Well, I bit the bullet and bought a new feeder that only allows smaller birds through to the cup that holds the worms. Currently, I have it propped open to allow easy access, which was recommended by the salesperson, until the birds find the worms inside. I moved the old feeder closer to the window I'm able to see from, and Jung the new one close as well. Hopefully, the birds will recognize the old feeder and find the new one quickly. The tufted titmouse was the first to find the old feeder in the new location, and the robins were close behind. Martha

Check the box right away for ants, wasps etc. Put a straw twig across the opening so you can see if they are just being elusive. Call a rehabber now because it can take them some time to get back to you, alert them to the fact you may have a problem. Just be VERY sure there is no parent coming before taking the babies, also I have hand fed meal worms to babies before, need to mush them up a bit and hold them with tweezers (dull ones)do not force feed just hope they gape for you. Call this number....1 734-761-9640 they may be able to help. Karen is right it would be odd for both parents to have gone missing.

Thanks Donna...I'm in eastern Maryland. This is my first year in bluebirds; I saw them on the bike trail which is just a few yards from my house, so I put up a house, and they arrived! At first HOSPs chased them away and made a nest. (I had NO idea how awful that was at the time!!) When the sparrow babies fledged I washed out the box and waited. The blues came back soon after that and had 1 clutch of 4 babies. I have no reason to think I won't be overrun with sparrows, except that it hasn't happened yet. I see loads of house finches, cardinals, goldfinches, titmice (is that right?)and chickadees mostly. I do see sparrows and wrens, but they don't linger. But if they chase my Blues away, I'll lose my mind. I did not make the suet---I bought non-melting insect-filled suet at the local wild bird store. It's pretty revolting! Is it possible to buy dead bugs in bulk?? I don't really get it...how are they preserved? Why doesn't suet get rancid? The whole thing is very distasteful to me, but there's little I won't do for my birds. My mealworm farm is proof of that! I also don't want to leave the house! After I harass my 5 year old to hurry up and get ready to go, I have gotten caught at the window staring at the birds... She hasn't called me on it yet, but I'm sure it's coming! Donna, I'm so sorry about your HOSPS. Maybe they'll be gone as fast as they arrived and the blues will be back! Ann

Live mealworms may also suffer from relatively slow sales since even people that feed mealworms to their pet lizards, birds, and so on probably don't buy in bulk unless they're a breeder of such critters and therefore would have a constant and possibly even a daily need for such fare. As to a reasonable size to start with? The giant size might feed a few general population birds but without some care, it seems that you'd go though a container pretty quick. The smalls look tiny and you'd probably have to ration out a few more than you'd like to make a container last any amount of time. The medium size is what I'd try if I were that interested in feeding mealworms to draw in certain species. Price is right and there are enough that your mealworm experiment could last long enough for observation of any species that are drawn in just because of that addition to whatever you've been feeding on a regular basis. Long ago, I decided that within reason, if I had to ration what relatively small amount of funds I use for feeding the wildlife that comes to my little backyard compared to the enjoyment it brings me, I'd probably just take down my feeders and quit buying raw peanuts for the blue jays and that one damn ornery (but cute) squirrel that visits daily. I fully realize that not every budget is flexible enough to do that but I figure that I'm only here on this earth for a short while so why not enjoy what impacts my life and brings joy to my eyes while I'm here. Perusing a few websites on raising your own mealworms seems to be quite popular and while it doesn't look like the initial outlay would be much, would you use enough of the little buggers to make it worthwhile even if you just counted time and what space is required? Reading over those sites does remind me of a time not that long ago when every fishing and hunting magazine in existence (and they may still have them) had ads touting raising your own bigger and better fishing worms! "Yes Friends, you too can raise enough of my extra special extra large energetic red wigglers and nightcrawlers to go fishing any time you want and you'll never run out of fish bait!!!! Get your starter pack of worms NOW and in only days you'll have more worms than you can use. Send only $19.95 to PO Box XXXX, to get started." Not... Problem is that nightcrawlers won't live south of the Mason Dixon line unless you keep them in a refrigerator and most little red wigglers are just on the borderline of being so small that you almost have to use tweezers to put them on your fish hook. Too, both types have to be kept practically n the dark to keep them happy, temperature and moisture levels have to be maintained and appropriate worm food is not as easy to manage as they would have you think. Oh wait... the subject was mealworm acquisition, not fishin' worms. It appears I have strayed off subject again. Sorry bout that.