breeding and fledging seasons from a caged feeder.
Feeding live mealworms to birds - how to feed live mealworms to birds
If you're wondering "How do I feed mealworms to birds?" - there are a number of different types of mealworm bird feeders, though their main features commonly include:
- A dish with sides to prevent the mealworms from crawling out such as the dish on this Upclose Window Feeder. You can use some sort of basic household or garden bowl or dish, which has smooth edges and is at least 5cm high, but only in dry weather as live mealworms won’t survive being submerged in water.
- A cover to prevent the mealworms from getting wet such as the one on this Robin Feeder.
What then separates out different live food feeders is that some allow for any size of bird to feed, whereas others allow only smaller species such as house sparrow and robin. On the latter, this is achieved by a cage around the dish which has access holes which only allow smaller birds in - such as the design of our Caged Live Food Feeder. Or, you could choose a Live Food Feeder which will allow any size of bird to feed.
Ideally, you should have both types of mealworm feeder as it’s just as important for larger species such as Blackbird and Starling to get a good supply of mealworms for their young, as they are a smaller species. For the open style of mealworm feeder which allows all sizes of birds, it is quite likely though that frequent refilling will be necessary - especially if you’re lucky enough to have Starlings breeding closeby.
For any type of feeder you use, which isn't protected by a cage and therefore allows all species of bird to easily take however many live mealworms they want, then note that, and in particular in the breeding season, even a large quantity of the mealworms can very quickly be taken. This will especially be the case if starlings visit your garden. Therefore, putting out a small scoop of live mealworms every few hours is a sensible way to manage supply and demand.
When is the best time to feed live mealworms to birds?
The breeding and fledgling seasons are unquestionably the best because although adult birds at all times of the year will benefit from eating live mealworms, the real benefit is for young birds and fledglings in the nest.
Firstly, this is because live mealworms are packed with protein, and secondly, they’re full of moisture - which is critical to the survival of young birds in the nest because clearly the only liquid they get is from food the parents bring them.
Outside of the breeding and fledgling seasons, garden birds benefit from a supply of live mealworms simply because of the vast reduction in invertebrate numbers. In the past, it has been suggested that all-year-round feeding of any type of food isn’t necessary for wild birds visiting gardens. However, we’re now way beyond that point, and the fact is that many species of birds in urban and indeed more rural areas are very dependent on the food we put out throughout the year - and it doesn’t get better than live mealworms.
Moulting Season
Moulting is the process in which birds shed their old feathers and grow new ones in an annual process - and generally occurs after the breeding season in late summer.
"Since feathers are around 4-12% of a bird's body weight, a great deal of protein is needed to replace them"
In addition, birds such as robins and blackbirds become more reclusive because their flight ability is often impeded, therefore they're more vulnerable to predators. So a relatively easy supply of protein-rich and fluid-rich food close-by is hugely beneficial.
Dry Weather and Low Rainfall
In times of low rainfall, ground-feeding birds such as Blackbirds are often unable to find sufficient natural food, and in particular, earthworms, as the worms are well below ground level and in damper soil. In these conditions, live mealworms are the best food to put out for garden birds, as they're not only high in fat and protein, but also moisture which is very important when adult birds are feeding their young. Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Starlings and Robins will all readily feed on live mealworms.
Large Birds and Live Mealworms - Managing Supply and Demand
For anyone feeding the birds in their garden, there are few things more rewarding than putting out live mealworms in the breeding season.
"The spectacle of adult birds taking the mealworms to their nest for the young, then feeding the fledglings a few weeks later, is simply brilliant."
It’s also highly rewarding because it’s done in the knowledge that feeding live mealworms at this time of year increases breeding success for a host of different garden bird species.
How can I keep larger birds and species in larger numbers from taking all the live food?
