I’ve been waiting exactly two weeks for this. If you recall, I blogged on the 14th about finding two little bluebird eggs in our bluebird house this year. And I’ve been watching the birds and checking the house for the last few days hoping that they were here.
Today I went out to the box and they had just been hatched a few hours before. Momma bird had already cleaned up, though. There was no evidence of the shells and the babies were sleeping peacefully. I think it’s so nice that bluebirds will let you peek at them. We’re very careful to not overstay our welcome. Aren’t they cute? I won’t repeat Aquagirl’s comment when I asked her that question. 
Think of a vacuum cleaner for bugs. This is a handy, harmless way to gently lift up small bugs by using the power of human breath - but don’t worry, you won’t suck any bugs into your mouth by mistake.
Here are the materials:
- 1 glass or plastic jar (not too big, or it will be too hard to get good suction)
- two lengths of plastic tubing, one cut to 10″, and the other about 20″. I used fish aquarium tubing.
First cover your jar with the tape.
Then poke two holes in the tape that are the approximate size of the tubing.
cut a piece off of the coffee filter.
Cover one end of the smaller tubing with the coffee filter and attach with the rubber band.
Poke both lengths of tubing through the holes in the tape. The end with the coffee filter goes inside the jar. Make sure the tubing is not too far down into the jar or you will impede the suctioning. Plus, the bug will have nowhere to go.
Use the clay to create an airtight seal around the edges of the tubing, as pictured below.
The tube with the coffee filter on the end goes in your mouth, and then you suck gently while holding the other tube towards an insect.
While the bug is in the jar you can inspect it with a magnifying glass and try to identify it. We got a Japanese Beetle, one of MANY in the yard. I lifted a corner of the tape to let the little bug go when we were done.
