Greatbluehopefuls nest box 2019 & 2020 - Kildare,Ireland
Apr 15, 2020 8:56:10 GMT
WildlifePaul likes this
Post by greatbluehopeful on Apr 15, 2020 8:56:10 GMT
Hi all,
Well - one week to the day since the "CatGate" scandal. My birdboxes are still silent like a graveyard, one half nest, unfinished, and two empty boxes.
Not one visit to the boxes - that alone is highly unusual. I can only presume that having Spooky in the garden has deterred any further interest.
I was having an issue with a Queen wasp who was showing a real interest in the sideview box...repeated visits, in and out for the past four days....so I looked it up, and it seems likely she has chosen this box for her nest, which she will need to build quickly and colonise. I was worried she had already started her nest, so I needed to act quickly.
As there is still a shred of hope for a birds nest, I didn't want to cover up the entrance hole, so, one trick is to rub a bar of soap on the inside of the roof of the box - the 'paper' structure of the nest cannot adhere to the soap. So, as a start this is what I have done.
It is harmless to the wasp, who will give up and just go elsewhere... and also harmless to any potential late nesting birds, who won't care unless they don't like the smell of 'Dove'...
Failing that, I've heard lining the roof with tinfoil or a shiny material will also deter wasp nests...same principal - the nest won't adhere to the shiny surface. In another month, I will cover the hole though.
Well - one week to the day since the "CatGate" scandal. My birdboxes are still silent like a graveyard, one half nest, unfinished, and two empty boxes.
Not one visit to the boxes - that alone is highly unusual. I can only presume that having Spooky in the garden has deterred any further interest.
I was having an issue with a Queen wasp who was showing a real interest in the sideview box...repeated visits, in and out for the past four days....so I looked it up, and it seems likely she has chosen this box for her nest, which she will need to build quickly and colonise. I was worried she had already started her nest, so I needed to act quickly.
As there is still a shred of hope for a birds nest, I didn't want to cover up the entrance hole, so, one trick is to rub a bar of soap on the inside of the roof of the box - the 'paper' structure of the nest cannot adhere to the soap. So, as a start this is what I have done.
It is harmless to the wasp, who will give up and just go elsewhere... and also harmless to any potential late nesting birds, who won't care unless they don't like the smell of 'Dove'...
Failing that, I've heard lining the roof with tinfoil or a shiny material will also deter wasp nests...same principal - the nest won't adhere to the shiny surface. In another month, I will cover the hole though.