On 1 Oct 2002 at 10:24, Ian Paulsen wrote:

> HI Birders/Entomologists:
> A friend of mine just finished cleaning out Purple Martin nest gourds
> here on Bainbridge Island, WA and was wondering what they were:
> 1) A large (headless, probably a food item) with gold and green stripes,
> about an inch long.
>
> 2)100's of small beetles tan in color about 3- 4mm in length. She was
> wondering if they were parasites or just eating the nest remains?
> sincerely

The purple martin society homepage has extensive info on parasites, especially
botflies:
http://www.purplemartin.org/update/NestSucc.html
Clarice Clark
Puyallup, WA. 98371
mailto:jbroadus at seanet.com