Wednesday 13 July 2011

Wildlife Boxes for Birds, Possums & Insects?

Now I'll have the cats under control and much, MUCH more handicapped in terms of catching wildlife, due to the cat bibs, I can focus on providing more homes for wildlife in our garden. I want to attract as many beneficial insects (Lady birds, lacewings, praying mantis, native wasps, & bees) as possible to help control the pest insects.  We need insects in our gardens to pollinate and eradicate the nasties in our garden. A healthy mix is what we are after. Not total control but a healthy equilibrium.
Next to my garden orchard and chook house is a big pile of fire wood, this provides natural habitat for many types of inspects, spiders and other creepy crawlies. All good for a healthy garden. But I want more. So I have found some paper bark logs from a tree I pruned. I drilled a whole lot of holes into the logs and have sat them in the garden orchard. Not only will the drilled holes provide homes for solitary native wasps, bees & other insects but the loose paper bark provide natural shelter as well.
I'm in the process of building a few different types of insect homes as well one is basically a small box in the shape of letter box, filled with straw with numerous holes or slits into the box. Another one is a box frame with no top or bottom filled with cut lengths of bamboo. The bamboo is hollow providing lots off holes, nooks & crannies for insects to hide and live. When complete these will be attached to the trellis posts in the orchard to hopefully attract spiders,  lace wings, lady birds & other beneficial insect that help control nasties in the orchard and veggie patches.

Then there is the possum box a few bird boxes for small parrot sized birds, maybe an owl box and a bat box!
(PHOTO'S TO BE ADDED AS THEY ARE FINISHED)

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