Summertime, and the livin is easy!
That is, unless you are trying to grow a garden. In late spring
and early summer, garden pests are on the rampage and can cause
many headaches for a backyard gardener. However, there is help
on the wing.When it
comes to pest control, birds can be an awesome benefit. When
bugs are at their worst, birds are at their best. Late spring
and early summer, birds are busy feeding this years crop of
hatchlings and given their choice of entrees from Nature menu,
baby birds list bugs at the top of the list.
Before the birds begin to look
for bugs to feed their hungry babies, they need to find a place
to build their nests. If you take pains to keep your landscape
just so-so and trimmed immaculately, you might want to find a
spot where you can sit-back-and-relax Dedicate this area to a
more nature look to help attract birds. In doing so, the more
nesting birds you can get in your yard, the more hungry babies
there will be to feed and the more natural pest control will be
at your disposal. Small trees and twiggy shrubs tend to attract
the attention of parent birds looking for a new home.
Along with food, birds also
need water, for both drinking and bathing. If the water is
moving, it really catches their interest. Check with your garden
center for a bubbler if you have a birdbath. Otherwise, consider
installing an outdoor fountain.
In return for all the hard work
the birds will do for you ridding your garden of pests, consider
offering them a special snack now and then. Rather than removing
all your feeders when winter has said goodbye for awhile, keep
at least one out and fill it with quality seeds. A combination
of seeds will help attract sparrows, cardinals, chickadees and
grosbeaks. Also consider adding a non-melt suet cake and the
titmice and woodpeckers will be regulars as well. While they are
in the area, you can count on them to round out their diet with
a few insect larvae and other etymological delicacies.
Be sure as you work to attract
birds to your garden, you take precautions to help ensure their
safety. You want to protect these pest control experts from
predators and unnecessary accidents. Begin by placing bird
feeders and houses in appropriate places. If you place feeders
and houses close to windows, the likelihood of kamikaze birds
into the reflective glass is greatly reduced. On the other hand,
if you have a large area, place the houses and feeders far
enough away you need binoculars to monitor the activity. In this
way, the birds will not get close enough to the window
reflections. The feeders also need to be kept in an area where
predators cannot sneak up on the birds and at least five feet
off the ground.
Follow these handy ideas and
you should be rewarded with a number of friendly feathered worm
warriors who will help to keep your garden pest free and your
trees full of song.
