Websailor's Wacky Wildlife World
Created | Updated May 7, 2008
A quirky look at wildlife. To be taken with a pinch of salt, but with more than a grain of truth!
Gourmet Grub
Where has the time gone? It doesn't seem five minutes since the start of winter, yet here we are again at the breeding season again! All manner of birds and animals are paired up and are looking for, or have found, suitable homes in which to produce their young. Birds especially are busy gathering moss, twigs, leaves, feathers and mud to make intricate nests.
At McWebbie's Diner they are racing in to feed before shooting off to their respective spouses with tasty offerings — the birdie equivalent of flowers and chocolates, I suppose! Of course, the 'champagne' equivalent for many of them is a fat, juicy live mealworm — in this case provided at McWebbie's.
I can hear sundry responses to that, from 'Aaah!' to 'Yuk!', but you know really they are quite sweet. Very similar to a small caterpillar, about an inch long, with lots of feet. I haven't counted them as yet. They are not slimy, don't make a mess, do not smell and eat me out of house and home. They are actually quite well house-trained. My husband gives those raised eyebrow looks as I clean them out and feed them about every three days or so. After all they are only going to be eaten alive by the birds, the robin definitely being the first in the queue. Hundreds of grubs, caterpillars and other soft foods are needed for each youngster, so this gives them a huge boost — especially first thing in the morning.
Mealworms are also used as means of rewarding captive-bred whooping cranes being trained to migrate and become wild again in the US. It seems they, too, can be bribed with these tiny creatures.
Mealworms are the larvae of the flour beetle, which I understand is an indigenous British insect given to eating flour, grain, meal, etc. They are about 40% fat and 48% protein, which is just what the birds need when breeding and then feeding young birds.
I generally buy some, then keep a few back for breeding. I would breed them all myself, but don't have the space. It is quite fascinating to watch them after about three weeks, as they change from brown mealworms to cream coloured pupae/grubs. They go hard and crusty, but if you touch the spikey end it waggles, just like a chrysalis in the garden soil! It is a good way to ensure that they are still alive, as naturally the odd one or two die off. The pupae should be removed from the mealworm tub and stored separately with their own bedding/food, as I have known beetles and worms to eat the pupae.
I use small lidded tubs bought from my supplier, but almost any plastic tub with straight sides and plenty of tiny ventilation holes will do. Straight-sided, because the little darlings will make a run for it given the chance, especially if they are warm. Provided the tubs are deep enough, no lid is really necessary, unless, like me, you can be clumsy! Chasing mealworms or beetles all round the floor is no task for those of us of advancing years!
Left in peace in bedding/food of wheat bran or oats, etc, each one will eventually turn into a flour beetle, taking about a month or so depending on temperature. Don't panic, they don't fly! Temperature can be critical with mealworms, as the warmer they are, the more they eat, and they tend to get sweaty. It is important not to put too many together. Kept cooler, they are almost dormant and keep longer, but this is best done only when they are full-grown. The bedding should be no more than one-and-a-half inches deep in small tubs, but can be deeper in larger containers.
Once the beetles have hatched, they too should be removed to a separate container again, with the requisite bedding/food of wheat bran/oats or, at a push, crushed Weetabix. It is possible to buy fortified food to give them and the birds a good start. The beetles take about a week before they become sexually active. Within a day of mating the female produces eggs by the hundred, possibly as many as 500. They are so tiny they are invisible to the naked eye. It is at this stage that one needs to be extremely careful not to accidentally throw away the precious eggs with waste and bran.
Some beetles will die in a few days. Others will survive much longer, again depending somewhat on temperature. Black ones and any dead ones should be removed and after a while other live ones too, as they may eat the eggs. The remaining bran, eggs and 'frass' (waste) should be kept without separating out the waste. The 'frass' is a fine dry, bran-coloured dust which accumulates at the bottom of the tub. Tiny slices of vegetable can be placed in the tub to provide moisture, but should be changed frequently or it will become whiffy. I have to say I have managed to breed and keep mealworms without the use of vegetable slices and have had no problems.
Inside a month tiny, tiny mealworms will appear. When large enough to be seen easily, filter/seive worms, bran and frass and put the new worms in fresh bedding/food. The warmer the environment, the more often they will need feeding and cleaning out and the sooner they can be fed to the birds. To keep them longer, just keep cool.
They do have an endearing habit of clinging to my fingers, as if asking for a reprieve from their fate: 'Just one more day please, missus!' I hear them say, but I have to harden my heart and give the birds what they need for their babies. I also have to be disciplined and not give in to the entreaties of the blackbirds, blue and great tits and especially the robins, begging for more than their daily ration.
Robins have been known to come in the house if I leave the door open, and have been know to fly round the kitchen and into the lounge in search of the 'store', leaving calling cards in the process! The starlings and magpies, of course, just grab and run.
A friend investigating the 'ins and outs' of mealworm breeding pointed out that there are many 'recipes' on the Internet for dishes using mealworms for human consumption. I have to say I am rather wary of this, and do wonder if they would be raised differently from pet-food mealworms, which would perhaps be housed less hygienically for bird and reptile feeding.
Just in case you belong to the 'food for free' school of thought, how about spice cakes made partly with ground mealworms, roasted mealworm cookies and mealworm fried rice, for starters? I would think they would be similar to wichety grubs in Australia in terms of nutrition. Do log on and tell me if you know anyone brave enough to try them. Personally, I couldn't bear to hear those tiny voices begging for 'Just one more day, missus, pleeease!' as I tucked in!
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