how many landlords change nest?

[chickadee]

Just wondering if every one changes nest? And if so when? Is it necessary to always change them all? Or is it just if the nest is infested? Also if anyone has blue bird tree swallow experience should you change theirs and when?

[Tony Lau]

Here in the north we have trouble with blowfly larva infesting the nests. I change the nests when the babies are 5 days old and again at 15 days. Last year while we were banding my babies one of the nests had about 100 blowfly larva in it despite the fact I had changed the nest 8 days earlier.

[wyatt]

I have only done it once when the nest was infested with swallow bugs. We don't have blow fly's in the south.

[tonyg]

Never have in 15 yrs..prolly should have early on when I wasn't an "educated" landlord..Now I just add seven dust to the compartments and they do really well..

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Changing out nesting material is a personal choice with each landlord. The only time I changed a nest is when one would become very wet. The other reason to do a nest change is due to mites or other type of infestation, normally after the eggs have hatched. I also used seven 5% powder which I found very effective. Some landlords prefer not to use a chemical in their nests so again, this is also a personal choice with each landlord. From reading posts over the years, my guess is most landlords do not change out thier nests during the season.

Tim

[flyin-lowe]

Last year I added Seven under the nest a few days before the eggs were due to hatch. This way the babies wouldn't breath in the dust while i was adding it and as long as the nest stay dry it will last for quite a while. Seven has been used for a long time but not all use it. I know some landlords who don't even remove the nest at the end of the year and the martins use them year after year.

[Robbo]

I do several nest changes and add Sevin as big Blowfly problem here.

[JamesG]

I add seven dust to the bottom of the nest cavities then I add the nesting materials over it.
If I have a mite problem after that, I just add a little more seven dust around the underside of the outside edges of the nest.
Since I was a little kid, we dusted the dogs and cats with it, dusted around the house for fleas and I also use it to dust the garden for bugs using an old hand pump that belonged to my Dad.
So far, I have had no problems that I am aware of.
I am too chicken to change out the whole nest....
James

[chickadee]

Wow I am amazed to see how many people don't do the nest change. I always have changed mine even if it does not look bad. We even use same things they build with and make it look like it was. Mites have been the only thing that gets bad in some of them that have a lot of young in the nest. I just always wondered how landlords with a big colony change them. Lol) they don't. What a relief to know you can just keep an eye out and do ones that look really bad. My husband was worried about doing so many nest changes. Guess he can relax now.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Our colony is too large to do nest changes, so I change the nests about once every 2 years. I too use sevin dust, usually put it into the cavities before the martins arrive. On some occasions, I may need to add some more sevin dust late in the season. Mites are our only problem so the sevin dust takes care of them. I only put about 1/4 teaspoon of it in the nest. It seems crazy, but the martins prefer to use the old nests, but they get too heavy so I change them after 2 years or so, depending upon how much time I have.

If you refuse to use chemicals (sevin), then regular nest changes are a must, as the mites will quickly infest the entrie colony. Even with nest changes, the mites will still be on the babies, but the nest changes help to get rid of many of them.