Bird House Maintenance
Bird houses and nesting boxes should be cleaned and disinfected at least once each year. Cleaning will keep the house and box useful longer and reduce bird parasite problems. Cleaning and disinfecting should be done before March 15, by washing the inside of the house with warm soapy water and then spraying creolin to disinfect the interior. Creolin can be purchased at most drug stores.
Place two to three inches of sawdust in houses for all cavity nesters, such as chickadees and woodpeckers. Many cavity nesters prefer rustic houses or sections of tree limbs with natural holes. Gourds may be used for crested flycatchers, wrens, tree swallows and purple martins. Phoebe nesting platforms should be under eaves and near water. Robin platforms should have a roof, while tree swallow nests should be placed near water.
The dimensions table gives dimensions for bird house construction and placement. |