the Mealworms: Mealworms are the larvae of darkling beetles. They are easy to keep and insectivorous birds just love them. When we ship mealworms, we pack them in crumpled newspapers inside cloth bags. You will want to transfer them to a shallow container which contains about an inch of wheat bran or old-fashioned rolled oats and a piece of carrot for moisture. Store them in a cool place to keep them from changing to pupae then beetles. If you refrigerate them, take them out of the refrigerator for a few hours every few days to allow them to eat. If you would like to try raising them yourself, click here for our instructions.
the Birds: Most birds that eat insects love mealworms. Here at our home at Lake Gaston, North Carolina, the most common visitors to our dishes of mealworms are Bluebirds, Chickaddees, Wrens, Nuthatches, Titmice and an occasional Wooodpecker. We put the mealworms in heavy glass dishes on our deck railing and the birds appear in no time. I also feed them to my gouldian finches when they are raising babies.
Susan: I am a nature lover, a pet lover, and a North Carolina licensed small mammal rehabilitator. Ten years ago, we moved to Lake Gaston which we think is the prettiest place in the world. We have two chihuahuas which we adore and I'm a hobby breeder of gouldian finches which I keep in my indoor aviary. As for the world outside our door, we feed and observe everything that walks, flies, swims or waddles. I've been raising mealworms on a small scale for about 5 years, but now my mealworm populations has exploded thanks to my nephew, Patrick. |
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Patrick: I'm 20 years old and live with Aunt Sue and Uncle Sherm while I attend school at Halifax Community College. I was looking for a way to supplement the income from my part-time job at the local pharmacy and thought that I would like to start some kind of small business. In fact, one of my life long dreams has always been to be an entrepreneur, running my own business. When it came to choosing a business, Aunt Sue's main requirement was that it be nature-friendly. She suggested that I turn her small mealworm colony into a business venture. I took her up at her offer and my goal is to provide you with top quality mealworms for reasonable prices. |
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