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DIY Mealworm Dish

Mealworms are small brown worms that look somewhat like caterpillars. Suitable food for birds to encourage them to visit your garden, reptiles also may have mealworms as part of their diet. Bought mealworm dishes have curved edges to prevent the creature wriggling out of the trough. However, it is not necessary to purchase a new dish when you can simply recycle materials at home and make your own.

Things You'll Need

Pencil
Wood block, 2 inches by 5 inches by 5 inches
Chisel
Hammer
Sandpaper
Small heating pad

Instructions

- 1
  Position the block of wood flat on a stable surface. Use the pencil to draw a circle onto the square face of the wood. Ensure the circle touches each of the four sides, so it fills up the whole surface.
- 2
  Place the chisel vertically on the edge of the circle, and tap the end firmly with the hammer. The chisel will drive into the wood, removing portions. Brush the shards of wood to one side so you can clearly see which areas of wood you have removed. However, do not chisel through the block. Leave a 0.5 inch base on the block.
- 3
  Move the chisel around the perimeter of the circle and continue to remove the wood with the chisel. Then, once this is completed, move inwards toward the middle of the block of wood. You need to hollow out the area within the circle. Again, don't forget to leave a 0.5-inch base at the bottom of the block.
- 4
  Tidy up the inside surface of the DIY mealworm dish with sandpaper. Rub the chisel marks in the wood with the sandpaper to even out the inner surface. It does not need to be perfect, but check that you remove large chips, splinters or sharp ridges.
- 5
  Put the DIY mealworm dish on a small heated mat outside. Then, put the mealworms inside. The heated pad keeps the mealworms warm for the birds.

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