In article , Lar
wrote:

In article snowshoe-0104031046200001@148-
pm3.hom.alaska.net, says...
Up here we have the "Violet-green swallow" and the "tree swallow" (among
several other types) that nest in hollow trees, fenceposts, barn eaves and
will happily move into nest boxes. I watch them eat mosquitos every
morning
and evening. (My front yard is a 7 acre lake, so we have a healthy mossie
population. We don't have many moths here.)

The time frame of aeriel feeders and mosquitos usually
don't cross, but here is some info on the tree swallow
diet.
http://birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/b...os/speciesacco
unts/treswa.html#Diet

Maybe down there in the small states they don't cross, but they
sure as hell do in Alaska.

We'll have our first hatch of mosquitos here in about 2 weeks, while
there's still snow on the ground. Our first swallows are expected
around May 1. We have many species of mosquitos that hatch
as the summer progresses. The first killing frost in the fall kills
the mossies, then we get black flies, white sox, and no-see-ums,
which last until freezeup.

http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Ecology/swallow.html

"Swallows are an enjoyable species of wildlife to have around the yard.
In addition to their entertaining acrobatics they are wonderful bug
eaters, especially for mosquitos here in Alaska."

* * *

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/...mosquito.shtml

This article has excellent instructions on building swallow nest boxes.

* * *

A google search for "swallows alaska" turned up many pages of information,
almost all of them mentioning the main diet of swallows in Alaska -- mosquitos.

Jan