Need Info on Styra-foam nest sub-floors

[Larry Bukantis]

In doing some reading I have heard of people inserting a styra-foam nest in the box after the hen has laid. Could some-one describe this in a little more detail. Do you paint it?? how thick is the foam? Do you make a concave in the middle of the foam? when do you install it? Do you put any nesting material in with the foam?? Do the birds reject the box once installed????

I see why this would work with SY birds :wink: I have some that have very little nesting material in the box and the eggs sort-of roll around the comartment. I'm always think, these will never hatch!!!!

Thanks in advance
Larry

[Lou King]

Larry. I think you are reding some older posts. The inserts were the same size as the apartments. (Just a tad smaller to ease insertion and removal for checking.) there was a depression in the middle. One person at one time was using a round Ice fishing hole auger. Another made a cutter for cutting the depression. They were put in before the PMs arrived back, so they didn't have to build such a big nest. Don't even know if anyone is still using them. Perhaps others will chime in too. CUL Lou

[RCruz]

I have been using these nest inserts for several years. It was an innovation of the Late Ed Donath. Its basiclly extruded polysteren. Most know it as the 2 inch thick pink insulation they use to insulate concrete.It comes in 4x8 sheets at any home improvement store.Its basicly styrafoarm with all the air removed.DO NOT use the white packing styrofoam. Do not be cheap and decide to use this. It makes a mess doesnt hold up and its possible the birds can accidently injest it. The picnk or BLUE boards will do just fine.I prefer to use 2-1 half inch board. I have a special tool that cuts a perfect concave bowl. My martins do not make nests for the most part they just line it with leaves.I put a pencil hole through the center incase water gets in.I do not recommend this for 6x6 compartments for i do not trust that size to keep water out of the nesting compartment. all my nest cavities are deep and do not get exposed to rain.

The benefits are many.

Nest changes, just dump the whole thing and put the babies back in, you dont need new nesting material.I dump the whole nest within a day or two of hatching.

Reduces the amount of nest parasites dramaticly.No nest material no substrate for the parasites to live in. There will still be mites but the fleas, their larva and blow flymaggots will be reduced. Each nest check i remove the babies take out the nest inserts and brush it off look around for any pests and just return it to the compartment babies and all.

Save the martins valuable energy by reducing the thetime needed to build a nest.Ed Donath believed the martins could put more energy into eg laying by reducing the amount of time the birds need to make a nest.

The insulative quaities of this artifical nest keeps the young cool in the heat and warm during cold spells. No heat from the brooding mother or the babies bodies gets absorbed into the metal floors of most martin houses.

SY birds are not the best nest builders, they can lay their eggs right in these no nest material needed.

Since I have been using these. I have not had a nest lost to cold or heat. Last summer with all the heat and drought, not a single baby martin attempted to leave the nest.I even checked on the hottest days. The babies would be equally spaced out allowing the air to circulate around them.On cold days they would bunch up in the center of the cup. I can also remember a spring in which all the birds layed eggs and then a terrific cold spell came and lasted two weeks. All the incubating females hatched young successfully when others around me had nest failure.

There is a way to make these without the tool I use. Its not as effective but it will work. First get 2 pieces of inch thick PS board, its usually light blue in color. Take a 4 inch hole saw and cut a hole out of one. Take some simple wood glue and glue that to the other cut piece. The martins will actually scrape a bowl in that. You can also heat up a large round ladle and melt the bowl shape in it. that works quite well.

As far as I am concerned it is a hugetime saver at the end of the season as well. No nasty parasite filled nesting material to remove. This innovation is something very few people use and its a shame. I have also found that martins will take a compartment with this over an empty one everytime.

[Bodett]

Rick, I've been melting nest bowls using a fence cap. Works OK, but its a bit tricky getting the heat just right so as not to over melt the polystyrene. Is your tool something I could recreate and use in my drill press? Any suggestions on how to make one? Or would you like to get into the manufacturing business and offer them for sale? I've seen your nests and they look very nice.

Bob Bodett