"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
"laura" wrote in message
...

I can't find anywhere that tells me how to do this
I have several medium sized trees in a woody area which I think
is
the best site - and I have 2 boxes ( not sure what they are but
they
don't have round holes so I suppose they're bat boxes) & I can't
see
how they're fixed

Is it Ok to nail/screw - I'd prefer not to - & if not then how?

I have a shed with eaves which is quite high off the ground - but
is
it an issue under the eaves where things can reach down from the
roof? ( they could get access via next door's oak tree)


Nails into trees are ok if the trees will never be used for timber:
use 3" minimum (I'd use 4"), drilling the box first to save
splitting. But I would never nail into any of the prunus (plum,
cherry, almond etc) as they're likely to catch diseases through a
wound.

'Can't be authoritive about nails in trees but,
....... I wouldn't. We have an old hollow tree and its plain that nails
were hammered into it.
Whether that was cause and effect, I can't say, but a similar tree
grows very healthily close by.
I tie my nest boxes into the angles between branches. The boxes have
to come down every couple of years to be cleaned out so they never get
permanently wedged in.
And the trouble with shed attachments is that the shed might get a
fair bit of use during the nesting season which will put the nesters
off.
Its never easy, is it. :-)

--
ned

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last update 12.11.2004