200



Correspondence.



mealworm box self-supporting is generally due either to keeping the box in too

cold a place or using too small a box. For some years I had three mealworm

boxes in three different aviaries. These boxes were about 16in. X 6in. X 12in.

deep, and were placed a few inches above the heating pipes. They were warm

enough when the pipes were warm, but too cold when the heating was off. A

considerable number of worms were bred in these boxes, but they were not self-

supporting and a good many worms had to be purchased.


About ten months ago I decided to put the contents of all three boxes into

one large one. I purchased a large zinc corn bin which I half-filled with the

usual sacking cork, leather, etc., and into this I bundled my stock of worms and

beetles. The result has been most satisfactory. The mealworms had begun

to increase rapidly just before the war began and all this winter my new box has

given me an abundant supply. There may be a slight falling in supply for a

time now as so many are turning into beetles, but I think I shall have sufficient

coming on to supply all I want without buying. I think the reason for a larger

bin doing so much better than a small box is that the greater amount of sacking

and larger number of inseets generates a heat inside the box independent of

external warmth.


While writing this I have received the copy of The Field for February

27th, and in it I see that Mr. Seth-Smith mentions stick insects as food for birds

and small animals. I was going to mention the excellence of these insects as a

food, as I have used them for three or four years now. My stick insects are kept

in a wooden case with fine wire gauzes at each end for ventilation and glass doors

in front for inspection and manipulation. There is a fixed zinc tray about 2gin.

deep with about l^in. of silver sand in it. The insects are fed on bunches of

privet in jars of water and these bunches are renewed about twice a week. At

first the difficulty was how to change the privet without losing a lot of insects in

handling them. But this is quite easy to do, for all that is necessary is to place

the fresh bunches into the cage and the insects will soon transfer themselves. In

summer time it is advisable to give the old privet bunches to the birds to pick

over or there might be trouble if any stray insects found their way to choice

bushes. I notice that Mr. Seth-Smith in the Notes I refer to mentions that

a temperature of 80o is desirable for the breeding of stick insects, this however is

not my experience. I keep my breeding case in a cage room where the tempera¬

ture is kept at about 6(X>— 65o, and sometimes when no birds have been in this

room and the heating has been off, the thermometer has fallen to round about

50o. I find these insects extremely prolific and I use them in large numbers,

especially for delicate birds and those that may be out of sorts, as they are more

digestible than mealworms. The old insects die after laying their eggs, but the

dead bodies cause no smell as they dry up directly. These are quite interesting

creatures apart from their food value and they have an extraordinary power of

changing their colour to match whatever they may be on. If they are on the

wood work of their case they will turn brown, but on the privet they are green.


E. J. Brook.



