Maureen, have you gotten your minis yet?? Please update us. I placed an order for five with BB last weekend and am anxiously awaiting mine. Last year, I bought four from her, but the evil powdery mildew got all but one (I thought I was being so careful... I think I need a fan in my office). I've just sterilized all of my pots (little blue bonsai pots with which I wick-water) in anticipation of their arrival. Yay! Korina, you crack me up -- I was happy to "see" you over on the begonia board today -- I have a begonia at my office with my AVs, and just bought three more (uh oh) gorgeous NOID begonias for home, so I was researching a potting medium for them. Sounds like I can use my sphag-perlite-vermiculite AV mix for the begonias, too... also, off-topic, how do you like the SciFi channel's Doctor Who? (It's my first exposure, though I've heard of the show before...I find him kind of cute!). Anyway, posts from you always make me laugh, so it was neat to "run into" you over on the begonia board. But really, Maureen, this is your thread, so please let us know if you've gotten your new babies yet!!

Caye61542, so so sorry that you lost your baby blues from those nasty HOSP's. Never never let them nest in your bird houses. Always put up a sparrow spooker after 1st egg has been laid by bluebirds or any others that may nest with you. If you're not familiar with spooker, there is plenty of info online. Most people make theirs, but I bought mine. Make sure you remove it after babies fledge, so HOSP's don't get accustomed to it. They are really effective, but not always. The other thing that's critical when you have a HOSP problem is to get a Van Ert Trap installed inside your bluebird house (can order online & very easy to install). You can only use this when no birds are nesting. It can be removed during this time. What happens is when the HOSP enters, it sets the trap off & covers up the hole. Then, you have to get a big bag (I have large laundry bag with drawstring so I can see the bird & make sure it was a HOSP that I caught) & put all the way around house & open door for HOSP to escape. They will come out quickly, so make sure they don't escape. It's key to monitor hourly when you use this trap because you could trap bluebirds or other native birds as well & don't want them to die in box. You will then need to dispose of HOSP & try to trap the mate as well. I know some people don't want to dispose of them, but how else are you going to keep them from killing your bluebirds? There are humane ways to do it. The Sialis site outlines the entire process for you & gives other tips on how to control HOSP's. It's a personal choice, but definitely invest in a sparrow spooker. People that have serious HOSP problems trap multiples in a repeating trap that they use a decoy & millet to get them trapped. I'd be getting rid of that nasty HOSP that killed your babies! Best of luck! Nicole

Many wild bird eggs are blue. The most common ones we see are probably robins or bluebirds. But if you flip through the pages on this web site, http://www.wildbirds.org/info/eggs.htm you will see a wide variety of eggs of many colors. Sometimes a broken empty egg shell is the result of a competitor, such as the House Wren, who quickly steals an egg from a nest by piercing it with his beak, taking the egg and dropping it some distance away. Ants will then clean out the egg contents. Brown Headed Cowbirds are parasitic; they will remove a host egg and lay one of their own for the host to raise, often growing faster and eating more than the host's young. Cuckoos and maybe some other birds also do that. Sometimes the parent bird takes the eggshells away as their young hatch, and sometimes they eat the shells, providing additional calcium in their diet. But, knowing that that there are bluebird trails a few miles from your house, it is likely that bluebirds do nest nearby. A few miles is nothing to a bird, considering the distance some of them migrate. As for size, Bet's web site provides a comparison with bluebird and robin eggs here: http://www.sialis.org/nests.htm BlueBars

Glad to see I am not alone with this issue. I am a builder in Roseburg, Oregon, and recently have had the exact same issues as some of you. I first noticed a leak in the entry closet a few months ago while I was wrapping up a new spec home. The house had already been painted, including trim, and wood floors down. I noticed mold and swelling around the drywall of the finished trim and above the door. Our plumbers found 3 microscopic leaks, all within a foot of each other, that sprayed water so lightly they were likely leaking for months before damage was visible. After sending the bad pipe to Uponor we received the same news that the pipe was exposed to Western Conifer Seed Bug and damages would not be covered. Then, just 2 weeks ago, i noticed some swelling in the baseboard and trim around the bottom of the same door in the exact same area!! The plumbers came out to find 2 more of the same tiny holes about 2 feet down the line. I don't know if they didn't see the last 2 holes on the first repair or what but I had them remove/replace all of the line they could reach. Also, it was only the 1/2 inch line that was damaged in my case, even tho there was a 1'' line in the same area as well. This time I kept the damaged pipe so I can have some private tests conducted. I called our Building Official to bring up these issues and he told me to talk to the State Building Codes Division, which I saw one of you also suggested. I plan to do so too. I also had a local exterminator, who has been in business for 28 years in this area, take a look at the wall section where the damage occurred before I covered it up. He is going to write a sort of testimonial saying there were no signs of bugs in the wall of the house. I don't know how much this will help me in my battle against Uponor, but it can't hurt and it may be something for others to consider. He also suggested I contact the entomology program at Washington State University to see if they would be interested in further researching this issue, which I plan to do as soon as I finish here. We should all be spreading the word about this issue and exploring more ideas for how to make real changes.