# Fighting bugs with birds



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Jm423 mentioned in another thread that he is starting to get grasshopper problems. It made me think about the changes in bugs that I have seen here over the last couple of years.

Most of you guys probably have different birds around Texas than what I have here. The 2 kinds that I have here that are my heroes are Bluebirds and Phoebes. The Phoebes eat mostly flying insects, especially moths. The Bluebirds eat a lot of catepillars, grasshoppers (especially when they are still small), and other insects. Both seem to leave the bees alone, which is good.

I had a lot of bug problems until I encouraged these birds to nest by my gardens. The Pheobes nest on top of a security light under the eve of the barn, and Bluebirds in houses that are placed on fence posts surrounding the gardens. When pairs are raising young, I'm convinced that one family will eat 100 or more bugs per day. With 2 or more families, that's at least 1500 bugs per week! 

I use to get bugs on the potatoes, cabbage worms on all of the Cole plants, grasshoppers on everything, etc. Now, I get none of them.

If there are bug eating birds that you can attract to, and have them nest at your garden, it can make a huge difference.

Each fall or early spring I clean out the old nests so that these birds can have a fresh nesting spot. Most birds won't reuse an old dirty nesting spot.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Excellent post, Dick. We encourage all the birds, even the mockers, here. 

Build bluebird nests on posts near the garden and they are really active in late winter early spring here. Cardinals are great bug eaters and nearby feeders attract them. Purple martins are great around the garden and easy to attract. Did you know that hummingbirds eat a lot of insects, small ones? 

Occasionally I loose some produce to them, especially mockers, but they always pay me back many fold with songs and bug protection. Gardeners that use insect sprays often poison the birds that are far more effective on bugs than sprays and far less dangerous. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. 

Around here, the birds rule....and we almost never have insect problems, certainly none that require spraying.


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## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

We have martins and bluebirds early but they seem to move on, I guess to cooler climates. (Today, that sounds like a dern good idea!). Leaves us the mockers, barn sparrows, and the little mud-daubing swallows--the latter seem to do their share and more on flying insects. Last couple years, ole lady mocking bird has figured out that red Christmas tree ornaments really aren't good to eat, so now she mostly keeps tabs on blackberries and figs. But she can have her share for the bug control she does. The sparrows are vegetarians, I think. Maybe a few bugs. But I totally agree-more birds, less bugs. Just wish I could talk the local wild turkeys to come get into grasshopper control business around my garden. If I ever win the domestic difference of opinion about getting some ginueas, bug problems will minimize.


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## trout250 (Aug 24, 2005)

had a mockingbird with nest in my black berries for the help she gave in keeping everything else run off she ate very little.


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## MichaelW (Jun 16, 2010)

I encourage the birds to hang around. A couple of Phoebe's and a few Mockingbirds and I have very few bug problems in the garden. When there are few bugs around I go buy some meal worms at the pet store and put a few out every day. Keeps the birds around.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

Purple Martins and Blue Birds here too.Wouldn't be a garden without their help.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

The mocking birds reminded me this morning why they are considered valuable assets here...and its not just songs. They were dive bombing a bunch of crows that were trying to get into my corn patch...and they were doing a fine job harassing them. Funny to watch them chase those crows clear across the pasture dive bombing all the way, LOL. 

I've also seen them harass the squirrels trying to sample the corn. 

Yep, gotta love those birds....and they are well worth a few tomatoes to me.


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## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

Will any birds eat stinkbugs and leaf-footed bugs? And speaking of mockingbirds, I love to see them dive-bombing a cat.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

JM423,

Yes, bluebirds eat them...some claim they are a favored food. Problem is, for me at least, the bluebirds are mostly gone by the time stink bug season gets going good. 

Found this picture on the 'net:


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Right now, my Bluebirds are raising their 2nd batch of young. This 2nd batch should fledge around July 14th. Two of the five from the 1st batch of young are still hanging around and eating bugs. 

The Phoebes had 3 young survive to become adults. All 5 of them are still hammering the bugs around my gardens.

The 1 type of bug that they don't control up here are the cutworms (black and variegated). These 2 types of adult cutworms are a fairly large moth that is strictly nocturnal. There are a lot of species of cutworms, so you may get different varieties. The caterpillar stages of these 2 only travel on top of the ground at night as well. Burrowing in the ground during the day. Fortunately, these 2 types are done for the season by June 10th each year in my area.

I think that if I gave the Bluebirds flashlights, they would get the cutworms as well.


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## The Driver. (May 20, 2004)

Barn/Mud Swallows are my go to birds. I usually average a dz nest each year on my place. Second group of hatchlings for the parents of this nest in pic.


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## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

Yep, Driver--looks like my porch. Used to fight them off, now let them do their thing, hose off the porch floor periodically (when Mrs Joe sez), pressure washer after they leave. Get the mud dauber nests and spider webs too.


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Had a new bird in the fruit garden today. A male Scarlet Tanager! I had seen the male around the garden about a month ago, but thought that he had moved on. As it turns out they may have nested in the wooded back part of the property.

I looked them up on the net and it pointed out that they do prefer large wooded areas. My garden butts up to several square miles of woods. He just came to visit I guess. He did pick off a caterpillar in the raspberry bushes while he past through.

They are mainly bug eaters but will eat fruit when the bugs are scarce. Normally feed in the tree tops and not in garden settings. I really enjoyed his visit. Wish that I could have caught him on my own camera.


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