I have received many calls concerning the female bluebird found dead while incubating her eggs as a result of toxic wood preservative placed on the outside of nest boxes. When outside temperature increases harmful vapors built up inside the nest box and it will become lethal. You will never get those toxic vapors out of the wood. Song birds have underdevelopment olfactory glands which causes them to have a poor sense of smell, so therefore be careful what you place on your nestboxes. I recommend (Raw) linseed oil on nest boxes(which containing no additives) Find it at your nearest True Value Hardware Store. The raw linseed oil will be a little thick, so try to apply thin coats rubbing it into the wood with a rag on the outside only. Raw Linseed Oil cures very slowly (even weeks) but the end result is your using a non toxic wood preservative. Repeat the treatment periodically until the wood is well saturated. Pine wooden nest boxes treated in this way will last many years. Raw linseed oil reacts slowly with the oxygen in the air to form a tough hard material that does not vaporize and harm birds. The Fall season is a good time to apply this product because the nesting season is over.
Caution - Boiled Linseed - commonly used because it dries faster, but is not a good pollution prevention alternative due to the potential toxicity of the solvents, metals and fungicides that are usually added to make it dry faster. As a result, Bluebirders should be advised to use RAW linseed oil on nest boxes and to avoid Boiled or Thermalized forms. Be very careful when using JUST ANY wood sealers because they can be highly toxic to birds. A box treated with toxic preservatives in the fall will be lethal box in the summer. Raw linseed oil has no additives, and is safe to use. It is a clear to yellowish oil derived from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant. Just remember not to apply it on real thick, give each coat time to cure then rub it into the wood again during the fall season.
Caution; Linseed Oil on rags, cloth, and paper saturated with drying oils may combust spontaneously due to heat given off during the curing process. This is especially the case where oil-soaked materials are folded, bunched, compressed, or piled together, which allows the heat to accumulate and even accelerate the reaction. Precautions include: wetting the rags with water and spreading them to dry in a safe place away from direct sunlight.
Caution - Boiled Linseed - commonly used because it dries faster, but is not a good pollution prevention alternative due to the potential toxicity of the solvents, metals and fungicides that are usually added to make it dry faster. As a result, Bluebirders should be advised to use RAW linseed oil on nest boxes and to avoid Boiled or Thermalized forms. Be very careful when using JUST ANY wood sealers because they can be highly toxic to birds. A box treated with toxic preservatives in the fall will be lethal box in the summer. Raw linseed oil has no additives, and is safe to use. It is a clear to yellowish oil derived from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant. Just remember not to apply it on real thick, give each coat time to cure then rub it into the wood again during the fall season.
Caution; Linseed Oil on rags, cloth, and paper saturated with drying oils may combust spontaneously due to heat given off during the curing process. This is especially the case where oil-soaked materials are folded, bunched, compressed, or piled together, which allows the heat to accumulate and even accelerate the reaction. Precautions include: wetting the rags with water and spreading them to dry in a safe place away from direct sunlight.
551 S PIKE RD 239 GROVE CITY RD.
Sarver, Pa. 16055 Slippery Rock Pa. 16057
724-295-5131 724-794-6615
Remember to use RAW Linseed Oil on Nestboxes
Sarver, Pa. 16055 Slippery Rock Pa. 16057
724-295-5131 724-794-6615
Remember to use RAW Linseed Oil on Nestboxes
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