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Building houses to attract swiftlets nesting has mushroomed in provinces of Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Kien Giang, and so on but it is rather new in Binh Duong Province. And thus, people are surprised by VND-one-billion nesting house erected in Binh Nham commune.

Nesting house for swiftlets in Binh Nham, Binh Duong Province.

The 3-storey house is constructed specifically for swiftlets nesting including full ventilation, cooling system of water pipes and sounds to attract swiftlets.

Mr. Phuc, who is living nearby and also hired person to take care of the house, said that his owner has constructed the house just prior to Lunar New Year of 2010. The house is under locks and keys with holes on exterior walls for swiftlets to enter the house so that they could build nests in natural internal design of the house.

According to Mr. Phuc, some 20 pairs of wild swiftlets have chosen to nest in the house at the time. On daily basis, the birds fly out of the house for food and are back in the evening; therefore, they need time to be familiar with new living environment. That was the reason why Mr. Phuc reluctantly refused our request for photographing inside the building. He said that the “attracting phase” is preliminary to harvest in a few years’ time.

On phone contact with Mr. Minh who is the owner of the nesting house, we get to know that success needs at least 2 to 3 years depending on the quantity of swiftlets nesting in the house.

Experts calculate that for averagely 6m2 of space, people could harvest 1kg a year; however, such amount is only gained in about 10 years.

One kilogram of edible nests of swiftlets is priced at VND 30-38 million which is very attractive to investors. However, experts have warned of widespread investment that could be a failure.

“In my own experience in consultancy for techniques for swiftlets nesting in Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa and Con Dao, one nesting house is considered to be successful for attracting at least 300 swiftlets,” said Ph.D Nguyen Khoa Dieu Thu – former Chief of Animal Cell Technology Department of Tropical Biology Institute under National Natural Science and Technology Center.

Binh Duong is one of the provinces with temperate climate that is favorable to swiftlets. As a matter of fact, the nesting should be consulted with experts.

Reported by Nhan Quang – Translated by Vi Bao