How to feed Bluebirds mealworms
Bluebirds can be found on the ground but their natural feeding behavior would see them eat on elevated surfaces, thus to use a feeder or dish it must be off the ground.
How to feed Bluebirds mealworms in the live or dry kind is with their own blue in color dish - which can be found on a specialty Bluebird feeder. You can put mealworms in any kind of ceramic bowl yet they'd benefit if fed mealworms with no feeder at all. Rely on the tray mounted to a pole or use any open face feeder.
Bluebirds can be found to briefly fly down to the ground to catch insects, or indeed catch insects to eat while in flight in the air, believe it or not.
Now this would normally make it difficult to decide how to feed dried or live mealworms to Bluebirds... when their in-flight feeding behavior can't really be imitated when fed mealworms like this.
Well, thankfully we know Bluebirds can actually be attracted to feeders, thus we can attract Bluebirds to feed out of an accessible feeder. Remember, Bluebirds don't like to combat a small compact feeder, thus it must ideally be an open face bird feeder.
Dried mealworms can attract all kind of wild birds although with Bluebirds its different, because their food must be seen in an open tray; or if you like you can scatter mealworms in trees or vegetation [as seen in the featured picture above] if you know they will find it over the course of the day.
With an option to put mealworms in a wire bird feeder to keep it dry but accessible to many, Bluebirds would prefer them out in the elements.
Personally, I would put the dried or live mealworms in a shallow cereal bowl or an old pet food bowl - which can be blue in color as an attractive draw to Bluebirds - then position it anywhere in the yard which will see a bigger uptake in use.
Rely on natural vegetation like trees to dump mealworms in, with an unused birdhouse hanging off a tree limb or branch, plus a more visible porch or deck railing, a fence, wall, or the roof of outdoor buildings - of which can be used to drop mealworms on.
Add Mealworms to Blue dish
First thing you can turn to when finding ways to feed dried or live mealworms to Bluebirds is using a simple blue in color dish, in which Bluebirds can be attracted to.
Blue in color because Bluebirds can be attracted to the blue plumage of other Bluebirds, thus the striking blue can be the reason why your local Bluebirds could be drawn to the dish full of mealworms.
Best Bluebird feeders are those made for mealworms, with the blue dish acting as an holder for dried or live mealworms - or if you like a bunch of wild berries' Bluebirds can be fed, especially in wintertime.
Individual blue dishes might not be what you come to rely on, but can be beneficial in a way they can be easily moved around the yard in order to find an effective spot where Bluebirds and other birds can happily feed undisturbed.
What you must be adding dried or live mealworms in when feeding Bluebirds in particular, is any spare dish attached to a proper blue Bluebird feeder.
It could be a mounted or hanging glass dish or you could throw mealworms into one or two dishes affixed to their own roofed but still open feeder.
Feed Bluebirds Mealworms on surface
What with Bluebirds being one of many insect-eating birds in our yards, yet are one of a few like the American Robins who find it difficult to combat small compact bird feeders; thus how to feed Bluebirds mealworms would be on the outside of feeders.
Don't necessary rely on a made in blue, intended for Bluebird feeders; when in fact you only need to add a handful of dried - or live mealworms - for Bluebirds anywhere you see fit within your outdoor property.
While Bluebirds are seen more fluttering down to the ground to catch insects in-flight, rather than committing to fully landing - it can be difficult to decide how to feed Bluebirds.
Seeing as Bluebirds are commonly found to perch on elevated bird feeders, we can comply with these rules by spreading out mealworms on higher points around the yard.
What that will involve is spreading dried mealworms on the porch or deck railing, on top of a wall - or spread them along a length of fencing or on top of the fence post.
Do avoid feeding Bluebirds directly on the ground as its a behavior they tend to avoid, so will prefer to feed in the open rather than forage on the ground.
Don't put dried or live mealworms in any kind of bird feeder when attracting Bluebirds, though it certainly can be an option if to at least sustain the mealworms in poor weather - all while keeping the Bluebirds safe as they feed.
Pole-mount Mealworm feeder dish
On the subject of keeping Bluebirds off the ground in order to protect them from natural predators, and of course cats - you must feed birds far off the ground.
How you can feed Bluebirds mealworms this way is to simply rely on what is likely to be a wire mesh metal tray mounted to a classic bird feeding station or Shepard's Hook pole.
Bird feeder pole systems are often sold with all the bird feeders you need; and what is a dish or tray that can be mounted anywhere up the pole that can allow you to offer bird food like mealworms - that don't commonly go in feeders.
Bluebirds will attempt to use a bird feeder of any kind if it contains their favorite dried or live mealworms; with this open face tray being a big help when serving dried mealworms or the wiggling live mealworm option.
How to feed mealworms to Bluebirds is by using this simple pole mounted metal tray.
Bluebirds will be seen to perch around the rim rather than walk over the mealworms; all while the moisture will run though the wire mesh gaps so there's no issues with flooding.
Favor unobstructed open bowl
Bluebirds are one of many common backyard birds who eat mealworms, including Orioles, Wren's, and the reliable Cardinal; thus there's no harm in thinking about other less fortunate bird species who can't or indeed refuse to use a bird feeder.
What you can do instead is add any dried or live mealworms you have available to put in an unwanted ceramic bowl or a small pet food dish.
Birds of all abilities can indeed land on the rim or perch beside a bowl laid out on a flat surface somewhere in the yard, thus most small or large size birds can eat.
You can still turn to a blue in color ceramic bowl if you wanted to as it at least can be used as a draw to Bluebirds in particularly; what you won't get away with is only feeding Bluebirds - as other birds are bound to show up to eat.
How to feed dried mealworms to wild birds in your yard should be within a shallow but heavy ceramic bowl that remains stable when birds swarm on it.
You'd want to situate this bowl on an elevated point in the yard, yet is located in a sunlit area where Bluebirds can use it with no obstructions holding them back.
Conclusion
First and foremost you'd want to dump off any spare dried or the live mealworm kind, into a dish that is commonly affixed to a specialist roofed Bluebird feeder.
Benefit to that is keeping the mealworms out of the elements while providing an accessible platform that is designed to allow Bluebirds in particular - to feed in a way that is suited to their limited bird feeder ability.
It will probably be a blue dish in color as Bluebirds can be attracted to the blue plumage of their species - so this method could work just as well when you want to attract Bluebirds to a food source.
Rather than depend on a specialty bird feeder made for Bluebirds in mind, you can simply use an unwanted, ex-cereal bowl or pet food dish which could still be blue - yet will be shallow enough to make it easy on Bluebirds and other birds to feed out of.
No bowl, dish or suspended bird feeder can be used as you could rely on objects or natural foliage in your yard to drop dried mealworms on.
Dried mealworms only as you'd want to contain live mealworms in a bowl as they'd soon disappear as they slowly wiggle away.
If making use of any kind of bird feeder pole that comes with a metal tray to mount to the pole, then this will be a great example of how to feed mealworms to Bluebirds in a clear, unobstructed yet safe manner.
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