The last load of wood I purchased had some wood beetles in them. Has anyone looked into purchasing preying mantis eggs as an insect and mice security system? Our next door neighbor has a cat so I am not worried about mice. Plus I am sure the kids will enjoy them.
Wood Pile Insect Security
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I doubt Praying Mantis would do a good job of preventing beetles from infesting the woodpile, or prevent the beetles in the woodpile from getting out, or control wood boring beetles in any useful way. Praying Mantis seem to hang out on live plants, and generally up off the ground. i don't think you could get them to hang out on a wood pile, and I don't think they'd get between the splits to capture the beetles. As for mice, i think they are more a threat to Praying Mantis than the other way around.
If you have the space, i think the best approach to insect control is to stack wood in an open, well drained location not too close to any building and just let the bugs do their thing. The worst problem bugs - termites and carpenter ants - like moist wood and so usually move out of split firewood once it seasons a few months IF the wood is up off the ground and in a good spot to dry out. Wood stacked on the ground in the shade definitely supports some bugs. Most of the bugs I find in my firewood when I collect it seem to go away once the wood is stacked. I don't cover the wood, just split it and stack it on some rocks. I have a very sunny, windy place to stack firewood. I bet there are some mice in the stacks, but unless they start eating wood I plan to leave them be.
If you have the space, i think the best approach to insect control is to stack wood in an open, well drained location not too close to any building and just let the bugs do their thing. The worst problem bugs - termites and carpenter ants - like moist wood and so usually move out of split firewood once it seasons a few months IF the wood is up off the ground and in a good spot to dry out. Wood stacked on the ground in the shade definitely supports some bugs. Most of the bugs I find in my firewood when I collect it seem to go away once the wood is stacked. I don't cover the wood, just split it and stack it on some rocks. I have a very sunny, windy place to stack firewood. I bet there are some mice in the stacks, but unless they start eating wood I plan to leave them be.
I might give them a try next season. We have tons of palmeto bugs or wood roaches in my neighborhood due to the mature oak trees. I have 5 oak trees on my city property that are over 200 ft. If I did not enjoy the shade from them I would cut them down and use them for heat. The shade they provide is a money saver.
Maybe creating nesting habitat for Flycatchers. I have Pheobe Flycatchers nest in my woodshed every year.
Don't know if they would go for a birdhouse. They seem to like nesting under the eaves and they won't reuse their nest so you have to clean out the old nest.
LLigetfa said:
Guess I should evict Momma Phoebe since she's been using the same nest now for the past two years
. . . working on brood #2 as we speak . . . er write. First batch of hatchlings took off several weeks back . . . and I have pics from last year's crop of insect eaters. She has however continued to make minor changes to the nest from year to year . . . added a little more height to it this year . . . and ironically it appears as though she has incorporated some of our Manx cat hair into the nest.
I don't worry too much about ants, beetles or mice.
Mice: I'm pretty sure the chances of accidentally bringing a mouse into the house with me on a split is slim to none . . . and while they may enjoy hanging out in my woodshed they don't do much damage and actually provide some live entertainment to my cats . . . and if anything they may be helping me out when they gnaw off the bark on some of the rounds . . . better my firewood than my apple tree.
Beetles: By the time I'm done bucking, splitting, stacking, moving the stacked wood outside into a stacked pile into my woodshed and then moving the wood on to my porch during the winter any beetles are either dormant from the cold or they've given up and flown away, deciding that they've had enough of the nomadic, free-as-a-bird life-style and are ready to settle down and have a normal, sedentary life.
Ants: I am known by the local carpenter ant colonies as "Firefighter Jake, the Destroyer of Life and The Most Feared and Hated Enemy of the Ants" (not to be confused by the Ents, which also hate and fear me for some odd reason) . . . after cutting apart their homes, splitting their home up into smaller rental units and then tossing them and their unborn children on to the street most ants willingly vacate their home . . . although I did run into an ant colony this past weekend who was attempting to set up home in a split that had the bark coming off . . . I ripped the bark off, tossed the split as if it was on fire and the last I saw was a couple of the Mommy Ants flying away, abandoning their loyal workers who were feverishly running all over the place gathering up the young 'uns. That split will be burned . . . but it will not go into the woodshed . . . at least until winter.
Mice: I'm pretty sure the chances of accidentally bringing a mouse into the house with me on a split is slim to none . . . and while they may enjoy hanging out in my woodshed they don't do much damage and actually provide some live entertainment to my cats . . . and if anything they may be helping me out when they gnaw off the bark on some of the rounds . . . better my firewood than my apple tree.
Beetles: By the time I'm done bucking, splitting, stacking, moving the stacked wood outside into a stacked pile into my woodshed and then moving the wood on to my porch during the winter any beetles are either dormant from the cold or they've given up and flown away, deciding that they've had enough of the nomadic, free-as-a-bird life-style and are ready to settle down and have a normal, sedentary life.
Ants: I am known by the local carpenter ant colonies as "Firefighter Jake, the Destroyer of Life and The Most Feared and Hated Enemy of the Ants" (not to be confused by the Ents, which also hate and fear me for some odd reason) . . . after cutting apart their homes, splitting their home up into smaller rental units and then tossing them and their unborn children on to the street most ants willingly vacate their home . . . although I did run into an ant colony this past weekend who was attempting to set up home in a split that had the bark coming off . . . I ripped the bark off, tossed the split as if it was on fire and the last I saw was a couple of the Mommy Ants flying away, abandoning their loyal workers who were feverishly running all over the place gathering up the young 'uns. That split will be burned . . . but it will not go into the woodshed . . . at least until winter.
Like Jake, we do not worry about insects in our wood pile. Not many mice get in there either but we do have some squirrels and chipmunks that like to get in the wood piles.
My cat is praying for mice to make the mistake of coming inside. He heard one family in the wall last winter and now he's obsessed...even though they're long gone. When I trap them, I let him sniff so he knows what they smell and look like. He thinks I'm the mightiest hunter, even though I steal his kills.
Yard isn't too bad this year, beetles are crazy though. Munching on my apple tree like mad. Found a yellow jacket nest while mowing, neighbors must've gotten a chuckle at me running from the bees.
Yard isn't too bad this year, beetles are crazy though. Munching on my apple tree like mad. Found a yellow jacket nest while mowing, neighbors must've gotten a chuckle at me running from the bees.
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