I think the info you want is available in this study or one of its references (but I don't have time to dig through it). "Effects of parasitism by the braconid wasp Cotesia congregata on metabolic rate in host larvae of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta" Published in Journal of insect physiology, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 143-154, 1997 If you give me your email address, I can send you the article in a PDF. I'll warn you that it is not something you would read for fun. From what I read, I learned that caterpillars produce CO2. It makes sense but I had not thought about it before. KC

Sorry to hear this Tim. If I were you I would remove the HOSP nest and hope the blues return. I doubt you will get the female HOSP now that the male has left. In my experience with TRES I see them highly motivated to run off any bird in paired boxes when they are nest building. Once they are laying/incubating and feeding nestlings they focus much more on that then defending the other box. I have lots of paired boxes and that is what I have found anyway. As far as the Blues letting the HOSP take over the box...well they know they cannot win I suppose, no eggs or nestlings to defend so it is hard to say. I think each bluebird is different too on how hard they defend things. This year I have a hugely territorial male, never had one like this before. He has chased off my chickadees and is trying to chase off all the Tree Swallows in the yard. He is defending four nestboxes, two of these are 65 yards or so from the box they have eggs in. Nothing will be nesting in the box paired 35 feet from the blues nestbox...he won't allow it. The chickadees weren't even house hunting, just trying to eat out of the birdfeeders and he won't allow it. A couple times I have seen a HOSP come to the feeder and I quickly try to get the bb gun but the Male bluebirds chases it away before I can even think about it. He won't stop chasing until it is out of the yard too. I am curious to see if he calms down a bit once the eggs hatch which should be next week. Good luck to you, hope your blues can get down to business now that that HOSP is gone. Donna

I took mind down after first use, I had it set up with the cord hanging across the yard like a clothes line, it was a safety hazard, hope to eventually get it set up in another box or area for security monitoring or to have it where I can switch it back and forth between boxes. Having the 100ft cord attached permanently to camera is annulling though, Not practically to have 50ft or more extra cord left over. Anyway that's life. If I understand what your trying to say, would it be ok to leave it up during the winter, I think it would be ok, I don't think the winter will break it or hurt it in any way, the only thing the winters might do to it is frost over the lens, but it might generate just a tiny bit of heat to keep that from happening. Don't really know. If the cord is not in the way and you don't plan on moving it from box to box, I would just leave it where it is. And I give this advice for another reason and that is for the screws. The screws for those things are really small, To be taking them out and putting them back in will more liking just make bigger holes for the screw holes, and eventually you'll need to make new screw holes, which is no real big deal but something to think about. Another thing in consideration is the chance of loosing the screws taking them on and off. Replacing the screws is no big deal, its just a hassle to find screws that small, at least with the one I got, I actually drilled the holes on the camera mount bigger. Another thing a screw driver with a magnetic tip helps. And keep the screws in a baggy or something with the camera. Keith

Elly, I replied but I did make it clear that I have no TRES experience. Wish we did but we don't have them here, ever. Anyway, I told her that if this involved my EABL I would remove the box, pole, baffle, (hope she has a baffle!) and add a ground anchor. All three of my nest box poles are anchored with ground anchors that I bought at WBU for about $10.00 each. Bluebirds are so tolerant of human intervention but I don't know how the TRES would react.