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It is good to see that the parents are teaching the young ones how to defend the mealworm feeder. Hope for good news on Friday or Saturday, Carol. Stay cool.
David
Stafford, VADon’t give up. I just returned from a trip to Phoenix and found a nest almost complete. both birds were carrying grass into the nest today. this is 2 weeks from when the 2nd group fledged.
David
Stafford, VAOne of the downsides to this approach is that the beetles are prolific breeders and if you do not keep the numbers of beetles down they will produce unmanageable numbers of larva. The female will lay between 5-10 eggs per day. So if you have 100 beetles and 50% are females they can lay anywhere from 250 to 500 eggs per day. That times 14 days equals 3500 to 7000 larva every 2 weeks. And they continue on and on!!! (Voice of experience – I have about 5000 larva in the refrigerator and 3000-5000 more in the drawers with more eggs incubating. Since I use only 120 to 150 per day, I have a lot more than I can use.)
Luckily I was visiting the Wild Birds Unlimited store near me and we were talking about feeding bluebirds and the manager asked me if I could supply her with mealworms. Still have to talk to her as I was getting ready to go to Phoenix and had let my breeding beetles die off. So I need to restart my colony and get the numbers up again.
David
Stafford, VAHi Chris,
Sorry to be so late with a response. I was at a Handbell Directors Conference in Phoenix last week and just returned to Virginia. Temperatures were terrible out there , 103+ degrees every day.
I have been raising mealworms for a little more than a year. Here is a link to a post last year about my “farm” http://bluebirdnut.com/forums/topic/mealworm-farm-update/
I have expanded my “farm” to a 12 drawer system using 4 three drawer plastic storage bins that I bought at Target. I cut the bottom out of the top drawer in one of the sets and put 1/8th inch mesh screen on the bottom, put about 1 1/2″ of oatmeal in the drawer and use that for the beetle drawer. The next drawer collects the eggs. I have about 1/2″ wheat bran in this drawer. I let the beetles lay the eggs for about 2 weeks (I shake the beetle drawer every couple of days to get more of the eggs into the egg drawer). I put another 1/2″ of wheat bran on top of the eggs and move in down a slot and put a new drawer under the mesh drawer for more eggs. I then just keep up this cycle and use the larva when they are about 3/4″ to 1″ to feed my bluebirds.
It is not recommended to use a single container for everything as the beetles will feast on the new and old larva (mealworms) and eggs and the larva will feed on the young larva and eggs in spite of the amount of food, bran, cornmeal etc. that you have provided them.
There are a lot of resources available online, on YouTube, and a very good “how to” on the Sialis.org website. If you have any questions PM me here
David
Stafford, VACourtney, so sorry to hear this news. Yes, wrens are determined pests – but if you keep removing their nesting material they will eventually give up. I would remove the BB nest and let them start a fresh nest. You said that you have another box out there. They might start building their new nest in there.
You will normally put up the wren guard after the female blue lays the first egg. Has anyone used the wren guard prior to the first egg?
Good luck on the next try.David
Stafford, VAWish I was closer Carol. I have 2 drawers with a total of around 6000+ worms with 3500 more in my refrigerator. And I have around 8000 more small ones growing with 2 other drawers with many eggs incubating. Would like to share. My second brood should fledge on the 4tn.
David
Stafford, VAChris, if the hatch was on June third the expected fledge date would be June 20. I don’t know if one or two would leave earlier if they hatched a day before the others. My fledging’s have always be all-day affairs. I have only seen 2 fledge within 30 minutes of each other once.
David
Stafford, VAGood to see you again. The posting of photos is a bit of a chore, but once you do it several times it becomes very easy.
David
Stafford, VAGreat to hear that all of you have had good hatches. I am looking for mine on Friday (6/18).
David
Stafford, VALike the nestbox. Do you have a baffle on the pole to deter the climbing
critters?David
Stafford, VAThank you Judy. Mama bird is incubating 4 eggs. She had 4 hatch from the 5 eggs in the first nest so maybe this is what we will see for the rest of the year. hopefully we will get a third nest around mid July.
David
Stafford, VA
