I have a concern about these gourds getting too hot in the warm weather. Last year I had a terrible problem with PM's fledging prematurely. I now wonder if it could have been from being too hot inside? Is it a good idea to drill extra holes in the upper part of the gourd. I also read in the older book by J. L. Wade "What you should know about the Purple Martin" that natural gourds should not be used because they get too hot. I already have quite a few up because I thought they were preferred by the PM's. Also, I wonder about the plastic gourds. Are they any better. I had some of those, also, and the PM's would not use them. I would love to hear any feedback on this topic.
Another question I have is concerning the mite and insect problem. That same book recommended putting sulfur in the gourds. Is this still a good practice?
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