Should I clean out my Wren house
Treat a Wren house as you would when thinking about cleaning out any bird box setup in your garden - as they are sure to be used every spring through to late summer.
You should clean out your Wren house if you intend to use it again, or else it can be thrown away - but it shouldn't as it has many years left. To clean out the bird house you'd need to remove unhatched eggs before burying them, to then remove remaining nesting material before cleaning out with hot soapy water.
Don't risk Wrens not setting up a home in your backyard come spring, as any wren bird house that is not cleaned out is surely not going to be used again until it is.
Its vital then to always clean out the Wren bird house or they will never nest in it again.
You'd have to wait until the spring time when Wrens have surely left, but come September you can check for yourself to guarantee there's no occupants inside the box.
Once you've established there's no late to leave their nest Wrens, while checking for any unhatched eggs - to which you should bury them if there is.
Do remember all advise applies to all Wrens of the House, Berwick's and Carolina kind.
Remove the build up of the natural nesting material by pulling it through the Wren house entrance hole, or open the hinged lid or side panel.
Empty the box of all its contents by shaking it upside down; but do empty into a trash bag as remaining nesting material can contain parasites, and so to can the Wren house.
Go one better by filling up a bowl of boiling hot soapy water to kill germs left over, but allow to air dry in the yard.
Wait until September to January
Its vital you only think about cleaning out a Wren house in the autumn, so come September you should be good to go.
However, while its likely parents and their young would have left the nest by then, its probably best to wait until the end of September, going into October.
Its been found active Wren nests continue until late August.
So it can only be from September through to January when you can clean the Wren box.
September when they have left the bird house, while January is the cut off time when really unhatched eggs can be legally removed. It has to be said nests belonging to Starlings and House Sparrows are not protected, so can be removed anytime.
Come September then, you can clean the bird house but it may be still occupied - so its important not to disturb them as Wren's may abandon their nest.
Establish Wren house is vacant
As Wrens tend to nest in a bird house that uses a smaller hole for the entrance hole, it would be a little more difficult to established if the parents and their young have left.
But as the Wren house is not used as a plain wooden box, the Wren would create their own nest internally with a mixture of material found in nature.
It may not be possible to notice a nesting Wren in the box at all then.
Give the Wren house a little tap while you quietly put your ear to it to listen out for sounds of a bird, or two - inside the box.
No noise of any kind, especially chirping, usually means no occupants at all.
Despite this, I would still recommend you carefully pull out old nesting material and strands at a time, as to not scare the living daylights out of a deep sleeping Wren, or perhaps one that refuses to let your know she's their.
Dealing with unhatched eggs
In the process of cleaning out a Wren house of its natural nesting material, unfortunately you may stubble across one or more unhatched Wren eggs.
Its vital then you handle these eggs with care incase they are still living, but its unlikely if the eggs look worse for wear - so its time to discard the eggs in a manner that is not only hygienic, but is at least dignified.
Would it be possible at all to then bury the unhatched eggs in the part of the backyard that goes undisturbed. I know its a hassle but the thought of throwing eggs in the trash can is just too brutal for my liking.
However, to throw eggs in the trash may be the only option, so I would recommend to roll up the eggs together in a thick wrap of toilet or kitchen paper towel.
Be sure to wear gloves in the process as eggs can carry disease, while avoiding gloves is an option as you can handle the eggs with rolled up paper towel instead.
Clear out nesting material
Much the same as you cleared out the Wren house of its unhatched eggs, only you would have found them resting on a bed of natural nesting material.
Of course to clear out a Wren bird house with a thorough clean so it can be used again, would require the original nesting material being removed.
Its not often an easy process as the nest is made so well, it cannot necessary be pulled out in one big clunk. Its therefore important to pull it out a strand at a time, until its little enough to pull through the hinged roof or front panel.
Nesting material may of found its self stuck to the inner wall of the wooden bird house, so use a metal wallpaper scraper to lift it up and off.
Have the kitchen trash can or a trash bag on your side at all times as you are removing the nest of its material - so it can go straight into the bag with little fuss.
Wash Wren house to reuse
Now the Wren house has been purged of all nesting material, including any possible unhatched eggs - its time to give it a thorough clean.
Essential clean out of its original nesting material is not enough as its important to kill any remaining parasites, in which soapy boiling hot water would do the trick.
Its not a good idea to use any kind of brush to clean the bird house, nor is it needed.
Instead, you'd want to rest the Wren nest box on the ground as to pour the bucket of soapy water over it.
Do it at a height to create a sort of power wash to remove any stubborn grime, but do be careful not to splash yourself of boiling water.
No special Insecticides or detergents are needed as the cleaning agent; whereas a branded or generic dish washing soap is all you'll need - as its diluted in water it goes more gentle on the wooden bird house.
To summarize Wren house clear out
If you intend to use your Wren house over and over again, its important than to always clean it out come september.
Come autumn is when most common backyard bird house birds within the US leave their nest, so wait until late September or October to clean out the Wren hose.
You'd need to establish if the nest box is empty by knocking gently on its side, while you listen out for any chirping sounds.
Once you can guarantee its not occupied you can begin the process of cleaning it out.
First you may throw the natural nesting material the female Wren built to nest in, as you comb through it to find any unhatched eggs. If you do discover eggs, don't despair as it does happen - so simply bury them as the most honorable thing to do.
Now, slowly pull apart the nesting material to pull it through Wren house hole, or lift up the roof or open the side panel if its accessed via an hinged door.
Rather than leaving the Wren house as is, to only then fix it back into the location your set it up in originally - you'll need to do one more thing.
Give the Wren house a thorough clean using boiling hot soapy water as you focus more on cleaning out the interior of bird house of any parasites.
Allow bird house to air dry then before its finally ready to be used again come January to roost in or May as the start of the Wren nesting season.
Share this article:
