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OK, I'm devastated

17 years ago

The last few weeks have been great. A happy young couple of BB's built a nest in my box, laid five pretty blue eggs. All of them hatched just fine. Ma and Pa BB had been very busy sharing the grocery shopping and feeding the happy young'ns. I pretty much ignored them, thinking they'd do just fine without my assistance, although I was always at the ready for the appearance of the dreaded HOSPS.

Well yesterday I noticed I hadn't seen Ma and Pa all day.

Then again today.

So I opened the box and was horrified to find five dead baby BB's.

There are no obvious signs of physical trauma as in a HOSP attack. But their little bodies look rather greenish as if diseased.

What could it be, and what can I do?

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Comments (3)

neopyte
Original Author
17 years ago
Ah, in my haste I neglected to see the other post about this same issue.
Yes, I did spray my yard with weed killer. And I did scatter grub killer all over my yard.
OTOH, when Ma and Pa BB brought back food, it was always a little green caterpillar looking worm which I don't think came from the grass. Looked more like it would've come from a tree. But I'm certainly no expert.
Anyway, as soon as I'm done typing this, I'm off to clean out the box and hope for a new start.
I tried to post a picture, but couldn't get it resized. And you've all probably seen dead birds before anyway, so I'll spare you the grief.
bbcathy
17 years ago
Did you have a spooker on the box. They are like a 24/7 babysitter for your Blues. Spookers go up after the firrst egg is laid to protect against hosps. Why take the chance? They are easy to make. look them up on the sialis website.
Cathy

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org
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OK - I think I'm ready! Does it sound like I'm ready?
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Glad I came back up here to look for replies! Yay! I got the good dirt! :D I had no idea what I was doing. The guy at the co-op recommended this. I knew we were anti-Hyponex and pro co-op mix, but that's all I knew. :) Uh oh...no styrofoam? Bummer. I just did a few, and so easy to poke holes in the bottom. I tried poking holes in the yogurt cup first and split it. Oops. I think a plastic container sounds like a good idea to house everything, drilling holes in the top. Do I also have to make drainage holes in the bottom? I do have a paint pen. It's one of those Deco-Color from Michael's craft store.
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I just hate when things like that happen -- losing a reliable local source for anything. We just learned our favorite (by far) sandwich shop is closing. Also, I bought a special mattress from a local manufacturer because they would make adjustments to it as long as you own it. Of course, they went out of business, so next time I will just buy from an ordinary store. So darn mad that I paid extra for local service. Anyway, I love lobster and would be upset, too. Are there any restrictions on bringing lobster from Canada to the US?
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Comments (4)
Hello Kaynik, I tried to blow up the picture of the "Stalk Borer" itself, but with very limited success. It's probably the larva of a moth, which makes it an official "Stalk Borer". I have had some bad experiences with Stalk Borers in my zinnias, in which the borer killed one stem, exited and crawled to another zinnia plant and entered its stem. They are well protected when they are inside a stem. Some native plants here, like the Giant Ragweeds, have strong enough stems to continue living and growing despite a hollow section of their stem. You can take your revenge on them, but as you have discovered, they have already done their damage. Other people may have better suggestions. My only suggestion is to grow those varieties of sunflowers that have multiple stems per plant. Or a variety that has thick enough a main stem to survive despite a hollowed out section of their main stem. Unfortunately I do not really have that option with my zinnias, except when the borer enters the main stem above the junction of two or more side branches. ZM
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Ok,now I'm starting to get a little angry at the cool summer so far..
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Comments (21)
Not sure the exact 4th was..but around 73/74F and pleasant like you say since I was pruning and only sweated- not soaked! This could turn around for the bay area but most bets are its going to be below average in highs-but as always these days,above average in lows in the bay area summers. Interesting. Europe has been cooler than average and I would guess some relationship in lows and jet streams.
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neopyte
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes, I made some spookers out of wire and strips of chrome Mylar. But I didn't have them installed, because I hadn't seen any hosps at all.
But now I have to start another thread so I can post some pics.

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