I recently took over an Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) nest box route. The man who had tended to them for years took a job in another state, and heard about me from a mutual acquaintance. As luck would have it, I live about 5 minutes from the area. Since I ultimately determined that banding wasn’t for me, I was glad to have an opportunity to help birds in a less intrusive way. This was my first time to make the rounds.
This is the beautiful park where 5 out of 10 of the boxes are located. This is a pecan orchard, full of grand, mature Pecan trees (Carya illinoinensis) .
This is the not-so-fun part of tending the nest boxes. Yikes! Wasps! But I knew to expect them. My plan?
- Set backpack down about 20 ft from box
- Use cordless drill to unscrew the front panel
- Go back to the backpack and exchange drill for a long stick
- Open the front panel with stick and RUN (upwind)
- When the coast is clear, jab at wasp nest with said stick, and RUN!
- Repeat as needed until wasp nest falls out.
I did this for each box, and had it perfected after the second box, with only one trip-and-fall. No stings, so I’m feelin’ good about it. Only 3 of the 7 boxes that I got to that morning had wasps.
I have to admit, I was a little leary of this one. I had also been advised to keep an eye out for snakes, and I thought that this box looked like it may have a snake lurking around somewhere! I managed to bend back most of the plants so that I had a clear path to run. To my extreme relief and delight, there was an old nest in the box. WAY better than wasps!
I am thinking that this box has been used by more than a bluebird though - someone has been working on that entrance hole!
This is an entirely new experience for me, and I look forward to sharing what I learn about bluebirds and nest boxes. I’m guessing I’ll have a few stories to share as well. 
October 14th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
I am very impressed. . . and glad the birds are lucky enough to have found you to help them. These great photos really do enable us to understand what you are doing and how you are assisting in making life better for these beautiful birds.
Jane
October 15th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I wonder if it might be better to wait until after the first freeze to clean the boxes. That way the wasps would be dead and they would have a chance to complete their life cycle.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
You may have a good point, Carole. The man who showed me how to tend the boxes told me that the bluebirds roosted in the boxes in the winter, in addition to raising families in the spring. I was just wondering to myself if the boxes would be better roosts if I left the nest material in there. I haven’t done any of my own independent research, though. I was invited to call him anytime, and he recommended a couple of websites for more information. I would also find out if the bluebirds would eliminate the wasps themselves if they wanted to roost in the box. I welcome any advice, and will update with what I learn on my own. Thanks, Carole.
October 19th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I did some research today and learned that bluebirds will not try to remove wasps themselves. I also called the man who tended these boxes for years, and he told me that the bluebirds will roost in the boxes during the winter, but don’t use nests. So, I still need to clear the last 3 boxes of old nest material. I read that some people believe that the paper wasps are beneficial…so I don’t know what I will do if I find any more wasps!