Hi all!
I was wondering how everyone keeps pests away during the summer months? I recently built my first set of hutches (one wooden unit, three stacked cages, all 4 ft x 2 ft with a built in nest box). Due to the fact that it’s wooden it has been attracting most every creepy crawly in the area, and has been a little difficult to manage, even with routine cleaning. So, I had a few questions for those of you who may have found solutions?
1) Keeping away insects, as well as millipedes. I live in the Southeast US and as the temperature rises, these tend to seek shade in the feeders, as well as the nest boxes. And, it doesn’t help that my hutches are located underneath a large tree in my backyard (didn’t want them in direct sunlight, as the heat gets very high here).The main ones I’ve been having issues with are earwigs (very bad, and cause me not to be able to fully fill the feeders, as they end up nesting in there in groups), millipedes (have been wreaking havoc on the nest-boxes, I’ve even noticed there being a thin layer of webbing among the hay and bedding in there), and flies (have not been the worst, though are still noticeable). I’ve been debating hanging fly traps on either sides of the hutch. Thus far, the only method I’ve seen is a mixture of water and dish soap, and I coated the litter trays beneath each hutch in that today to see if it makes any difference.
2. Bedding? I’m not sure what the best would be to use in order to avoid moisture being soaked into it the way it is currently. Right now I use aspen, and have considered straw though am unsure exactly where to find it and have only been able to find straw that is cut into very short pieces. I also toss in hay with the bedding, though the hay doesn’t get dampened the way the aspen does (aspen only dampens on the bottom layer that is closest to the wood, top layers stay dry. Though, it still attracts bugs.)
3. Just general cleanliness. How often do you clean out your hutches (I do a deep clean on the weekends, though spot clean throughout the week), what do you use to clean them, and how do you maintain it. I know not everyone uses wooden hutches, and I have come to realize there are disadvantages to it in certain aspects (though do plan to keep the layout for future hutches and would love any feedback on how to maintain them).
4. The smell. This one is of less importance than the others, as changing out the trays and spot cleaning have reduced it a great bit. I figured I may include this one to see if anyone else has some good tips at keeping it down though, especially as the summer rolls in!
I was wondering how everyone keeps pests away during the summer months? I recently built my first set of hutches (one wooden unit, three stacked cages, all 4 ft x 2 ft with a built in nest box). Due to the fact that it’s wooden it has been attracting most every creepy crawly in the area, and has been a little difficult to manage, even with routine cleaning. So, I had a few questions for those of you who may have found solutions?
1) Keeping away insects, as well as millipedes. I live in the Southeast US and as the temperature rises, these tend to seek shade in the feeders, as well as the nest boxes. And, it doesn’t help that my hutches are located underneath a large tree in my backyard (didn’t want them in direct sunlight, as the heat gets very high here).The main ones I’ve been having issues with are earwigs (very bad, and cause me not to be able to fully fill the feeders, as they end up nesting in there in groups), millipedes (have been wreaking havoc on the nest-boxes, I’ve even noticed there being a thin layer of webbing among the hay and bedding in there), and flies (have not been the worst, though are still noticeable). I’ve been debating hanging fly traps on either sides of the hutch. Thus far, the only method I’ve seen is a mixture of water and dish soap, and I coated the litter trays beneath each hutch in that today to see if it makes any difference.
2. Bedding? I’m not sure what the best would be to use in order to avoid moisture being soaked into it the way it is currently. Right now I use aspen, and have considered straw though am unsure exactly where to find it and have only been able to find straw that is cut into very short pieces. I also toss in hay with the bedding, though the hay doesn’t get dampened the way the aspen does (aspen only dampens on the bottom layer that is closest to the wood, top layers stay dry. Though, it still attracts bugs.)
3. Just general cleanliness. How often do you clean out your hutches (I do a deep clean on the weekends, though spot clean throughout the week), what do you use to clean them, and how do you maintain it. I know not everyone uses wooden hutches, and I have come to realize there are disadvantages to it in certain aspects (though do plan to keep the layout for future hutches and would love any feedback on how to maintain them).
4. The smell. This one is of less importance than the others, as changing out the trays and spot cleaning have reduced it a great bit. I figured I may include this one to see if anyone else has some good tips at keeping it down though, especially as the summer rolls in!
