I only use "Par-a-sol" brand anymore. I personally don't like the way the plastic looks in my gardens. Parasol makes quite a few different styles, but I have a couple of the type pictured. I have had bees and wasps investigate, but quickly give up on the endeavor. I have read somewhere that a bee got into the glass flower, but they also sell "bee-proof" replacements that have a much smaller diameter to prevent that. The top on the kind I have is the perfect size to get in and give it a good scrub, there's no places for bacteria to hide, etc. It is not ideal for high wind areas because it just sits on top to close, but I hang mine off of my deck and it really does take HIGH wind because of the weight for this to be a concern, in my opinion. This post was edited by lkg1323 on Sat, Apr 20, 13 at 11:57

I have 10 bluebirds, two Carolina wrens, three or four song sparrows, three or four tufted titmice and some chickadees. I go through 10,000 meal worms every week and a half. I see all of them first thing in the morning and then they come back two or three at a time several times throughout the afternoon. I probably put out 100 or more at a time. I order large but haven't seen any I would consider large for quite some time. I think that is one reason they eat as many as they do. Dave

I use to tape a small plastic cup (like one that comes with a bottle of children's medicine but a bit larger)to the top of the BB house right before the eggs hatched. I use to keep them up on my deck but the orioles would gobble them up in no time. The closer to the BB's the better. I would put them out prior to the eggs hatching though so the adults get use to the cup being on their box. They are a bit "spooked" at first, but they will quickly become intrigued by what is waiting for them. Have fun!

They officially went up Tuesday night, 4/2/2013. Hanging about 7-9 feet off the ground under a large, mature Norway Spruce, in sight of my kitchen corner nook. The big tube feeder filled with Black Oil Sunflower seed, the caged green one with Safflower seed, and the thistle feeder with Nyjer thistle seed. I scattered some BOSS and Safflower under each feeder. The next morning things were quiet until about 9am, when I saw small birds near the big tube feeder. Then I saw a couple of Blue Jays, and some Cardinals nearby. I refilled the nearby birdbath to melt the icy water, and watched the birds having fun the rest of the day. Less than two days later, I'm amazed at how many BOSS seeds have gone, about 1/3 of the tube. There's plenty of feeding being done on the ground, too, squirrels included. The green feeder with the Safflower doesn't seem to be getting much action. Yet. The thistle feeder is getting some attention, but the big tube feeder is the main attraction so far. I'll be refilling it and trying to see if the birds will also go for Safflower mixed with BOSS in this feeder. Now the fun begins, watching and identifying all the smaller birds from afar, zoom on the camera and binoculars just aren't perfect. Comments and suggestions welcome. Thanks for the help in getting this novice birder up to speed!