**PM Super Gourd Flooring, Bedding and Eggshell Instruction**
o Flooring - No Gourds or PM houses should be without them.
In the bottom of your S-Gourds should be a Quick Shape plastic canvas, 6 inch round disk. You can find these in a 5 pack plastic bag at the Wal-Mart Store, Arts & Crafts department. One bag costs about one dollar. I simply lay the canvas flooring on the bottom of the gourd and attach it with twist eze wire ties you find in any garden store. From the inside of the gourd take 2 same length twist eze (at least 10 inches long) and pull through the plastic disk and drainage holes forming a square design (about 3 inches . Then secure the ties on the bottom outside of the S-Gourd. Now you can sprinkle 1/2 tsp of D. E. bought in garden shop (not the pool type) under the disk. This will kill any mites that are on the martins and also later hiding in the nest.
For martin houses you can purchase the same material in rectangle shape. Measure the floor and cut to fit. To hold the flooring in place get some "Velcro double sided Sticky Back Strips" to adhere the flooring to the bottom of the house compartment. Then you can add 1/2 tsp of D. E. under the plastic. Again add 2 inches of soft pine needles to cover the flooring so the martins do not come in contact with the D.E. They should NOT INHALE the D.E..
o Nesting Material
Now on top of the canvas add about 2 - 3 inches of soft pine needles (from East Texas pine trees). Cut them in half. I also always provide the live oak tree leaves shedding from the trees on an elevated platform. (a 10 feet high pole with a tray on top is good). Make sure the trays have drainage holes in them. The leaves should still be soft and have No sharp edges on them. Martins love to pick them up and carry them into their compartment to form the nest cup where the female will lay her eggs. The leaves serve as insulation and also cover the eggs when the female flies out to feed. Leaves will hide the eggs from predators. (Sparrows)
o Egg shells
Egg shells are very important for the martin females in forming her own eggs (calcium) and also for the bone formation in martin babies) When offered to the martins (also on an 10 foot high elevated tray called Bed and Breakfast featured in the PMCA catalog) should be from fresh eggs, cleaned with water then put on a paper lined plate and put in a microwave at high temp, the inside of the egg shell up for 2 min and turned over and heated for one additional minute on the other side. This will take care of any botulism. You then crush them to a 1/2 inch size and put in the tray for the martins.
o Crushed Oyster Shells
These oyster shells (you can buy at a Feed Store) will help grind up the hard shelled insects that the parents bring to feed their baby martins.
Gisela Fregoe, PMLNT
