Cleaning out barn swallows old nest from last summer

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Permalink Reply by Dwayne Biggar on January 27, 2012 at 6:08am

A Barn Swallow makes the cup shaped nest of mud attached to the side of a building or on the beam of a barn.  I'd say not to clean it out or off.  I'm pretty sure they add to the nest and would be a lure for more to come. 

When you say "clean out" it makes me think of a bird house, then that would be a Tree Swallow and that should be cleaned out to avoid parasites from infesting the next brood to use the house. 

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Permalink Reply by David Hart on January 27, 2012 at 11:40am

thanks Dwayne,
The barn swallows had two broods of 4 each and we could look out a window and watch it all happen because of where the nest is located. We hope to see them again this summer!
David

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Permalink Reply by Diane Garlick on January 29, 2012 at 1:37am

If you can get a close look at the nest, you might check for parasites.  For years (more like decades), I never touched our barn swallows' nests, and they renested and fledged a brood or two (ususally) in the same spot each year.  Then a couple of years ago I noticed that the nest was crawling with mites.  If you zoom in on the picture below you can see them bunched up along the top of the nest, and some even on the babies themselves. 

I was thinking maybe our good old Michigan winters would solve the problem, but the following April I took down the nest (this was also the one in which the swallows had incorporated a long length of fishing line) and was appalled to find it was crawling with live mites and lice! I disposed of the nest and cleaned the rafter as best I could, and happily the swallows did return and rebuild a few months later.  I have not yet observed a noticeable re-infestation, but will be keeping a closer eye on things from now on...

 

 

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Permalink Reply by David Hart on January 29, 2012 at 6:36am

Thanks Diane,
We live at 5500 ft. In the high desert of southern Utah. It is dryer than MI but perhaps not colder. We will keep an eye out for mites!
David and Robyn

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Permalink Reply by Diane Garlick on January 29, 2012 at 9:02pm

Ooh, that sounds like a cool (sensu slang, not temp.) environment! Hope the dryness works in your favor vis-a-vis vermin. 

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