Waxworms for Birds

Waxworms are best fed to wild birds using a live bird feeder. This prevents wax worms, and other live foods like mealworms, from wriggling away. 

Storing live waxworms is a straightforward process. When you buy waxworms online from Vine House Farm through our delivery service, they arrive in specially-made plastic tubs that allow them to breath. You can store them in these tubs, in a cool, dry, dark place. 

Unlike live mealworms, most fridges are too cold to store live waxworms in. Temperatures should be kept at a consistent level, around 15 degrees Celsius. A cellar or garage floor are usually suitable. 

Live worms, including waxworms and live mealworms, are very important types of bird food. 

The easily digestible protein, combined with their high water content, makes waxworms an ideal food source for birds still in the nest and birds that are fledging. Birds that are still nesting are unable to leave their nest to access water by themselves, and when they initially fledge that may not be able to drink by themselves for several days or weeks.  

In the wild, natural sources of moisture for young birds would be fed by parent birds in the form of earthworms from the ground and caterpillars from trees, shrubs and plants. However, when temperatures are high and the ground is dry, it is harder for parent birds to source earthworms by themselves. This is where live mealworms and waxworms can help to bridge the gap and provide a much-needed source of hydration for birds. 

Of the many species of garden bird which are red-listed or in decline, insectivores have been the worst hit. Urbanisation and climate change have meant that insects have become harder to come by for birds. Because of this, it is advisable to buy live waxworms for birds, as well as other live foods, to help facilitate breeding. 

Live waxworms for birds are kept at the larvae stage of their life cycle. If left to develop, they would naturally develop a cocoon and then form into a Greater Wax Moth. 

Waxworms are relatively easy to breed. The process is carried out in controlled conditions in a specialist facility to ensure consistent quality. They are fed honey and wheatgerm by breeders as part of the rearing process. 

Live waxworms will be consumed by most insect and invertebrate-eating birds in the UK. Their soft skin makes them an ideal bird food for fledgling and soft-billed birds. 

This includes: 

• Robins
• House sparrows
• Tits
• Starlings
• Blackbirds
• Wrens 
• Song thrushes

In the wild, waxworms are nest parasites in beehives and colonies. They usually feed on a combination of bees' pollen, nests, shed skins and honeycombs.

When they are reared, waxworms are fed wheatgerm and honey. If you buy mealworms for wild birds, they will survive at least 8 weeks without food if kept in the correct conditions.