Do Squirrels Eat Mealworms? 5 Types Of Worms That Squirrels Eat

If you have seen how birds hungrily devour mealworms, you don’t need to be told that these scrumptious edibles are their favorite.

Will a squirrel gollop mealworms as it would for hazelnuts? Do squirrels eat mealworms? I was just curious as you are, and thanks to my research. At least I’m informed and also ready to help you unpack this esoteric question.

Typically, squirrels won’t turn their back on many foodstuffs, but there are those which they despise. If you don’t know the squirrels’ favorite food, you might have difficulty pleasing your pet. Let’s see if mealworms are a thing for squirrels.

This article has been reviewed by Dr. Linda. Read more about our knowledge control process here.

Do Squirrels Eat Mealworms?

We are getting there! Squirrels are opportunistic eaters, and that isn’t undisclosed. Would you let your dear squirrel eat just anything because it’s edible? I suggest not! Squirrels need to eat tasty and nutritious foods as we do.

Talking of that, should you even think of buying mealworms for your squirrel? Do squirrels eat mealworms? Truly, squirrels are omnivores and have a multitude of preference foods, including mealworms. They do eat mealworms.

Mealworms provide an incredible balance of amino acids, vitamins, and high-quality protein. Squirrels are naturally attracted to these mouth-watering viands and can eat them again and again.

Mealworms have almost the same health benefits as fish and are tremendously important to the health of squirrels. For instance, the growing and breeding squirrels have a high demand for proteins and always turn to mealworms.

5 Types of Worms that Squirrels Eat

Squirrels try as much as possible to avoid anything startling them. But if they can get food without any physical threat, they won’t hesitate to gobble it up provided that it’s palatable.

To tell the truth, squirrels don’t show a second thought to protein foods; they’ll eat any of these available foods.

Besides mealworms, squirrels have a good taste for other worms such as earthworms, grub worms, wireworms, cutworms, and caterpillars.

You will enjoy watching a busy squirrel digging for worms; they do it in a committed manner and hungrily eyeing the worms. Most worms are jiggling superfoods; they’re stuffed with iron, protein, and amino acids.

What Else Do Squirrels Eat in Your Garden?

Do you find squirrels to be fascinating? Most people love these frisky creatures and are mesmerized by their looks. However, if squirrels pay a visit to your garden, you might find them annoying and fail to see the praise people give them.

They can be messy in our gardens, especially if there is any growing foodstuff. Squirrels are more of vegetarians, and therefore find so many good things to eat from a garden.

They are popular in gobbling nuts and seeds but can also feast on fruits, leaves, garden seedlings, berries, tree buds, and flowers. All these are plant materials growing in almost every garden.

If you look at a squirrel opening its mouth or eating food, you will notice its long front incisors. These teeth never stop growing, thus forcing squirrels to gnaw about anything they put their hand on to put the teeth in good shape.

How Do You Prevent Squirrels from Eating the Mealworms of The Birds You Keep?

Squirrels often visit the bird feeders and are natural thieves of bird foods. This behavior annoys many people causing them to lack sleep, thinking of means to eliminate these robbery furballs.

Are you that person who is fed up with squirrels stealing your birds’ mealworms? It’s all good now; squirrels will no longer give you a headache. I have the solution to this problem. 

You can repel these rodents from your area by applying three critical measures: use hot pepper, a string soda bottle on a wire, or try caged bird feeders/get a squirrel-proof feeder.

Use Hot Peppers

Do you find it interesting that hot peppers can effectively deter squirrels? How does this pungent ingredient perform this fantastic job?

Squirrels immensely dislike hot pepper for one reason; it has capsaicin, which makes these peppers hot.

Squirrels hate both the smell and taste of capsaicin, and if they detect its presence in food, be assured they will eat no more. They hate it because it irritates their mouth. Fortunately, capsaicin doesn’t react negatively to birds; it causes them no harm.

Treat your bird’s mealworm with hot pepper and give the birds a humble time to consume the food.

String Soda Bottle on a Wire

Soda bottles on a wire can also help to keep squirrels out of bird feeders. This method was tested and approved by using plastic soda bottles strung lengthwise on a steel wire.

Make holes on the bottom of a plastic one-liter bottle, and string it lengthwise on a 30-foot heavy galvanized wire running through the holes to its open end

Hang the bottle appliances above the bird feeders, and be sure to keep the feeders high enough off the ground. Squirrels slide down the bottle appliance should they try to access the feeders.

Try Caged Bird Feeders/Get A Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder.

Using squirrel-proof feeders or caged bird feeders is also a viable solution to keeping squirrels off your birds’ mealworms. This is the most commonly deployed technique to rid off the agile squirrels from accessing the bird feeders.

Squirrel-proof feeders or caged bird feeders are made of materials that these intrusive rodents can’t damage. They deter many intruders from acquiring foods intended for the birds.

These feeders come in different shapes and sizes and are the top option in attracting a wide range of birds. The brome squirrel buster plus squirrel-proof feeder is a gem when it comes to squirrel-proof bird feeders.

How Do You Get Rid of Squirrels Naturally?

If you don’t like squirrels or have become bothersome intruders in your garden or home, there are a couple of options to get rid of them. I know squirrels can be devastating if given the freedom to access gardens and properties.

Killing squirrels because you want them out of your area won’t be a good choice; it’s heartless to kill them.

Instead of exterminating a squirrel and cutting off its generation, there are humane solutions to adopt. This includes hiding things that attract squirrels, e.g., bird feeders, use sudden water spray or dogs to frighten squirrels, Natural repellents, e.g., daffodils are disgusting to squirrels, etc.

To learn more approaches that you can use, visit 9 Humane Solutions To Protect Your Garden From Squirrels.

Wrapping Up

Mealworms are among the perfect superfood for squirrels. They are excellent sources of essential nutrients like protein, iron, and vitamins. The protein from dried mealworms is something else!

Squirrels are friendly, delightful, and prepossessing. However, you can hate them for nothing if you encounter their bottom side. Squirrels are pre-eminent thieves of bird feeders and garden crops.

Luckily, you can successfully deter these inquisitive rodents from your garden and bird feeders naturally without killing them.