A bird house is a wonderful addition to gardens and yards. Bird houses are lovely to look at, and they attract beautiful birds. The birds aren’t just aesthetically pleasing—they also serve a very practical purpose. Most birds, especially blue birds, subsist on a diet of bugs, slugs, and insects. You might spend hundreds of dollars a year, not to mention a great deal of your valuable time, on pesticides to protect your fruits, vegetables, and flowers, but you don’t need to. Blue birds can keep your garden free of pests, and all you need to attract them is a small wooden bird house.

A wooden bird house is important for several reasons. First, birds won’t get trapped in a wooden bird house. Blue birds require a surface with enough crevices and cracks to latch on to. If you have a plastic bird house, or a wooden bird house with a smooth finish, it can be dangerous for the birds. Second, wooden bird houses are more pleasing to look at. Third, a wooden bird house can be built with any scraps of wood you might have around your house. Using old wood to build your wooden bird house can lend a rustic appearance to your yard or garden.

Use care when placing your wooden bird house, and make sure there aren’t nails or screws sticking out of the walls. Nails could harm the birds.