novice 60, I hate red wasps, their stings are so painful. I have an old Dirt Devil canister vac that the DW has tossed many times. The wheels are missing and it's held together with duct tape, but it's small and has a powerful motor, so I keep rescuing it from the trash. I use it to vac wasps from my feeders - they go in, they don't come out. Could be because I also use it to vac loose fur from my dogs. The noise scares the hummers away, so they're not in danger. If they do become accustomed to the noise and start getting too close, I'll cover the end of the hose with a piece of 1/2" mesh hardware cloth. Each wasp makes a new nest in the spring, so every one that you can get now means you're destroying a whole nest. Try it, it works for me. AND IT'S FUN!!!

I would try again if you have wrens in your area. Some birds just take longer to figure it out than others. I know it is gut wrenching to watch but it is for their own good. I've had to take it off too and try again so don't feel bad. Does it have sides? No sides does help at first but I recommend adding them. I have seen wrens repeatedly crawling all over a box trying to find a way in. I've done this for 6 or 7 years now and the Blues always find a way in eventually. I had a female last year that was not getting it at all. I had to cut a flap in the guard right in front of the hole and tape it back so she could see the hole and when she got used to that I taped it back down. Is there at least 2 1/2" in front. I leave 3" at least until they get used to it. Good Luck Cathy

That's great news gibby. I only feed live mealworms. I think you'll have better luck with those, especially at this time of year when insects are abundant. I sure hope they nest in your box this year.

I'm not sure how you get them to notice your mealworms. The very first year I had them, other birds found the mealworms first, and then the blue followed them in. This year's young were taught by their parents how to use my mealworm feeder. At this time of year, they should all be molted into their adult plumage, so they all look like adults. I have my mealworm feeder on a post. When the young first started coming, I put a bowl on top of the feeder. When they figured out how to get into the feeder, I removed the bowl. Not sure if your setup would work with that suggestion though.