How to Build a Mealworm Bird Feeder

Mealworms provide necessary live protein for insect-eating songbirds such as swallows, bluebirds and robins. While some wild insects feed on animal droppings or decaying flesh, mealworms eat a 100 percent grain diet, making them a nutritious, disease-free choice for feeding insect eaters. You can purchase mealworms at pet supply stores, and buy bird feeder supplies at hardware or home supply stores.

Things You'll Need

  • Handsaw
  • 4-inch diameter PVC pipe
  • 2 PVC pipe end caps
  • Drill
  • Sandpaper or file
  • Disc-shaped object
  • White paint
  • Hook or eye screw
  • Bolt
  • Cable tie
  • Squirrel baffle
  • Oats
  • Carrot slices
  • Mealworms
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Saw an 8-inch-long section of PVC pipe using your handsaw.

    • 2

      Place end caps on both ends of the PVC pipe. Drill a few tiny holes in the bottom end cap to allow for drainage.

    • 3

      Drill two holes on opposite sides of the PVC pipe with a 1 ½-inch drill bit. The holes will allow birds to access the worms in the feeder.

    • 4

      Sand the rough edges of the holes with a file or sandpaper.

    • 5

      Paint a disc-shaped object white to reflect the sun to prevent the mealworms from overheating. Drill a hole through the center of the disc and the center of the top PVC end cap. Screw a hook screw through the top of the disc and secure it in place with a bolt.

    • 6

      Thread a cable tie through the hook screw. For added protection against squirrels, slide a cone-shaped squirrel baffle over the cable tie.

    • 7

      Hang the cable tie on a shepherd's crook or tree branch.

    • 8

      Add old-fashioned oats and a few carrot slices to the feeder to provide food and moisture for mealworms. Replace the oats and carrots regularly.

    • 9

      Fill the feeder with live mealworms.