Safe and Humane Ways to Keep Bird Problems Away
Birds are responsible for damaging countless buildings and homes across the country. While the exact type of damage that can occur depends upon the species, most present the same problems. Here are a few of the most common issues birds can cause.
- Respiratory Problems: Bird feathers and dander in even small quantities can lead to serious respiratory problems in healthy adults.
- Machinery: Bird droppings, nest materials, feathers, and other debris can get into sensitive machines and electronic equipment and wreak havoc.
- Ventilation Problems: Birds make a mess when they mate and nest. More often than not, they make nests or congregate near ventilation shafts. If you have birds nesting in your ventilation system, it won't take long for feathers and other debris to completely block and damage the system or reduce its efficiency.
- Roof Trouble: Pigeons, sparrows, starlings, and other birds make their nests in and around gutters. When they fill your gutters with debris, water will not be able to drain effectively. This can lead to mold growth and rotten wood throughout your building.
- Fire Hazard: From feathers to nest materials, almost everything birds do will create a significant fire hazard in and around your business. Nests in the rafters, feathers in machinery, and branches near power lines all contribute to the danger.
- Parasites and Viruses: Many birds, especially sparrows and starlings, carry as many diseases, parasites, and viruses as rats or mice. Coming in contact with their droppings, spilled food, or even feathers puts you at risk.
Safe and Humane Deterrents
As you can see, birds can cause a huge variety of problems. But fortunately, there are effective and humane ways to deter them from making their home on your property. Here are some of the best products that will help you solve your bird problem:
- Bird Spikes: In many instances, the best way to eliminate a problem is to keep birds from being able to land anywhere near your property. Birds with large feet need a large area to land, walk, or lift off for flight. Bird spikes are strips of metal or plastic spikes that can be fastened to window sills, eaves, roof lines, or anywhere else birds land. The strips can be secured end-to-end for as long as you want, won't hurt the birds, and will last for years. If you have smaller bird problems, there are pigeon-specific spikes too.
- Bird Netting: If you want to keep birds away from your plants, out of large openings, away from your rafters, or off of windows, bird netting is the solution you are looking for. Bird netting is a type of netting that can be placed anywhere you want to keep birds away. The netting prevents birds from being able to fly into or onto a certain surface. The netting comes in every shape and size you could need and will not injure the birds in any way.
- Repellents: Birds can be distracted and frightened by smells just like humans can. Liquid repellents can be applied anywhere you want to create a barrier that birds will not pass. This is especially useful for geese that encroach on your property and distract workers or customers. The repellent is environmentally safe and will not injure birds.
- Visual Deterrents: Scarecrows are a primitive form of visual bird deterrent that you are probably very familiar with. The idea behind a visual deterrent is to place an object that frightens away a specific type of bird. Natural predator-shaped deterrents usually work the best, but there are also other unique options. Sound deterrents work much the same and provide a safe way to scare birds away from your warehouse.
Finding What Works for You
Every deterrent and prevention tool listed above works for a specific set of birds and in specific situations. If you want to maximize your results, be sure to use a combination of tools tailored to your specific needs. If you don't know which tools to use together, our experts can help. Because all of the methods we use at Bird B Gone are safe and humane, you won't need to worry about injuring birds or negatively impacting the environment to protect your property.