THE nesting season is pretty much over and now is a good time to clean out your used nestboxes to make them ready for the next season.

The nests of most birds attract fleas and other parasites, which can infest young birds that hatch the following year unless they are removed.

Please don’t use insecticides and flea powders, boiling water is actually the best remedy for killing any remaining parasites.

Also, remember that the box needs to be thoroughly dried out before you replace the lid.

If there are unhatched eggs in the box, the law states that these must only be removed between the months of August and January, and that they must be thrown away.

It is quite normal for a few eggs to fail to hatch, or for some young to die. Blue and great tits lay up to 14 eggs to allow for such losses.

Cold weather and food shortage may lead to nest desertion, or to only the strongest young surviving.

The nest may also be deserted if one parent dies or if the birds are disturbed by animals or humans.

For next spring, it is worth keeping in mind that nestboxes should be left alone when they are inhabited by birds.

Simply watch and enjoy from a distance, and if you want to see the chicks grow, installing a nestbox camera prior to February is worth considering.

You may also want to consider putting up new nestboxes now. Not only will they be ready for the next breeding season, they will also make warm and cosy homes for winter roosting. Many birds will actually be on the lookout this winter for suitable nesting sites that they can use next season.

Try placing a small handful of clean hay or wood shavings (not straw) in a new, or thoroughly cleaned and dried nestbox and it may be used during the winter by small mammals to hibernate or by birds to roost.

If you are thinking about putting up a new nestbox, remember that birds are very fussy about the size of hole in the box.

Before buying or making a box, please consider which kinds of birds you would like to attract.

Nestboxes which attract blue tits are very different to those preferred by house sparrows which again are different to those favoured by starlings.

In recent years, the fortunes of many birds have been varied. For example, blue and great tits have prospered overall, while house sparrows and starlings have declined.

If you want to provide a nest box, try if possible, to target those birds that genuinely need help.

We have much more advice about nestboxes and how to clean them on our website at rspb.org.uk/advice.

● Sharon Boardman is RSPB people encouragement officer.