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Warning: My bluebird box became a wasp hotel last May
I had this perfect spot behind my garage where bluebirds nested for 3 years straight. Then one morning in May I saw wasps swarming around the entrance hole instead of birds. I opened it up and found a giant paper nest right on top of 4 dead bluebird eggs. It was heartbreaking honestly after watching those parents raise chicks for so long. I now check all my boxes at the start of every month from April through June. Has anyone else dealt with wasps taking over their nest boxes during spring?
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young.nora9d ago
I mean realistically how often does this actually happen though
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martinez.kim9d ago
Put a fake wasp nest near your bluebird box. Wasps are territorial and won't build where they think another colony is. I hung one about 20 feet from my boxes last spring and the problem stopped completely. The trick is getting it up before the queen starts scouting in early April. You can buy them online or just crumple a paper bag into a ball and hang it with string.
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That crumpled paper bag trick is actually genius, idk why I never thought of that. It's funny how so many problems in life have these super simple, almost old-timey solutions that nobody tells you about until you stumble onto them on a forum like this.
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