On Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:29:03 -0000, "john stone"
wrote:

I've been moving the pots around on the patio the last few days in this
frosty weather since there are often worms underneath. He is so keen he is
just pushing me out of the way. After moving these pots a few times there
seems to be no more worms though.

Would it be worth while just having a little dig into the top soil, or would
that be a waste of time bearing in mind the earth here almost solid due to
the near minus temperatures.

I'm told freeze dried mealworms are the way to do, but at a local store they
are £3.50 for a very tiny tub which would not go very far. Grateful for
advice on where to buy them more economically. Thanks.

We tried dried mealworms over several weeks during two consecutive
winters a few years ago and they did not prove to be at all popular.
Having said that, live mealworms are very popular indeed in spring
when there are lots of young to be fed - it is a joy to watch.

Winter feed here is decent quality mixed seed sans cereal with added
sunflower hearts and suet pellets (the pink berry flavour variety) in
two different format feeders, peanuts for the woodpeckers in a peanut
feeder and the popular berry flavour fat cake which now resides in a
magpie proof cage and hence lasts more than a couple of days.

The resident rear garden robin visits the seed mix and fat cake
regularly and sometimes waits under the seed feeders for the stuff
that the blackbirds and nuthatch throw everywhere.
--
rbel