Canal Winchester is setting out the welcome mat for migrating birds in order to control insects plaguing the village.
The Canal Winchester Street Tree Advisory Board, in cooperation with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), established the village’s first-of-its-kind biological insect control project.
Twenty-five tree swallow nest boxes and poles were purchased and erected at the west end of Dove Parkway in the Canal Pointe industrial area.
Village officials are hopeful migratory tree swallows nesting in the area will form a large rookery and feed on noxious flying insects.
According to the Prince Edward Island Wildlife Federation, "Tree Swallows are very important. They help control populations of insect pests like mosquitoes and other flies. They are known to eat at least 800 mosquitoes a day. Tree Swallows are a natural method of pest control that reduced the need for insecticides or other toxic sprays."
Tree Swallows, with their distinctive forked tail, are five to six inches long, with a wingspan of 12 to 14 inches, and weigh less than an ounce. Adult males have a shiny, blue-green back, and a white belly.
Young females have a dull brownish back. Their nests are cup-shaped, made out of grasses or pine needles, and lined with the feathers of other birds.
Boxes and poles used in the $1,700 project, which was partially funded by SWACO, are constructed out of 99 percent recycled material and maintained by the five-member street tree board. Recycled material was utilized in order to improve the village environment.
For information call Dick Miller, Canal Winchester urban forester, at 834-5100.
