Nature offers its own all-natural pest control

What would you say if I told you that you could invite someone to remove bugs for you and they wouldn't charge you a fee?

You might be skeptical and rightly so. The bug catchers I am referring to charge a fee, but it is not money. They want habitat, and if you're in tune with their demands I think the arrangement will be equitable.

Animals like bats, toads, salamanders, wrens, flickers, bluebirds and phoebes eat insects as their primary food source and can be an amazing asset to your place. Many of these bug munchers are easy to attract if you understand a bit about their habits.

Wrens and bluebirds: The easiest animals to attract and house are wrens and bluebirds. House designs are simple and readily available. Place the bluebird house in an open grassy area and the wren houses near a shrub row or in an open grassy area. Bluebirds can be seen frequently darting from a perch to grab insects. I've witnessed bluebirds eating countless flies off the side of a house. Wrens zip around brush piles and shrubs snatching up any insect they can catch. Both are known to eat caterpillars that depredate on garden vegetables.

Phoebes: A very common bird near streams, ponds and lakes is the Eastern phoebe. In nature they nest along rock ledges. When not on the nest phoebes perch on limbs and nervously twitch their tail. When they spot a flying insect they zip from the branch, catch the bug while on the wing and return to the branch to eat. They are very effective insect catchers and can be enticed to live near people if the site is suitable. One requirement is that they need a shelf site to construct a nest. Under a deck, porch or roof eave is a great place to place a shelf. Two to three babies make the phoebe's insect requirement even higher.

Flickers: Anyone who has ever had woodpecker problems may be surprised to find that attracting woodpeckers can be a really good idea. Flickers are fantastic ant-eating birds and often eat ants that infest homes. If you build a house for a flicker, fill it full of saw dust and place it high enough in tree so a flicker will call it home. All the while they will patrol your yard and trees looking for ants. Because you have provided a ready-made home they will likely never need to peck a hole in your house.

Toads: If you have a small fishless pond nearby you can attract toads.

Toads eat all kinds of insects and plenty of them. They patrol a yards at night and eat things like cutworms, tent caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, sowbugs and snails. Place an upside down flower pot with a chip in the rim, large enough for a toad to pass through. That will provide daytime sleeping arrangements and a water source. Strategic placement of these pots in shady locations will prevent the sun from making them too hot and protect the toads.

Although toads eat a wide variety of bugs, many of these insects are pests that cause crop damage or invade homes.

Bats: A well-placed, well-built house can attract numerous bats during the summer months. They can eat half their weight in insects each night, most being mosquitoes. The trick is to build a house the way bats like it and place it in just the right place.

I can slap together a useable wren house in a few minutes. I may not be proud of the job, but some wren is certain to signal that it will do. Bats are not so forgiving. If I want their superior insect eating skills near my house I'll have to work a little harder. Construction of a bat house requires precision, caulking and the right color (dark brown). Gaps will not be forgiven because they allow for drafts. The house has to be at least 12 feet from the ground, facing due south and in an open grassy area. Close proximity to water is nearly a must.

The martin myth: Purple martins are reputed to be great mosquito catchers. This is unfortunately false. While martins are excellent insect catchers, they seldom eat mosquitoes. I'm not suggesting that martins are a poor bird to attract, but they may not be doing you the favor you hope.

For more information on natural insect predators, contact the MissouriDepartment of Conservation at (573) 290-5730 or www.conservation. state.mo.us.

A. J. Hendershott is the outreach and education regional supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation.