Meal Worms

madlyn

Not strictly gardening I know but....
I like to put Meal Worms out for the Robins, but wherever I put them the larger Birds get then 1st.
Has anyone made or know of something to use so that the Robins and any other small Birds get them?

Black_Cat2

Hiya.  This is probably not helpful but you never know! Just watched an episode of the zoo and they were looking for an enrichment item for their lizard (chameleons) and they drilled a hole in a rock (not a real rock obviously but can compromise with something else) then popped the mealworms in there so they came out randomly over a period of time.  I think robins are fairly clever and it might be a good idea?  Warning: I'm a little tipsy as just had a glass of wine so this might be a stoopid idea lol

Davesnave

BC, most of the mealworms people buy are long dead, so the emerging might not be that quick, but I like the idea of enriching the life of a lizard. We could try it for old people too; like free TV licences again, and fish & chip vouchers for Fridays.

But seriously, maybe the mealworms hidden beneath something heavy that could only be accessed by a small bird might work for a while; something like granny's upturned mixing bowl with a brick on it supported by pieces of wooden batten 25mm above a flat surface?

Adopt and adapt.

twopenny

You can get mealworms in a suet block and a cage to hang it.

Would be easy enough to make a small perch big enough for robins but too small for the larger birds.

Or to go really classy, a bird table with a very low roof so that only small birds could get in.

I've watched gulls and magpies try to get at the suet block (with mealworms) on my bird table and they can't get in because of the height of the surrounds and roof. They find it hard and can't look around for danger so are off pretty quickly

goldfinches

Why don't you adapt @in_my_wellies idea that she explained with her diagram in this recent thread
Clearing up mess from Suet Balls under Bird Feeder - Page 2 — MoneySavingExpert Forum
If you modified the tray in the bottom then robins and small birds could get through the mesh to reach the meal worms but the larger birds would be kept out.

Black_Cat2

Davesnave said:

BC, most of the mealworms people buy are long dead, so the emerging might not be that quick

Doh! Yes I'm an idiot! Although it would mean the big birds don't get any so problem solved for them tee hee 😹. Maybe a few in awkward crevices might work for the robin or like D says - an upturned bowl with access just for small birds.  Trouble with anything like that is they can attract rats and mice aswell I suppose. 

Apodemus

Hmmm...is it me or is there any reason that simply mixing the mealworms in with the seed mix in a standard bird feeder isn't the obvious answer?  Some feed mixes already include small bits of suet and the robins come for these, so I can't see why adding mealworms wouldn't be equally effective.

p00hsticks

Apodemus said:

Hmmm...is it me or is there any reason that simply mixing the mealworms in with the seed mix in a standard bird feeder isn't the obvious answer?  Some feed mixes already include small bits of suet and the robins come for these, so I can't see why adding mealworms wouldn't be equally effective.

If by 'a standard bird feeder' you mean one of those cylindrical wire mesh hanging ones, I'm not sure robins will use them - I only ever see tits and finches on ours. Other birds such as robins, blackbirds etc only use the flat bird table 

Apodemus

p00hsticks said:

If by 'a standard bird feeder' you mean one of those cylindrical wire mesh hanging ones, I'm not sure robins will use them - I only ever see tits and finches on ours. Other birds such as robins, blackbirds etc only use the flat bird table 

Yes, the usual hanging seed feeder. Our robins are regular visitors to our ones and look accusingly at us if they only find seeds!

Davesnave

The robins where we are have learned to do whatever it takes, including hovering for brief moments. We're not bothered, but if we had a choice we'd like to see less of the robin, as it tends to be very territorial and scares off blue tits etc, trying to keep all the food for itself.

goldfinches

I've noticed over the last few days that the robins are all staking their territories with very loud songs. I passed one yesterday morning who was so loud I could hear him over an approaching ambulance with its siren going full blast. Then during my walk home I heard at least three more in different places all shouting away.