Protect your yard this summer with bird control products

Hundreds of dollars are spent each year by homeowners cleaning up after and replacing what the pest birds have damaged. Sparrows, swallows, crows, and pigeons are a few of the pest birds that will invade your home and garden and make your home their permanent location. The easiest way to get rid of pest birds so that they do not ruin your summer is to invest in bird control for your property. There are many humane and affordable products that will keep pests birds away from your home and garden. They are affordable, especially when you compare it to the cost of repairs and clean up.

Types of Bird Control Products:

Physical bird deterrents are a type of bird control that keeps pest birds from landing and roosting in an area. Included are bird spikes, bird repellers, bird netting, and other similar products. Easy to use bird spikes are an economical way to keep birds like pigeons and seagulls off your home. You simply glue or screw them to the peaks and edge line of your roof to keep them off. They also work well on patio covers, fences and other flat or curved surfaces where birds are an issue. There are also bird repellers that will do the trick. These units “sweep” birds away with rotating “arms”. They can be solar powered with rechargeable batteries to be effective even during the evening. The repellers are ideal to keep pigeons and other larger birds off of patio covers and furniture; even boats and docks. Bird netting is a very effective product that is used to exclude pest birds from areas such as under the eaves of your home. This is an especially vulnerable area where birds are notorious for invading. You can install bird netting at an angle from the roof edge to the side of your home to protect it from swallows and woodpeckers. Netting is also used to protect berry bushes, garden plants and even fruit trees.

Visual deterrents produce a visual distraction that causes the birds to fly away in fear. Flash tape is a very simple and inexpensive visual deterrent that is used in garden areas to keep pest birds away from plants and seeds. You can attach the flash tape to posts in your garden area and as the breeze moves the pieces of shiny Mylar tape, the sun reflects off of the tape which irritates the bird’s senses and they will fly away. There are also scare tactics such as balloons and diverters available that also irritate the pest birds. The scare balloons have a “mock” predator eye design that cause a visual distraction area and cause the birds to fly in the other direction. The balloons and diverters can be hung from the eaves of your home to keep woodpeckers and many other birds away.

Sound deterrents will also scare birds away. They are used to scare birds away with sounds. The sounds that are made are predator calls and distress calls played in intervals. The sound triggers the bird’s instincts to danger and they will fly away. Make sure you choose a sonic sound unit that is water proof and easy to program, made specifically for outdoor use. There are units available where you can choose your target bird such as the sparrow, pigeon and crow. There can be over 20 different species of birds programmed into the deterrents. The unit will play a species specific distress call and predator calls that will scare the birds.

Knowing what type of pest bird is hanging around your property is the first key to keeping them away from your home and garden. It is sometimes helpful to use more than one bird control product to get rid of the birds. It is often suggested to use the sound deterrents in tandem with the visual deterrents. The more uncomfortable you make it for the bird, the better.