[Bluebird-babble] Blowfly evidence in bluebird boxes

[KathyDressel at aol.com]

I have cleaned out quite a few bluebird nestboxes on the Winkler Ranch and at 
Castlewood Canyon State Park.  I have noticed alot of blowfly pupae in the 
bottom of  at least 90% of those nests.  This is the first year that I have 
noticed such a huge presence of  this insect.  I also noticed them in the bottom 
of two of the nests I removed from boxes on my trail in Franktown (Deerfield).
I know that this was a good year for insects (weather-wise) in our area. I 
was wondering if anyone else has noticed the presence of blowfly larvae or 
pupae.  There have been several boxes in which I found dead nestlings.  I think 
that now I know the cause of their deaths.  I never did see larvae on any of the 
young, but the boxes are dark and I do not remove the nestlings to really 
examine them.
If the weather repeats itself next year, I am thinking of doing preventative 
maintenance on my three trails.  I will wait until the nests have been built  
and eggs have been laid, and then I will place a sprig of pine needles in the 
bottom of the boxes by gently raising the nest with a putty knife.
Has anyone else noticed this?  Any ideas?

Thanks,
Kathy Dressel



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