Mealworms for Birds
Mealworms are a rich source of protein, fibre and fat for wild birds.
Here at Really Wild Bird Food, we stock live mealworms as well as dried mealworms for your garden birds to enjoy. Put some live worms in a mealworm feeder or add some dried worms to your favourite seed mix for extra nutrition!
Scroll down to browse and buy mealworms, wax worms and more.
Featured Products
Dried Mealworms 
Dried Calci-worms 
Live Wax Worms 
Live Mealworms 
Live Mini Mealworms 
Half Coconut with Mealworm Flavour Suet 
Gardman Coco-Not® Feeder with Mealworms 
Super Suet Fat Balls - With Insect 
Sparrow Seed Mix™ 
Bird Cake Mix 
Mealworm Suet Pellets 
Deluxe Robin Crumble™ Mealworms: Packaging & Delivery Information
Our dried mealworms are sent via our standard delivery service, but we have a slightly different procedure if you order live mealworms or any of our other live feeds.
Live worms are delivered by Royal Mail. They will arrive in a cardboard box, and inside that box will be either some plastic tubs or a white polypropylene bag with a cable-tied top (depending on whether you selected 'tub' or 'bag' when you placed your order).
The larger quantities come in white bags, but if you are new to feeding mealworms, plastic tubs tend to be easier because you can just remove the lid and put the worms out on your bird table or ground feeder. Please don't worry if the plastic tubs don't have air holes punched in them – the lids are made of a breathable material, so the mealworms will be fine until the birds get hold of them.
We always send live feeds First Class, so they can take 3 – 5 working days and will arrive separately from any other products you order from Really Wild Bird Food. Orders placed before 10am on Monday – Thursday will be dispatched on the same day. Orders placed after 10am on those days will be dispatched the next day. Orders received on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday will be dispatched on the following Monday.
We are particularly careful when sending out mealworms around bank holidays (especially during the summer months). Heat can speed up the worms' metamorphosis, so we try not to dispatch live worms immediately before a bank holiday just in case they get held up in a warm sorting office somewhere. If you are planning to purchase mealworms around a bank holiday, please place your order a few days in advance.
For more information about how we get mealworms to our customers throughout the UK, please contact the Really Wild Bird Food team or take a look at our Delivery page.
Mealworm FAQs
- What are mealworms?
Mealworms are the larvae of the Flour Beetle and are made up of around 50% protein and 50% water, making them one of the most protein-dense and hydrating feed options for wild birds and chicks alike.
- Are mealworms good for birds?
Yes! Mealworms are packed full of essential nutrients that are key for muscle development in birds.
- What birds eat mealworms?
Mealworms are a natural part of many wild birds’ diets, and are readily enjoyed by a wide variety of wild birds including robins, blue tits, blackbirds, starlings, dunnocks, sparrows, and wrens.
- What type of bird feeder should I use for mealworms?
Mealworms - especially live mealworms - should be placed in unobstructed dishes that give the birds a clear view of their food.
Luckily, we offer a selection of specially-designed mealworm feeders along with an array of feeding stations so you can easily provide mealworms for your garden birds.
Window feeders lend themseves to mealworms - and it is fab to get a really close up view of your robin and other small birds visiting. Caged feeders are also useful since they limit access to the bigger birds which can devour a whole pot of mealworms in an instant!
- Can I soak dried mealworms?
Dried mealworms have the benefits of being significantly more convenient to keep and having a much longer storage life! You can also soak them in water as a great way to help your local birds stay hydrated.
Simply soak your dried mealworms in clean water for about 30 minutes before putting them out, et voila!
- Are live mealworms better than dried?
Both dried and live meal worms are great sources of fat, protein, and fibre, although live mealworms offer more hydration. For this reason, we recommend using live mealworms during fledgling season (i.e. spring and summer) so that your local chicks can get as much water as possible.
Plus, during the breeding season, the activity rate of small birds can be 100 times greater than during the winter months, and their energy requirements are phenomenal. This is why it is so important to feed them easily digestible food at this time of year.
At other times of year, it doesn't make much difference whether you use live mealworms or dried mealworms. One benefit of our freeze-dried mealworms is that they can be added to our seed mixes for extra nutrition.
- Where do your live mealworms come from?
Our live mealworms are grown in the UK for us and are BRITISH BRED! There are many companies importing mealworms from the Continent. Ours are UK grown and will be fresher. They won't have travelled from Europe.
- How do I store live mealworms?
The best place to store mealworms is in a cool, dark, well ventilated dry place (ideally at a temperature of between 8-10 degrees C). If kept at this temperature they will survive for 2 - 3 weeks. If you buy larger amounts and decant them into your own containers, I would recommend that you store them so that they are at a maximal depth of 1" deep. Cat litter trays are quite good! If they are stored too deep - their waste material (poo!) will build up and their living environment will be less pleasant.
Live mealworms can be easily stored in a garage or utility rooms since they are clean and odourless. If you want them to last longer, you can keep them in the warmest part of your fridge.
- Do the mealworms smell?
No! There is no smell given off by mealworms if they are kept in the correct conditions. There will be some bran or some clean newspaper in with them when they arrive. For those that are in tubs - you need do nothing. If you have bought a larger sack of them, we would suggest transferring them into a shallow, smooth sided tray or tub.
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