eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Hi all,

They ain't very pretty are they? Unfortunately, mealworms aren't very plentiful right now either. But why? I checked a bunch of Web sites and forums, and the explanations ranged from "I don't know!" to an issue with aflatoxins, (very nasty, wee, moldy-based beasties that attack the animal's liver). Then I called a few of the "mega-mealie" growers, and most responded with yet more "I don't know!"s. But two suppliers (who shall go nameless) were very blunt - the demand has skyrocketed... Period.

So what's really going on here? I'm not sure, but I'll offer a guess... The cost of oil and gas has folks both scared and ticked off to the point where they're retreating back into the "Comfort Zone" of their backyards... Four dollars per gallon of gasoline really shook not just individuals, but our culture to the core... We're afraid of the rising cost of energy, we're working harder to earn the paycheck, and we're mad at both our politicians and ourselves for letting this energy situation fester for 30 years... And finally, we're starting to look for value... For many, a $2,000, 5-day jaunt to Vegas doesn't quite contain the value of a $2,000, life-time investment in the backyard, including taking care of the birds... And if that means buying lots of mealworms, so be it...

There's a word that's all the rage now... "Staycations"... There's a reason for that term...

Bottom line? We'll bust our backsides to find you mealworms and their brethren, but this isn't going to be easy.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One of the comments we got from the Free Canned Mealworms post was from Joni, who asked about the appropriate location and feeder type for mealworms. Good question! For the answer, see Mealworm Care.

This is one of those times that I have to "'fess up". The boss has sent me several cans of the mealworms, and I've always just sort of "dumped" them out in the regular feeder, knowing that the crows (probably tied with the Red-wing Blackbird as my favorite bird) would simply inhale them. I was right... Once the crows figured out where the mealworms were, I didn't even have time to set up for a decent photo.



Hmmm...

To borrow from the great "Beave", "But jeez Wally, wouldn't it be a swell idea to maybe have a contest that offered a feeder or somethin' for mealworms?"

Tune in very soon for that next contest right beside the feeders!

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

How do I introduce this offer and this post?

Deep breath... Here goes...

John Belushi knew it in "Animal House". Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin knew it on SNL. Willie Nelson wrote about and Patsy Cline sang about it back in 1961. That's right... We're talking about "crazy". And now it's eBirdseed.com's chance to do something crazy.

We want to give you canned mealworms!

Ah geez, that sounds a little too crazy! More accurately, we want to give you canned mealworms for your birds.



The simple fact is that bluebirds, blackbirds, blue jays, crows, and a bunch of other birds are crazy for mealworms. And here's how you can get some free. We have a total of eight cans of the critters (above) available. We'll send you a can of mealworms if your non-spam comment is one of the first eight that we receive for this post. (As always, we'll pay for the shipping in the continental U.S. - this is a totally free giveaway.) In fact, you can even submit a max of two comments, and we'll ship you two cans. And if that wasn't loony enough, we've got a nice (single) seed scoop to trade for a comment. (The first person who asks for the scoop in the comment gets the scoop.) But you need to act quickly... Those 9 items aren't going to last forever!

See you by those zany feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

We thoroughly enjoy talking with our customers when they call to place an order. Our customers are a varied group with all sorts of stories. One woman shared that she feeds our mealworms to her bat. We had to know more and luckily Gerri agreed to share her background with us.

Berney Eating an eBirdseed.com Mealworm

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Gerri Griswold has been a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for The State of Connecticut for thirteen years specializing in Connecticut’s Bat Species. She also carries a permit from the CT DEP to keep non releasable bats for Education and is licensed by the USDA as an Exhibitor.

Her grass roots work on behalf of bats has been supported by Bat Conservation International, the National Park Service, The Connecticut DEP, and the author of Bats in Captivity, Susan Barnard. Amanda Lollar, The Founder of Bat World in Mineral Wells, Texas and co author of Captive Care of Insectivorous Bats is also an enthusiastic supporter.

Gerri has been featured on the cover of The Weekly Reader and has co-produced a segment about bats for The Late Show with David Letterman. She has appeared on Lifetime Television. Every year Gerri and her wee cavalcade of “Am-Batsadors” deliver approximately 75 programs in classrooms, nature centers, and libraries throughout the State to hundreds of children and adults.

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To learn more about the significant role that bats play on our planet:
Bat Conservation International: www.batcon.org
Basically Bats: www.basicallybats.org
Bat World: www.batworld.org

Posted by eBirdseed.com at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

These high-protein, live mealworms are an excellent addition to your backyard feeding plan.

In addition to attracting bluebirds, many other species enjoy these 3/4" treats If you haven't used mealworms before you should know that they are NOT slimy, they don't bite, they are easy to store and easy to feed from about any feeder.

Mealworms are not really worms at all but are the larval form of the darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor).

They are clean, easy to raise, do not carry human diseases and most importantly are a nutritious food supplement readily accepted by bluebirds.

Continue reading "Feeding meal worms to birds - how to care for and store meal worms" »

Posted by eBirdseed.com at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)