How to mechanize cutting pine needles in half?

[Guest]

Last year, I provided dried pine needles as nesting material for the martins. I cut the needles in half in order make them easier to arrange in the cavities. I did this by taking a small handful, roughly evening the ends, and cutting them in the middle with scissors. This year, I'm just not looking forward to this task. Is there a way to mechanize this process/make it less labor-intensive?

Tony

[Guest]

Tony Berg, when Purple Martins build natural nest out of pine needles, they are whole needles. I would just work with the full length needles if I were you. If you absolutely have to cut them in half, just lay them on a tree stump or a wooden picnic table and wack them in half with a machete.

[1 Ron Vasser]

Hi Tony,
I get my pine needles in a bale and use a battery powered circular saw to cut the needles. Set the blade to full depth and shave down each side until you get to the twine. Hope this helps.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

I get a good mixture by running over them with a lawn mower, even leave some oak leaves in them. It gets all mixed up. If they are still too long for your liking, go over them again with a mower.

[John Miller]

Some good ideas -- think I'll try the lawnmower approach. If you have needles falling, better store some extra. I've read and see this year that white pines drop needles in alternate or sporadic years. My white pine is dropping nothing this year, but I've got a few bags on hand.

John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo

[John Atteberry]

I was reading on the PMCA website about giving corn fodder a try for the martins to nest with! I thought about mixing pine straw and corn fodder together in the nests! Have anyone tried this? What are the results? Thanks John!

[Laverne]

Hello all.

I purchased a box of that corn fodder last year. I won't use it again. I found it to be dusty and it pretty much disappeared after a few weeks. I added it on top of the pine needles and the corn fodder disintigrated leaving only the pine needles and oak leaves. So, why bother?

I don't cut my pine needles in half. The Purple Martins picked them up off the ground beneath the pine trees and used them whole in their nests before I started nestbuilding. I see no reason to cut them. I build a base nest in each cavity and then put nesting material out on the eggshell feeder for the PMs to build their own nests. Some of them add a lot of extra material to the base nest; some of them don't. But, if I offer pine needles - they always bring in the pine needles. However, I believe the brown oak leaves are just as important to them as the pine needles. And they love the little oak twigs that get raked up with the leaves.

[Dale Davis]

Laverne, When you add your pine needles do you try to create the little circular nesting area or, do you just lay them in at let the martins take it from there? I have always just laid mine in.

[rdhd]

i

[Eddie McKnight]

If you will lay pine needles where cars run over them they will get a lot softer. I actually pick ones up from my driveway to use in the purple martin houses that have been laying there a while. They are very soft and pliable.

[Fred Kaluza~MI]

I usually soak the Pine needles in Vodka or Rum overnight and then me and my buddies use them as toothpicks while playing cards or watching football. "If you soak them in Gin, you can't tell when the Gin is gone and the sap kicks in". Usually by Spring we have chawed up about a bale or so and they are real tender! Still trying to find if the mixture of human saliva and liquor residue works as well as Sevin! Hey, dat's Winter in the North woods of Michigan eh?

[Guest]

You know Fred, I believe I have just heard the best story for recyling You and your buddies are certainly helping the martins!!!


Lanell

[Al Denton]

Fred, I chewed enough pine needles growing up to make at least a bale or two. We'd slip down behind the barns and smoke, and on the way home we'd grab a mouthful of green pine needles and chew them good before we reached the house. It was awful stuff to chew, but we never got caught. I guess the flavor of the pine needles hid the smell of tobacco. Al

[Laverne]

Laverne, When you add your pine needles do you try to create the little circular nesting area or, do you just lay them in at let the martins take it from there? I have always just laid mine in.

I know - it's been a long time since you wrote this, Dale. Sorry to be so slow in responding.

I do as you do. I just grab a fist full and stuff them through the access hole. Once I have a satisfactory level inside the cavity I move on to the next one. Sometimes, the interior is extremely messy. But, that gives the female something to do. I let them pick their spot to make their nest cup. I see no need to spend a lot of time trying to build a nest for them. I simply provide the material. When they begin to bring in additional nesting material just prior to egg-laying, I offer plenty of pine needles and oak leaves on the eggshell feeder. They spend a lot of time sorting through and selecting their favorite materials and put the finishing touches on their nests.

Ho-hum... talking about all this is making me homesick for them already.