I was doing that today...and ignored the fact that the inside of my house is in need, as well. But, I don't eat off the floor; birds do. Still, I seriously hope nobody saw me out there today. Being called the 'Bird lady' is one thing; being called 'just nuts'
is something else entirely!
Last season I bought a wet-vac for just this purpose; cleaning excess seed from underneath the bird feeders. This will lessen the possibility of infection and sickness; sometimes evident this time of year. Heck, Kevin Cook; local naturalist, is the one who suggested I try it. ..surely I'm not the only one, huh? He's a good guy, interesting as the dickens; you might enjoy reading him.
Of course, such cleaning may also lessen the possibility of some of the other creatures which come by in the dark of night. Ewwwwwwwwww... Of course, the larger critters come whenever they want; deterrents or no. The best thing to do when bears are up is either not to feed, or to bring in feeders at night. A bear that comes to bird-feeders will soon be a dead bear... Don't teach them bad habits, please!
Oh, one good thing that came out of looking
Of course, such cleaning may also lessen the possibility of some of the other creatures which come by in the dark of night. Ewwwwwwwwww... Of course, the larger critters come whenever they want; deterrents or no. The best thing to do when bears are up is either not to feed, or to bring in feeders at night. A bear that comes to bird-feeders will soon be a dead bear... Don't teach them bad habits, please!
Oh, one good thing that came out of looking
for such visitors is: I found someone who mentions a new product I need to research. The author of Birds and Such, discovered "Seed & Hull Digester." As far as I know, various enzymes are natural things, not poison; I have long used such things to help break-up sludge in a Koi Pond...they're great. Carefree Enzymes makes the new product, as well as bird house and bird bath cleaners. Apparently it works a lot like the sludge-buster for koi ponds and protects birds from unwanted parasites and e-coli bacteria. 
They say it is for birdfeeders, that "Grounds beneath feeders are highly contaminated from bird droppings, organic contaminants, parasites and e-coli bacteria from molded birdseed. A simple spray will remove these harmful contaminants. Birdseed, hulls and other organic materials are quickly decomposed, digesting them down into basic components that are easily absorbed into the environment. Treatment provides a clean environment for birds to scavenge freely."
Have you tried it? There is a wonderful explanation of how these sorts of things work here, but I found only one MSDS Sheet(for a different product (the bath cleaner.)) I've discovered the manufacturer doesn't sell the stuff themselves, and it looks like it costs $10-$20 for thirty plus ounces. It is to be mixed 25 parts water to one part digester. Looks like something I'd use.
Have you tried it? There is a wonderful explanation of how these sorts of things work here, but I found only one MSDS Sheet(for a different product (the bath cleaner.)) I've discovered the manufacturer doesn't sell the stuff themselves, and it looks like it costs $10-$20 for thirty plus ounces. It is to be mixed 25 parts water to one part digester. Looks like something I'd use.
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2 comments:
If you try the seed and hull digester product, let is know your results.
Of course I will. I've used the stuff for Koi ponds...and it worked wonders.
One issue, however...is my dog walks through the bird-feeding area and often sleeps right underneath them. I'll need to determine if the digester could possibly hurt him. I rather doubt it, however; my dog drank out of the Koi pond, too. LOL
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