When I first ordered these, the only thing to arrive was a bag of what looked like sawdust. My Husband and I searched the bag in vain, looking for signs of life. The bag was shaken , stirred and warmed up in an effort to enliven the contents.
It was only when asking advice from Ark that they discovered that the food for the wee critters had arrived but no Mealworms...so, silly me would have been waiting an awfully long wait before being able to feed the nestlings!
However, the actual live mealworms arrived promptly in a special box marked "Biological Contents. Care " which caused the Postie some consternation as he tried to establish what he would have done with this box of something suspect, had we not been in to receive the package! I think he worried that if they got wet , they´d transform into rabid , sharp toothed monsters as in the childrens´ film where small, furry, blobby animals turned very nasty if you let them get wet!
I fed and nurtured my Mealworms for many days without sacrificing them to the hungry hordes of Tits and Robins outside....but eventually the deed had to be done and they died in a very worthy cause.
Next time I shall buy a larger tub and keep some back to see if they metamorphosise (sic) into anything interesting?
Reply from Ark Wildlife: Fear not! You may get a few flour beetles scurrying around but no Gremlins(!); not even in the recent torrential rain :)