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Dale, they won’t mind being in a box that high. That height is not necessary though and I wouldn’t have one that high because it’s so difficult to monitor. Will you be monitoring your box? The rule of thumb is at least 5 feet to the hole entrance.
Tammy
I use peanut butter, lard (in the bucket from Walmart), cornmeal, oatmeal, flour, sugar (melted with lard and pb), and sometimes eggshell, sunflower seed chpd, etc.
Lubricator….sugar mixed in with yor lard and pb mixture might help. It seems most of the recipes call for it. I use Bet’s recipe. She’s the one that wrote Sialis website.Tammy
Yikes. I’m thankful we don’t have many rat snakes up here. I know a lot of purple martin landlords that have to use netting under their houses because of snakes.
Tammy
What?!! That’s crazy. Where are you from? I can’t remember. There’s a few inches of snow on the ground here this morning.
Tammy
That’s not a repeating trap though, right? Please don’t give up on the Repeating Trap. It’s not the easy season to catch HOSP but it will soon be. You’ll be **AMAZED** how many this trap catches…if you have a ton at your place. It just takes awhile to get the first one. I put mine directly on the ground.
Tammy
Hi, Randay. Welcome. This forum moved about a year ago and many of the people haven’t moved with us so it’s a little slow right now but probably will pick up with nesting season starting. Glad you’re here.
Tammy
Aww….chickadees. Hope they stay! They will build their mossy nest on top of the other one. I’m not sure what happens to your bluebirds. They may or may not come back. If the dees use that box can you put up a second box so the blues can use it if they want? Put one up now and maybe the dees will choose the new one. One the dees nest and lay the first egg you can put a hole reducer on the inside so that bluebirds won’t sabotage there nest.
Tammy
It’s not that the fishing wire and spookier doesn’t help at all. It might help for awhile but HOSP are very adaptable and end up getting past things like that. You would be amazed at how many people have told us that they can’t trap and dispose of HOSP but are now doing it. It only takes a couple of disasters before people reconsider. I so hate for you to give up bluebirds. They are so much fun…as you know. Try those other things and see what happens.
Tammy
Unfortunately they will keep trying to nest. Usually removing their nests does not deter them. Even if they do give up by that time your bluebirds will move on to another box somewhere. And yes, he’ll move on to the next box you have. They are also known to retaliate when their nests are removed or unsuccessful…or so it seeems.
I understand your sentiments on not killing them. When I first started this bluebird hobby I couldn’t kill them so I would take them far away and release them but then became aware that was frowned upon because I was just causing some other bluebird host issues. I finally decided I had to dispose of them. It is hard even now but necessary.
In my opinion the only way to get rid of this current problem is tontrap that HOSP pair with a Van Ert trap and then eliminate those HOSP.Tammy
