Trapping Starlings

Guest · Fri May 05, 2006 4:12 pm

In 20 years of hosting PM, I've never had problems with starlings. I have been sucessful dealing with sparrows but starlings did'nt like my house. This year, I converted my 12 rm house to six rms and added Excluder II doors...no problems with starlings. I hung 2 Super Gourds with excluder doors from the house...the starlings love them and are not even slowed down by the door openings!!! Shooting is out of the question...proximity to neighbor's houses.
Is there a reliable trap available? In the mean time, I sealed the openings...I will not share the space with them! Thanks...Dave

Dale Hrncirik · Fri May 05, 2006 8:13 pm

Dave,

The PMCA sells traps that fit inside a supergourd that should work on round holes but not sure if they will work on excluders. If I were you and this is what I do....I have several nest box traps that the HS and starlings will readily visit since I offer only SREs for the martins. Catching the scum is like taking candy from a baby if you know what I mean. If you can't shoot them, they should be very easy to catch in nestbox traps with big 2" holes. good luck,

Dale

starling shooter · Sat May 06, 2006 6:23 am

The NB trap PMCA sells is expensive but a starling killer. I've got one and built one I have round hole gourds at my house and starlings almost always go for big wooden NB trap. You'll thin out the whole neighborhood with one.

cransy · Sat May 06, 2006 7:24 am

Dave,
Check out the nb-combat trap by Glen Davis on this site. I used this trap and it's great.If you can't make one check with a craft shop or an old timer that can make one.

Guest · Sat May 06, 2006 7:45 am

Outstanding...A NB Trap it is!!! I see that the PMCA Shop is out of stock on these...wonder for how long? Thanks for the advice...Dave

CUL Lou~Mich · Sat May 06, 2006 2:00 pm

Dave. I don't believe the PMCA sells the NB trap. They do sell the S&S Controller, but it's larger, thus heavier. I've built both. The S&S Controller first, then tore that one apart, and built the NB. I like this one quite a bit better. For the NB Compact, you need to click on Archives above, then scroll down to Traps, then you'll find it. It's really quite easy to build. I think mine has run out of Starlings is all. Haven't hardly even seen any this year. I have shot a couple, and caught a couple more in my Universal S&S trap, but not enough to even mention hardly. CUL Lou

starling shooter · Sun May 07, 2006 8:24 am

I checked and the nest box trap is out of stock.

The Bluebird insert trap is the trapping mechanism I made my second nestbox trap out of. I just enlarged the 1.5" hole to 2" and built a large blue bird style house, the roof has a hinge.

I hold the NB trap pole to a post with two bunji straps. Quick to lower and remove the vermin.

I know folks have favorable things to say about the repeating NB trap.

CUL Lou~Mich · Sun May 07, 2006 8:45 am

If you have put on Excluder doors, I still think the Super Gourd Insert Trap will work. HOWEVER, you will have to put a plate on the front, with the original sized ROUND hole. Someone correct me in I'm wrong, but I believe it was 2 inch?? Or was it 2 1/8 inch?? Anyway, I just bought one off Ebay, so there could be more there. Go to www.ebay.com and put in Purple Martin in the search. You'll find several things. CUL Lou

Guest · Mon May 08, 2006 12:40 pm

Dave - You can't go wrong with the NB-Compact trap. I'm a first-year landlord in Fort Worth TX (Starling Capitol of the World) and built the trap about four months ago. I placed the trap against my workshop about 35 feet from the PM house. The Starlings don't even look at the PM house - they go straight for the trap and then I own them (Sparrows too). I average about 4 Starlings and 2 Sparrows per day in that trap.