Should bird houses be cleaned out in the fall
Come the fall is the time when most birds that nest in spring through summertime inside a birdhouse, would actually vacant the nest box in your yard.
Bird houses should be clean out in the fall as its the only time they become empty of nesting, or roosting birds. Clean out is essential for making space for new birds in the spring, but the removal of old nesting material must be gone for this to happen. Clean out the bird house in fall, but early September is best.
Its that time of the year again when your bird house mounted in the yard requires a clean out of its old material, but to disinfect to kill remaining bacteria is a must.
Come fall you do need to clean out bird houses, with any time in September offering you a window of opportunity, with no issues at all in relation to birds being still present.
It can be possible occupants could still be present in a late nesting season, but its rare.
Clean out your bird house as early as mid-August to be done with it, as this can make sure you are prepared for early roosting birds come late fall into wintertime.
Remove the box completely of its nesting material, if it was indeed used; its only then would new birds nest, as they don't re-use old nesting material belonging to other birds.
Prepare your bird houses early as possible as it could be possible to see bird roost in their for the winter - so pull the bird house down to clean out - to get it back up by the end of September.
While you're at it, and with any spare non toxic exterior paint available, it would help to give your bird house a new lease of life with a splash of fresh paint to maintain the bird house for the coming nesting season.
Bird houses need cleaning in fall
For most local backyard birds in the United States, early fall would be the best time to clean out the bird house.
Come mid-August most birds would have left the box to begin the tough process of getting through the cold, frosty nights of Autumn.
Excellent then because you can guarantee, under most circumstances, the bird house to be clear of its occupants.
Cleaning can involve a simple clear out of the nesting material followed by an important thorough wash - along with disinfecting the box if needed, in which it probably would be as bacteria can remain on the interior.
You can clean your bird house come August if the nesting birds have left, but you do have the option to wait until September, through November.
However, its important to know birds that uses bird houses do often like to roost in the box to stay warm in the cold autumn through winter months.
Get the box cleaned out ASAP then so birds can roost early rather than later.
Carry out other maintenance
Point of cleaning out a bird house in the fall is waiting until all birds, and their young have long gone, allowing you to clean out the box without disturbing late nesters.
In this time you would need to clean out the bird house with a gentle but thorough clean of a simple dish soap wash.
Nothing to it really as it only requires access to the interior of the bird house in which you need to carry out other maintenance work before a clean with soap or a disinfectant solution can be applied.
What you must focus on is removing the natural nest material from within the bird house.
Easy as it is to simply grab and pull it all out, but nesting material can indeed stick to the interior walls where a little scraping would be required.
Reserve a wallpaper scraper for this, as it can also be used to clean wooden bird feeders - of the hanging or platform on a pole kind.
What you would probably come across in this time is the broken shells that must be removed, along with everything else so you can clean the walls of the interior bird house.
Birds can still be present
Unfortunately, there can often be a few late arrivals to nesting in a bird house, in which could result in a few occupants to leave the nest box later than normal.
Not much later, with mid-August being about the time for most backyard birds, so it can be until early September a guarantee the parents have gone.
That means the bird house can indeed be used in the fall, but an early fall only with a mid-September certain to be ready to be cleaned out.
Birds can be present in a bird house long before this in nesting season, but remember birds could be still present much earlier or later in the fall.
What that means is you must go gently as you approach the bird house.
You'd need to tap the box gently to listen out for bird noises within the box, if its quiet then the bird house is likely to be vacant.
Never rush into a pulling a bird house down off its mount, or opening it up to view the interior - as its likely you'd give any occupants a fright of their lives.
To summarize
Absolutely should bird houses be cleaned out in fall, with a clean out every year there after as long as you continue to offer a stable home for your backyard birds.
Cleaning would involve you pulling the bird house down off its mount, as to give it a proper clean with soapy water and a homemade disinfectant if needed.
Remove all nesting material within the box while scraping off any stubborn material clinging to the interior walls.
Maintenance work must be thorough to kill any bacteria present, with any nesting material remaining can only lead to deterring new bird house nesters, rather than inviting them in.
Come mid-August is when birds leave the bird house, but indeed it is possible to see few remain until early fall, thus a clean out must be delayed until they decide to leave the box of their own accord.
I would then say mid-September would be the time to guarantee a clean out of the bird house, as birds still nesting in this time is a rare one.
Regardless, go gently around the bird house to be sure there's no occupants you would scare. A gentle knock on the bird house would do it as you listen out for birds tweaking or making a noise within.
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