How to Build a Bluebird Box Bluebird Box Dimensions: Floor Size 5" x 5" Box Height 8 to 12" Entrance Hole 1-1/2" Bluebird boxes should be made of cedar or other durable wood. Drill ventilation holes in the upper sides and drainage holes in the bottom. Front opening boxes allow you to check the progress of the birds without disturbing them.

Mounting the Bluebird Box:
Mount your Bluebird box on utility poles, fence posts, or trees four to five feet above ground. Try to face the box toward a shrub or tree within 100 feet. When the babies leave the nest this will help make their first flight a safe one. If predators or cats are a concern, make a funnel shaped collar from tin or other non-grippable material and place it around the post or pole six to eight inches below the box.

Feeding Bluebirds
The bluebird diet is made up of 60-80% insects, balanced out with berries and fruits. Try mixing chopped fruit, berries, and chopped peanut kernels with suet and offering it on a platform feeder. Place some mealworms on the feeder too as the bluebirds consider them a delicacy.

The best time to start feeding bluebirds mealworms and suet is early spring when they scout a territories looking for a desirable nesting area. Having a nest box and the availability of mealworms may be the difference between attracting bluebirds to your yard or having them move on.

Bluebird Suet Recipe: 1 cup crunchy peanut butter 2 cups quick cook oats 2-1/2 cups cornmeal (plain) 1 cup lard (do not substitute) Optional: 1 cup wild bird seed, nuts raisins, dried fruit, insects, mealworms Melt lard and peanut butter. (Micro-wave works best) Add remaining ingredients. Mix in large bowl, fill a wire cage, and hang on a pole or crumble on platform feeder.

Feeding Mealworms:
Mealworms are not really worms at all but are the larval form of the darkling beetle (Tenebrio molitor). They are easy to raise, do not carry human diseases, and most importantly, are a nutritious food supplement readily accepted by bluebirds.

Offer Mealworms to:
• Entice bluebirds to use a nest box
• Assist the incubating female to find food quickly so she does not have to leave her eggs for long periods of time
• Act as supplementary food for nestlings if food becomes scarce when weather conditions prevent the parents from finding insects
• Help them survive during spells of severe winter weather

Feeding Mealworms to Bluebirds:
If you have never seen or rarely see bluebirds around your yard, chances are that offering mealworms will result in your feeding the other birds who frequent your yard. While they will certainly appreciate your offering, your investment may fall short of it's intended target. If you already have bluebirds and just want to ensure they stay, mealworms can be an effective enticement. In cold climates, small over-wintering songbirds like chickadees, nuthatches, etc. appreciate a small hanging cup of mealworms.

If you want to dissuade larger birds from your worms, a hopper style feeder is a good choice. Mealworms can be placed inside the feeder with the bluebirds entering from a hole at either end. Naturally curious, bluebirds will readily explore this type of feeder and quickly recognize it as a food source. The 1-1/2" hole at each end will effectively exclude larger birds. Smaller birds will soon catch on, but an aggressive male bluebird will usually defend "his" feeder, especially if he and his mate are nesting nearby. Some find that putting a flat saucer with a few worms in it on top of the hopper feeder will help draw the bluebird’s attention to the location of the feeder. Once they become familiar with the routine, the saucer should be removed and mealworms placed inside the feeder. The location of the feeder can also be moved as the birds become familiar with it, and then moved to a spot where it is easier for you to watch them feed. One of the highlights of feeding mealworms to bluebirds is watching the fledged young start coming down to the feeder, first begging to be fed and eventually figuring out for themselves how to get the tasty treats on their own. Keep an eye on the feeder for the occasional bird who enters and then can't figure out where the exit is!

Because they should be used as a supplemental food, mealworms should only be offered once or twice a day unless poor weather conditions dictate more frequent feeding. A hundred or so worms offered morning and evening would be adequate for a pair with a box of nestlings.