The Issue
The main issue, as we see it, is that most people are keen to feed birds such as Robin, House Sparrow and Blackbird with live mealworms – with all of these species readily taking them – but larger species, such as Magpie, are not so welcome, plus Starlings will often arrive in numbers and can make short work of a bowl of food. However, if a caged feeder is used it will allow small birds to feed and certainly keep out Magpies, Jackdaws and Starlings, but will also prevent Blackbirds from feeding, too. As a specific, it’s really important to allow at least some live food for starlings, as the species has been in serious decline and needs our help as much as many other species.
The Solution - Caged Live Food Feeder
So, the answer is to definitely use a Caged Live Food Feeder to allow Robins and other small species to easily feed and with no risk of larger species taking the mealworms, but also provide a more limited supply in a feeder such as our Live Food Bird Feeder.
Depending on which species you have visiting your garden, it could be emptied fairly quickly, but that's just something that has to be accepted – and you can, of course, leave it for an hour or two before refilling.
If the Live Food Bird Feeder is used or the slightly larger Robin Feeder, then positioning it relatively close to your house may deter larger, shyer species such as magpie from visiting it. In addition, hanging the feeder from a tree or feeder station may also help keep larger species off as it will be difficult – though probably not impossible – for them to cling on to the feeder. That said, hanging the feeder up also makes it more difficult for blackbirds, as these species are naturally a ground feeder.
Of course, the best solution will vary between different gardens and dependant on various factors and, in particular, what species of bird occur locally, but overall having both a cage feeder and an open one, which would ideally be on the ground or on a table, is the best approach.
Storing Live Mealworms - How do you keep live mealworms?
If you’ve not bought live mealworms before, then we suggest you start with smaller quantities which come packed in plastic tubs which can safely be stored at between 8-10°C in a cool dark place. The reason for these conditions is because it causes the mealworms hormones to go dormant and keeps them from morphing into a beetle.
Simply store them in a cool dry place and not below 5°C. if you have a suitable shed or outdoor store, you may prefer to use these locations, but wherever you store, make sure your live mealworms don’t freeze and are protected from frost and are also not too warm.
However, prior to cooling your live mealworms, it’s fairly important that you provide them with our Mealworm Food before they go dormant - where they then tend to stop eating. If stored correctly they should last several weeks.
Dried Mealworms vs. Live Mealworms - Are dried mealworms OK for birds?
Dried mealworms, although not as beneficial to birds as live mealworms, are often overlooked and are okay for birds to eat and can also be beneficial as well, and are certainly convenient, easy to store and easy to feed.
Mealworms Nutrition
Although you have to add water to dried mealworms to bring back their hydration value, they still have some of the fat, protein and fibre that live mealworms have to keep birds healthy and growing. They can also be added to dried bird food including seed mixes or suet pellets.
Storage and Care for Dried Mealworms
Dried mealworms obviously don’t wriggle away or go bad quickly, and therefore need less care than live mealworms, and only need water to be rehydrated.
Soaking Dried Mealworms
Although not quite as high in protein as live mealworms, dried mealworms are still pretty good and certainly the next best thing. Of course, being dried means all the fluid content has been removed, so before putting them out for birds they will need to be soaked in clean water. This process only takes about 30 minutes, and once sufficient water has been absorbed they’re ready to put out
Summary
Feeding live mealworms to the birds in your garden is unquestionably beneficial to them, and especially during the breeding seasons. Initially, the wriggle of live mealworms might seem off-putting, but the vast majority of people soon get used to it. Ideally, two types of special feeder are needed: once which all sizes of birds can access, with the other a caged feeder which just smaller birds can access. Dried mealworms are an alternative, but don’t have the same level of benefit to birds.
The nutritional value of live mealworms, particularly due to the high amount of protein, coupled with the reasonable number of species that feed on them, makes them an excellent choice of feed for your garden birds. However, it's important that other bird feed, such as sunflower hearts, seed mixes and suet pellets are also out to ensure a good balance of foods and that all species are provided for.
If you want to learn more about other types of bird food and how to store your bird food - read our guides on "What to Feed Wild Birds" and "Bird Food Storage".