Well that's true, not everybody reading this is in the same temperate range as myself. Which is good, because then this WILL be a timely reminder that might keep them from repeating my mistakes. The boxes we have up were built to spec from a booklet put out by the Illinois Dept. of Conservation, and it's possible that the mesh idea just represents their thinking at the time. Can't recall what kind of lumber we used but it wasn't rough-cut but really quite slick. I remember thinking that when we decided to build new ones in a few years, I was going to opt for roughing the surface instead of the mesh...the way it would naturally be. We do use hardwood chips in the bottoms of ours, something like 4 inches of them if I recall. I simply go by what I am told when I build a nesting box, so I'm the wrong person to ask for construction pointers. However, your house looks like a well-built box, Konrad, and I think I also recall seeing some wonderful other pics of your handiwork in other threads...owls, maybe? You seem to do excellent work!! Maybe I should give you a call when my current boxes need replacements! Now, whether or not the intended residents will use them is another matter. You say you put your house up last year? It took two or three seasons for the ducks to accept our sites, and I was thinking I had overlooked an important detail somewhere when they finally showed up. The bat house we put up never HAS had any bats in it, and our bluebird boxes in any given year will have either nuthatches, chickadees (weird), wrens, flying squirrels, tree frogs, bluebirds (imagine that) or even totally go unused. So you may be hoping for ducks and wind up with something completely unexpected, like your bees. I'd be happy to have a hive in one of my boxes, but I would certainly want to put up an additional duck box or two to make up for it. It's all according to what you personally want to do. Happily I don't have any problems with sparrows or starlings, but all other comers are welcome. Good luck with your duck efforts...keep me posted if they do show up!

This year my female had her nest built for about 8-10 days before she started laying. She would also be gone at times..but always came back. Our male was very helpful with this brood and the female. He also would go inside the box at times and fiddle around. I personally would not remove the nest. Keep us up to date

Songbird, you don't say where you're located, but in my area (central Maryland) nesting season usually lasts through August. I've even had a fledging occur as late as the 9th of September. On average, however, 3rd nestings here usually begin mid to late July. Kathy

Whether they will raise another brood this year depends on where you're located. If you're in the south, they may very well raise another brood. Yes, take down the sparrow spooker and add it again if they start laying.