30 T-14's

[Dan G]

An Amish carpenter, who lives 4 miles and has six active T-14's, told me that he plans to make 30 T-14's this winter for sale. I don't know if they are all sold at this point, but he has sold very many in the past. (he provided me with the plans for the one i built). He is really helping the martins in my area and has for several years. I jokingly told him he shouldn't sell to anyone with in a 20 mile radius of me.
I have noticed three more houses in the area i live. I did stop at one elderly ladies house when i saw the T-14 in her back yard. I asked her her if she had any nesting pairs and she said yes, but didnt know how many pair!?? She had just put the house up this past spring. Upon closer inspection, her house was on a 5 feet tall post and had taller shrubs next to it. Grasses were hanging out of her house, and i told her i suspected starlings. I offered several tips from what i have learned here and she was very receptive. I told her of this website but she isnt computer savy but has a niece who may help her. I hope she has martins, but i am skeptical. Part of me feels like I have no business giving advice when i am not a landlord. She invited me back in the spring, and i may drop off some articles that i will print from here.

[ToyinPA]

Dan:
From your observation I'd guess starlings too.

I spoke to a few Amish in the Loganton area & they said they had less Martins this year. Many had noticed fewer & fewer insects as well, which is not good. If the food is not here for the Martins they will not survive, more chicks will die & the adults will leave the area. Supplemental feeding helps, but it's not enough to sustain them. I went thru 6000 crickets last year & still lost 60% of my chicks. We just didn't have any insects. I have many corn fields near by that get sprayed. The river & creek were also sprayed for mosquitoes/etc. Add in all the rain & it's no wonder my colony had a rough time trying to find food.

My one step son has a friend that works for one of the largest seed companies in the world. He travels world wide. He said that these new GMO seeds are killing all the insects. I'm sure this info will come out when it's too late for many species of insects. We're slowly destroying Mother Earth :(.

[~Ray~Gingerich]

I agree Toy,the greed of profits overcomes all common sense

[DornCounty]

Dan:
From your observation I'd guess starlings too.

I spoke to a few Amish in the Loganton area & they said they had less Martins this year. Many had noticed fewer & fewer insects as well, which is not good. If the food is not here for the Martins they will not survive, more chicks will die & the adults will leave the area. Supplemental feeding helps, but it's not enough to sustain them. I went thru 6000 crickets last year & still lost 60% of my chicks. We just didn't have any insects. I have many corn fields near by that get sprayed. The river & creek were also sprayed for mosquitoes/etc. Add in all the rain & it's no wonder my colony had a rough time trying to find food.

My one step son has a friend that works for one of the largest seed companies in the world. He travels world wide. He said that these new GMO seeds are killing all the insects. I'm sure this info will come out when it's too late for many species of insects. We're slowly destroying Mother Earth :(.

Tony I think there is some validity to what you say, but I think there have to be other concerns as well. take Iowa, Illinios, Nebraska, KS for example. They all produce as much more acreage of corn. Has there been the same decline there? Also producers are now required to plant a certain amount of "refuge" into the corn. Meaning non GM.. so that certain insects continue to survive.

[Archer]

As a farmer I see a lot of misinformation about GMO crops. Using corn seed for example, BT corn seed has a protein gene inserted into its DNA, this protein is reproduced in all of its cells as the corn plant grows. This protein is dangerous to the corn borer larvae, which eats the protein and cannot digest it. It dies and cannot mature to lay its eggs, which would otherwise hatch and bore into the plant. The stalk of the plant becomes weak and breaks off, causing yield loss.

The BT corn GMO technology is a very selective insecticide, only affecting a few species, it is a lot less destructive than using a broad spectrum insecticide that would kill all insects and have to be used if the BT corn was not available. Multiple applications of broad spectrum insecticide are sometimes necessary.

Here is a link to the University of Kentucky which explains BT Corn further. http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef130.asp

[DerrickK]

It's not the GMO's It's the neocontinoids the seed is treated with.

[ToyinPA]

Tony I think there is some validity to what you say, but I think there have to be other concerns as well. take Iowa, Illinios, Nebraska, KS for example. They all produce as much more acreage of corn. Has there been the same decline there? Also producers are now required to plant a certain amount of "refuge" into the corn. Meaning non GM.. so that certain insects continue to survive.

Dorn:
I have a friend in NE that has a cattle ranch. They grow corn. I will have to ask them about the insects there.

PS: it's "Toy" not "Tony" .

Toy in PA

[ToyinPA]

I found this info about pesticides & dragonflies, which also includes other insects/etc. It's not in the USA, but I feel the same thing is happening here:

http://news.mongabay.com/2013/06/pestic ... c-insects/

Toy in PA

[zag]

T14, high end Martin House with Starlings, not right..... Glad someone set her straight..