How to Attract Birds That Eat Wasps in Your Yard
Wasps are really annoying and it can be quite tricky to keep them away without chemicals. Some of the best wasp repellent is natural pest control - here is How to Attract Birds That Eat Wasps.
How to Attract Birds That Eat Wasps
Want to know how to attract birds that eat wasps? Or more importantly, which birds are good at this? I'll give you the rundown on what you can do to attract these helpful little feathered friends.
Which Birds Eat Wasps?
Some birds will eat wasps, but the idea that they eat wasps to get drunk is a myth. There are two main reasons why birds eat wasps. In both cases, the bird needs to feed its young on high protein food.
Wasps feed their young grubs on insects and spiders, which are very high in protein. The second reason is that the wasp's larvae, which the birds eat, are also full of protein.
The Eurasian Hobby is a bird of prey that nests in the UK and has been known to feed on wasps. However, it's very rare to see one, so don't be disappointed if you cannot find one of these birds.
Other birds that have also been known to eat wasps include:
- Mute swans
- Blackbirds
- Long-tailed tits
- Magpies
- Blue jays
- House wrens
- Rufous hummingbirds
- Chickadees
- Black-capped chickadees
- White-breasted nuthatches
- Bluebirds
How Do Birds Eat Wasps Without Getting Stung?
The answer lies in their beaks. Unlike mammals, birds don't have teeth, so they can't chew food. Their food needs to be swallowed whole or almost whole.
When a bird swallows a wasp, the stinger is too long to puncture the bird's stomach wall, and it remains harmlessly lodged on the food bolus (wad of chewed-up food). The bird then digests the wasp and excretes it later — along with the sting.
If you look carefully at a bird's throat, you will see many small bumps. These are called papillae. They form finger-like projections which point back towards the bird's oesophagus (gullet). The papillae prevent its prey from moving back up its throat, and its sharp edges help to hold food in place as it is swallowed.
{ Read More: How to Keep Wasps Out of Bird Houses }
How Do You Attract Wasp-Eating Birds?
Nesting wasps attract wasp-eating birds because that's where there are lots of them to eat. So if you don't have a nest, you won't get birds!
If you want to attract birds to eat your wasps, I suggest starting by trying to find their nest. You can try using a fake nest made from paper or plastic. The important thing is to have lots of them close together so the birds will see it as a good food source.
Plant Some Plants that Attract Birds
The diversity of their environment attracts wasp eating birds, so if you have a garden or lawn with different types of plants and trees, you can attract birds to eat wasps. You need to place bird feeders on a post or pole approximately 5 feet off the ground, preferably in a shaded area. The feeder should be filled with seeds designed for birds that eat insects.
If you have a tree in your yard that naturally attracts wasps, you can also attract birds to eat them by placing a bird feeder in the tree. Birds that like to hunt insects and wasps are attracted to these trees because they have plenty of cover and places to hide when hunting insects
Birds need shelter from the sun and rain, so placing bird feeders under the eaves of your house is ideal. If you have trees in your yard, by placing bird feeders on branches near nests, you will attract more wasp eating birds to your yard than if they were hanging on posts or poles.
The birds will not be attracted by the same things a human gardener is. You don't want flowers. You want wasps. So, if your goal is to attract wasp-eating birds, the plants you wish to have nothing to do with attracting a human to look at them and everything to do with attracting wasps.
The most obvious choice would be lavender (Lavandula), which has been shown to attract both honeybees and bumblebees, but also some other plants that are known for attracting bees like clover (Trifolium) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).
Another good choice would be butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) because they have nectar-rich flowers that attract both butterflies and bees in large numbers during the spring/summer months.
If you are looking for a helpful way to attract wasp-eating birds to your garden, look no further. If you have a fruit tree or some berry bushes growing in your garden, attracting wasp-eaters is easy! Before long, you will have plenty of birds coming by to clean up the pests in your backyard.
More Posts about Wasps
References
https://www.treehugger.com/how-to-attract-bug-eating-birds-to-your-garden
http://waspremovaltoronto.ca/blog/what-are-some-examples-of-birds-that-eat-wasps/
As I was reading the list of birds that eat wasps I was thinking we see a lot of most of those! Then when you said they're attracted to wasp nests that made sense. We live on a lake and get some really HUGE wasp nests on our house and under our patio furniture and pretty much all around.