Our local barn owls and screech owls are wonderful creatures who silently glide through our yards at night using their superior night vision to detect the subtle movements of mice and rats moving around our homes. This is the purest form of organic pest control. We can enhance the owl’s effectiveness by helping them with a place to live. By placing a barn owl nesting box in a tall tree just so, you can attract a mating pair to take up residence. Take that mouse! Check out http://www.owlpages.com/links.php?cat=Owls-Nest+Boxes.

I do have to warn you about one common problem. While waiting for the owls to find and use the box, some people have had bee swarms move in instead. Now we need bees and up in a tall tree is not a bad spot, but a bee hive full of honey weighs much more than an owl and it’s young, so plan accordingly. If you don’t mind the bees, make sure the box is well secured, because a nesting box full of bees falling to the ground becomes a bomb if you or your pets happen to be nearby at the time.

Last time I mentioned all this on 10News I thought it would turn many of you off to the idea of hanging a nest box, and yet more people called and wrote than ever before. Go figure.

Thanks for respecting nature and trying my tips. You can find my tips in 3 books I co-wrote with entomologist Janet Taylor. They are titled, "Dead Snails Leave No Trails," "The Worm Book," and "Dead Daisies Make Me Crazy." Here is a link to my publisher’s Web site, and you can also find them at most online and Brick and Mortar bookstores. http://www.tenspeed.com/authors/view.html?id=310 .

Thanks for watching 10News. Loren