The Purpose of Bird Control
Bird control is a term used to describe methods that deter pest birds from perching, roosting, and nesting. There are many critical reasons to keep birds off your structures and land. A bird is considered a pest when it causes property damage or creates health and safety risks. These two issues alone are reason enough to institute a comprehensive bird control plan around your residential or commercial property.
Damage to Property
Each year, millions of dollars are spent repairing property damage caused by pest birds. Bird droppings are highly acidic and will eat through almost any building material, including stone, steel, wood, and iron. Fecal matter can also ruin canvas awnings, concrete sidewalks, and automobile paint finishes. If allowed to accumulate, droppings and nesting debris can clog gutters, short out electrical equipment, and eat through roofing membranes to cause severe leaks. Machinery, vehicles, roofs, and ventilation systems are all at risk if effective bird deterrents are not installed.
Risks to Health and Safety
Health and safety risks can carry an even higher price tag than structural damage. HVAC systems and ventilation ducts can circulate airborne contaminants throughout a building if intakes are surrounded by nesting materials and droppings. Dangerous carbon monoxide buildup can occur if exhaust vents are blocked by bird nests. Additionally, dried nesting materials placed near electrical machinery, lighting, or illuminated signage create severe fire hazards. Birds can harbor and transmit over 60 known diseases to humans, as well as parasites, mites, and fungal spores.
Effective Bird Control Products
Modern bird control methods are safe, humane, and environmentally friendly. Professional-grade bird control products function as either physical exclusion barriers or visual scare tactics to keep birds away.
Physical Bird Barriers
Physical deterrents like bird spikes and netting offer complete exclusion in challenging areas. Rooflines, signs, and ledges feature flat surfaces where birds love to perch. Bird spikes create an uneven surface that prevents birds from landing without causing them harm. Bird netting creates a physical barrier that completely denies birds access to structural openings. Netting can be installed under building eaves, across open courtyards, inside parking structures, or over fruit trees and gardens, providing a low-profile, virtually invisible exclusion barrier.
Visual Scare Deterrents
Visual bird control products leverage a bird's natural survival instincts to drive them away. Products like scare balloons and reflective diverters feature bright colors, mirrored surfaces, and bold predator eye graphics. While they look like simple decorative accents to humans, birds perceive them as active threats. Visual deterrents perform exceptionally well when hung from patios, gazebos, overhangs, eaves, building sides, and tree branches.
Developing an Integrated Bird Management Strategy
A proactive, multi-layered approach to bird control delivers the best long-term protection. Integrating physical exclusion barriers with visual scare tactics creates an unwelcoming environment that prevents pest birds from establishing roosting routines. Taking action early protects your building's structural integrity, reduces ongoing maintenance costs, and eliminates dangerous health hazards.
Bird B Gone is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of commercial and residential bird control products. For assistance selecting the right deterrents or developing a customized bird control plan, contact our experts at 800-392-6915.