Monday, November 17, 2008

It's Time To Clean Out The Birdhouses

Once your birds have moved on and the weather becomes brisk, you should set some time aside to cleaning out your birdhouses.

Remember, even if your birds do not migrate, the nesting season is over by late fall.

We make all our birdhouses fully functional for the outdoors. The backs, bottoms or tops can be unscrewed for cleaning. We also make some with the backs or sides that open too.

If you have a favorite birdhouse that does not have this feature, you can carefully take off one piece. You can always refasten it with a hinge or a screw.

It is very simple to clean out a birdhouse. First you should remove the nesting materials from the house. Some people like to collect the nest. If you are one of them, just make sure you spray the nest with bug spray and let it sit for at least 24 hours before bringing it inside.

You may find unwanted guests in your birdhouse, such as mice or insects. Kindly remove these intruders also. It is unwise to use bug spray inside the birdhouse.

Once your birdhouse is empty, scrub the inside with a stiff brush and soapy sudsy water. Make sure to rinse thoroughly.

If you put your birdhouses back up for the winter, remember to check them again in early early spring. Many of the birds that do not migrate will seek shelter in them during the cold winter months. You may need to clean them out again depending on the activity during the winter.

When your birds return in the spring, their home will be clean and ready for a new family of birds for you to enjoy.


1 comment:

UniqueNurseGranny said...

Mice in a birdhouse?Wow.How do they get up there..that would scare me.Love your work but cleaning anything is not a favoooooorite for me thus the poor birdhouses suffer..Sorry.