1 66 Wild Bird Guests 



larvae which are full-grown by September or 

 October of the same season, and larvae from the 

 late eggs do not attain their full growth until 

 about midsummer of the next season. A female 

 beetle lays from twenty to fifty eggs. While 

 practically any farinaceous material corn meal, 

 ground feed, cracker crumbs, bread crusts is 

 suitable, feeding experiments have proved that 

 wheat, in some form or other, is preferred and 

 yields the best specimens." 



Professor Hodge suggests that the best way to 

 rear a supply of meal worms is to take a good- 

 sized tight box or earthen jar, half fill it with 

 ground feed, corn meal, oatmeal, ground wheat, 

 bread crusts any or all of them some scraps 

 of leather, a raw potato or two to supply water, 

 and last and most important, drop into it a few 

 hundred larvae or beetles. They should be 

 covered with cloths woolen ones are best, but 

 cotton ones or burlap are almost as good, and 

 over all there should be a lid of wire screening. 

 The potatoes should be renewed as they are 

 eaten ; otherwise the insects should be left alone. 

 If the original stock is started about April, you 

 should have a fine lot of meal worms for use by 

 the fall. After that it will be an easy matter to 

 keep a supply on hand for feeding after cold 

 spring storms and in other emergencies. 



