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Live Mealworms

Live Mealworms

£7.50

Earn up to: 550 Green Points

PLEASE NOTE: We have made some changes and all sizes of mealworms are now sent in a paper bag - more info here 

Live Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) are our best selling live food, and the number one choice for feeding wild birds in the UK.

They are the larvae of the Flour Beetle, a native British insect which eats flour, meal, grain and other related crops. Their bodies are made up of over 48% crude protein and 40% fat making them an excellent, proven food for all insect eating garden birds.

Robins, as you can see from the photo here, just love them. They are the perfect food for young chicks and adults alike.

Live Mealworms Versus Dried 

Live mealworms are much better for your birds in many ways but crucially they contain water which is ESSENTIAL for chicks in the nest & their only way to drink, so keeping a pack of dried is great for emergencies but LIVE BIRDFOOD IS BEST :)... always.

How to store: Live Mealworms can easily be stored in a garage or utility room because they are clean and odourless. They keep well at room temperature. Should you wish to store them for longer you can transfer them to the warmest part of your fridge, away from the icebox.

Approx 230 Mealworms per 40g.
Our live mealworm are for sale in various weights.

How to start feeding Live Mealworms

When your worms are weighed and packed here at the farm they are sent with some bedding of wheat bran. As they eat this the resulting material is called frass and needs to be sieved (a normal small kitchen sieve is perfect). Because live mealworms are a bit wiggly the key to feeding them to your birds is to use a steep sided dish so that they can’t crawl out. The ones on sale are all steep-sided but they also have the benefit that you can lower the cover section which stops the rain from getting in and also means that only the smaller birds can access the feeder.

Please note: mealworms (Live or Dried) must not be fed to hens (after the BSE epidemic and Foot and Mouth outbreak all insect proteins were stopped as feed for farm animals by DEFRA). 

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Do squirrels eat mealworms?

Pesky Squirrels will eat just about any birdfood, including live and dried mealworms! You best bet to deter them is to put your feeders on a surface they cannot climb (like a window) or use a feeder with a cage.

What birds like live mealworms?

Mealworms, waxworms, worms and insects are loved by birds such as robins, blackbirds, thrushes, tits and nuthatches. Feeding live food in the spring helps during the breeding season as they provide much needed protein. Tits and robins love mealworms and the latter can become very tame in exchange for their favourite snack.

How to store live mealworms?

Live Mealworms can easily be stored in a garage or utility room because they are clean and odourless. They keep well at room temperature. Should you wish to store them for longer you can transfer them to the warmest part of your fridge, away from the icebox.

When should I feed live mealworms?

Live foods are very nutritious for a lot of bird species and you can feed all year round. However, there are two key times to feed live food:

1: Winter – Mealworms are particularly good for insectivorous birds at a time when they may be struggling to get worms etc. out of frozen ground. If you are persistent you may even be able to get robins to take mealworms from your hand!

2: The Breeding Season – When your garden birds have chicks in the nest mealworms are by far the best food.

How should I feed live mealworms?

Place them in a high-sided dish or feeder so that the don't escape.

Our standard delivery charge is £3.95.
(Next Day delivery is £5.95)

*GB mainland only and other exclusions apply. Please see below for full details.

Area Standard Delivery Royal Mail (Live Orders) Next Working Day Delivery
Mainland UK (excludes highlands) £3.95 £3.95 £5.95
Falkirk, Aberdeen Perth Kirkwall Paisley and Inverness Areas (not islands), Isle of Man and Isle of Wight £14.95 £3.95 N/A
For Scottish Islands, Outer Hebrides, Kilmarnock area, Paisley area, Chanel Islands and Northern Ireland £19.95 £3.95 N/A

All our orders are now despatched from our farm here in Herefordshire and so we’ve made a few changes. We will always despatch orders as soon as possible, but we do offer a next day delivery service (some restrictions apply) for those urgent orders.

Wiggly Standard Delivery (3 - 5 day delivery) £3.95 within mainland Britain

If you don't mind when your order arrives... (within reason of course) Choose standard delivery and we will despatch your order with the best option for us. This may be APC Overnight, DPD or Royal Mail. You need to allow 2 - 5 days for delivery, and we can post to anywhere in mainland Britain. See below if you are in Highlands and Islands.

Next Week Day delivery for £5.95 to mainland Britain

If you need a guaranteed Next Day delivery then please choose the Next Day delivery option. If you order on a Friday then the delivery will be with you on the following Monday. Please note there are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays. You must order before 1pm for your order to be sent to arrive the following working day. If you order after 1pm then your order will be shipped on the next working day.

Important - Highlands and Islands

IF your order contains JUST live worms and is under 2 kilos - whether that’s composting worms, wax worms or mealworms you will have the option in the checkout to choose standard delivery at £3.95. This is because we can use Royal Mail for this service. Otherwise you will see the extra cost options for a courier to deliver your package – please note there is no guaranteed next day service to these areas so please allow extra time and track your package for information.

For Falkirk, Aberdeen Perth Kirkwall Paisley and Inverness Areas (not islands), Isle of Man and Isle of Wight the charge is £14.95

Postcodes:

AB37-38 AB41-56 FK 17-21 IV1- 40 IV52-54 IV63 KW1-14 PA21-40 PA80 PH15-50 IM1-9 IM86-87 IM99 PO30-41)

For Scottish Islands, Outer Hebrides, Kilmarnock area, Paisley area, Chanel Islands and Northern Ireland the charge is £19.95

Postcodes:

HS1-9 IV41-56 KA27-28 KW15-17 PA20 PA41-78 PH42-44 ZE1-3 BT1-99 JE1-5 GY1-10)

Please email us at wiggly@wigglywigglers.co.uk if you need any further information.