Hi TheGeezer
I use Mealworms a few ways.
The first way is as you have said yourself I place them with other mixtures of seeds in hanging feeders. I place a layer if each type of food in a feeder I have so you can see layers in each feeders. The birds love mealworms so much they will do anything to get a hold of them. Having layers of different food gives a little more work for the birds to get to the mealworms in the feeder depending how many portholes it has, so you get more species of birds on your feeders.
Another way is to scatter a few outside your patio or somewhere close by where it gives you a chance to make friends with your favourite birds. Robins and Blackbirds love this form of feeding. The downside of doing this that Magpies steal them if they know they are there. We have that issue here and it can be annoying because Magpies do not want to make friends like Robins and Blackbirds do.
You could mix some into any bird cake you make. I also soak them in water so they swell up, and this stops them from blowing away if it is windy. Robins love them soaked
You can also buy live mealworms in cardboard boxes, and if you do buy them go by instructions given how to look after them. They tend to live in a sandy soil mixture and you do not need to do much to look after them
To me the most rewarding way to feed birds are live Mealworms Birds just love live Mealworms. They go crazy mad for them and they are gobbled up fast. The birds hunt them down, and they will make their presence known that they want more and more. I do not want to post links here about birdfood companies because the RSPB do their own. I only scatter seed them in the ground in this way.
Hope this helps give you ideas Mealworms can also be expensive to buy, so you look around for the best deals you can get on the market. Many websites will have an endless source how to buy them in bulk, and that is the cheapest way to buy them
Regards
Kathy and Dave
