Birds and Buildings: A How-to-Guide for Bird Control
Find Out where the Birds Are
In order to figure out how to get rid of birds that are living in or around your building, it’s important to determine where exactly they have taken up residence. Generally, you can expect birds to flock to areas that provide shelter from predators or a reliable source of food and water.
Before you start looking around for bird deterrents, we suggest taking a walk around your building and paying attention to the following areas:
- On top and underneath the roof
- On ledges and window sills
- On statues or ornaments
- Near HVAC units and chimneys
- Near entryways and walkways
- On exterior lighting and signage
In addition to looking for birds, you should also keep an eye out for signs of nesting, bird feathers, and droppings. Unfortunately, cleaning up after them will not prevent them from returning.
Where exactly the birds congregate is important because you have to choose the right bird deterrent for each location.
Give Deterrents a Try
Deterring birds can be more difficult than it sounds. Some types of birds can be rather obstinate in giving up a preferred location. Relocating birds works by encouraging the birds to find a new destination to perch and nest.
Fortunately, we know of one advantage you can exploit when it comes to deterring birds. The fact that birds are prey to a lot of animals allows you to utilize deterrents. When it comes to using deterrents effectively, it helps to know which type of birds you’re dealing with.
The great thing about deterrents is that they’re relatively inexpensive and easy to use.
Don’t Feed the Birds
You might think that birds are flocking to your building because they are looking for a nice place to sit. We have found that that is only partly true. After all, birds have to eat, too. Is it possible that you are encouraging birds to come to your building by feeding them?
Birds are pretty good about finding food sources that aren’t necessarily meant for them, such as garbage cans. In order to prevent birds from looking for food near your building, you need to be vigilant about keeping the trash covered. We also recommend picking up garbage from the ground around your building daily at least until the bird problem is under control.
Use the Least Intrusive Bird Control First
The best bird control is the one that’s least intrusive to the birds, the environment, and your building. A great example of such a device is using sound to repel birds from the area. Most sound deterrent devices will produce distress and predator calls from many different types of birds.
One type of bird control we don’t advise using is poison. Poisoning birds is not just harmful to the birds and the environment, but it can also get you in trouble legally. Fortunately, netting and spikes are two very effective methods for deterring birds from your building permanently.
Netting and Spikes
Heavy duty bird netting is designed to block birds from entering unwanted areas. Areas where bird netting is most often used includes: roofs, warehouses, loading docks, airplane hangars, and other enclosures. Bird spikes are advantageous because they are easy to install. Bird spikes are most often installed on ledges, i-beams, parapet walls, conduits, signs and other flat or curved surfaces.
How to Get Started with the Installation
Choosing the right deterrent for the right bird problem and having the deterrent correctly installed are extremely important. If you’re not sure how to use the deterrent you have selected, it’s a good idea to contact Bird B Gone for more information. We can’t stress enough how important it is to install the product properly in order to keep the birds away from your building indefinitely.