disinfecting pm houses

[Grant O]

What kind of a solution is best for cleaning out bug infested pm apartment houses in the spring? I never got my compartment nest cavities cleaned out last fall and the fleas are climbing up the poles again. Is bleach okay and if so what ratio dilution?
Thanks.

[Martintown33]

I use Vaseline on the bottom of the pole , from the ground on up to 3 feet above the ground. This keeps ground insects like ants etc, from climbing up the pole. Bleach and soap solution , 1:10 bleach to water will clean compartments. Then I spray avian liquidater solution on the compartment surfaces. This product is safe for all birds. People spray it directly on their pet parrots etc, to treat mites, although, you obviously can’t spray it on your martins… lol.. but it speaks to the safety of this product. After it dries, I then prenest. A little sevin dust under the nest material, works well for mite control, also.
Good luck,
Rob

[Grant O]

Thanks Martintown.

[flyin-lowe]

I would sprinkle a little 7 dust into each cavity and any crawling critters (mites, fleas, etc.) should be taken care of pretty quickly.

[Spiderman]

1/4 of a teaspoon of Sevin dust in each compartment will kill any insects in there, pretty easy fix.

[Dave Duit]

1;10 bleach water solution, AIL Avian Insect Liquidator in spray form or bought in concentrate then diluted according to directions, 5% sevin dust once cleaned and dried. All of these will do the job.

[Conrad Baker]

Sevin dust applied several times a season.