Thanks for the info. I buy my mealworms at Southeast Insectaries for $38 and change (includes shipping) for 5,000 large and they do a great job shipping. They include an icepack in the shipping container when the weather turns hot. I keep the worms in a 2" high 6X10 platic container with several holes in the lid. I also tie a small sponge under the lid and keep it damp. I use wheat or oat bran I buy at the Feed Store as bedding for the worms. I only take them out at about 3 weeks and place several slices of apple or potatoe on the top and leave them out of the frig for the day (I'm always sure to remove any apple or potatoe pieces before I return them to the frig so they will not rot). That is the only extra feeding I do and they last until gone.

My first year with bluebirds I saw the male chase away the first nesting fledges. Most years thereafter however the male has let them stay. One year during the first nesting there were three females and one male, once the second nesting eggs hatched the first nesting male dissappeared only to return once the second nesting fledged. I am assuming the male chased him off but he was allowed to return after the second nesting fledged. Funny enough the second nesting had three males and one female. How are those for odds? Good luck with your second nesting and hey maybe the first nesters will come back! donna

this is just my 2nd year with bluebirds I had another nest of 7 chickadees early this year that all hatched and fledged on the timetable but i have a pair of bluebirds who laid 5 eggs last egg on April 15th 2012 and has been 21 days and none have hatched???the mother sits on the nest still and the male still visits-she though is scared off easy(anytime we open back door)but goes right back on-we did have a couple of cold snaps in between what is longest eggs have gone and still hatched(i might have a record here)

Wow sorry Linda, I hear your pain. We have HOWR here every summer and we did lose 1 egg (of four) in July 2007. But I don't think our wren situation is as difficult as yours seems to be. We see them nearby occasionally, and often hear them not too far away. But we chase them off if/when any come on our property. And our parent Blues (Missy & Mr.B) both discourage them ferociously if they ever come near Missy's box. This pair has successfully fledged 41 baby blues in the past 3 seasons (8 completed nests with a 9th underway), without a single loss of either egg or chick to the wrens. We've made our decision not to use a wren guard for reasons we are comfortable with. And frankly we've heard just too many accounts of HOWR destroying nests in boxes that had wren guards installed. We know that many bird lovers willingly allow and even encourage House Wrens to nest and breed, and this can lead to their forcing many other songbirds out of a habitat completely. (The same could be said of the House Sparrows). So, I'm not sure how to offer you specific advice or comfort. I fear it will be up to you and your Bluebirds to overcome your local HOWR problem. Best luck to you and your birds, Kenn Here is a link that might be useful: Kenn & Temple's Bluebirds