Who You’ll Attract
Robins, wrens, thrushes, blackbirds, tits, wagtails — even bats love live mealworms. If you keep hens, they’ll also benefit from the extra protein and stimulation live feed provides.

How to Feed Them

• Harvest mealworms when plump and golden.
• Offer in a shallow dish or live-food feeder with smooth sides.
• Feed morning and evening when birds are most active.
• Scatter a few in the hen run as enrichment.
  Best Served In
  ✅ Live-food dish or ground tray near cover.
  🚫 Avoid deep seed tubes – mealworms need airflow.

Wiggly Tip:
Label your trays for each stage – Beetles, Pupae, Larvae – so your supply stays organised and non-stop.

This clever, compact kit gives you a way to feed your garden wildlife sustainably and cut down on packaging, deliveries, and food miles and has been developed by our friend Mike in Herefordshire at Ento UP.

What’s Included

• Bug Factory Unit: A compact, stackable three-tray design for easy, space-saving mealworm farming.
• 120g of Live Mealworms: Your starter population, ready to grow.
• Wheat Bran Bedding: A nutritious, natural base for healthy mealworms.
• Comprehensive Instructions: Step-by-step guide to growing, caring for, and harvesting your worms successfully.

Sustainability & Packaging

• Reusable trays – one Bug Factory lasts many cycles.
• Minimal external packaging – just the essentials.
• Wheat bran is locally sourced where possible.

Wiggly Tip:
Set your Bug Factory up in a warm cupboard, utility room, or shed (20–25°C is ideal). It’s tidy, odour-free, and fascinating to watch.

Live mealworms provide birds and hens with natural protein, moisture, and movement — supporting breeding, moulting, and winter survival.
Home-bred mealworms are fresher, safer, and more sustainable, and breeding your own means you’ll never be caught short in bad weather.
And for you? It’s addictive — once you see the first beetle larvae wriggling, you’ll realise you’ve created a tiny, thriving ecosystem.

Wiggly Tip:
Combine your Bug Factory with a bag of Dried Mealworms as backup or Subscribe & Save Live Mealworms for a constant supply while your colony builds.

Setup & Care

• Place your Bug Factory somewhere warm (20–25°C).
• Add wheat bran bedding and fresh vegetable scraps every few days.
• Remove uneaten pieces to keep trays clean.
• Separate pupae into the next tray to hatch into beetles.
• Each tray can house a different stage of the life cycle for easy rotation.
• Harvest after 8–12 weeks, depending on temperature.

Wiggly Tip:
Pop your Bug Factory near a light source — warmth and gentle light speed up the breeding cycle.

Goes Well With

• Subscribe & Save Live Mealworms – for instant feed while you’re waiting for your first harvest.
• Dried Mealworms – handy backup for winter or when you’re short.
• Live Waxworms – richer, high-fat live treat for birds and hens.
• Basic DIY Mealworm Breeding Kit – a simpler starter if you’re just getting going.

Quick FAQs
How long until I can harvest?
Around 8–12 weeks depending on temperature.
Does it smell?
No – if kept clean and dry, it’s virtually odourless.
Do I need to buy more worms later?
No – your beetles will lay eggs and restart the cycle.
Where should I keep it?
Indoors, in a warm, dry spot (20–25°C ideal).
Is it safe for birds and hens?
Yes – live mealworms are DEFRA-approved for hens and ideal for garden birds.