Why You Should Include Bird Proofing in your Building Maintenance

Buildings require regular maintenance just like homes and cars need regular maintenance to keep them running optimally.  Maintenance is needed on buildings to keep them from deteriorating and to keep them presentable and clean.  This is especially true when it is a business where customers are in and out of the building.  It does not matter if the structure is one story or a high rise. The same tasks will need to be performed to make sure that everything is working properly.  The heating, cooling and air conditioning systems and ventilation need to be running efficiently.  Health and safety codes need to be met. Bird deterrents that are properly installed will prevent nesting materials and the bird’s droppings from damaging these important systems and will ensure that they continue working properly without the added cost of repairing and replacing them due to the hazardous and damaging bird materials.

Outdoor areas also need bird proofing where the public may walk, or take their morning and afternoon breaks.  Bird deterrents are necessary in order to keep the birds from leaving their droppings all over the tables and chairs that may be used by employees and customers.  The bird droppings contaminate where they land, including drinking fountains, drains and grass areas.  Fresh droppings are also very slippery and can be a liability issue should someone slip and fall.  The droppings also harbor diseases that can be transmitted to humans.

Light posts, security cameras and other posts and walls should be protected with a bird deterrent so that the building and business do not become laden with droppings and make for an unwelcome environment.  The nesting materials and droppings can also obscure and render the safety cameras inoperable.  The costs of repair and lack of proper security can lead to high expenses due to lack of bird control. It is much easier and less costly to protect what is already there than to replace equipment.

Roofs, signage and exterior facades can also be utterly impaired by the bird’s droppings and nesting materials. Roofs, particularly, can be exorbitantly expensive to repair or replace. The acid in bird droppings can quickly eat into painted signs and plastic, ruin paint, artwork, statues and other architectural values on the structure. All the more reason to invest in bird deterrents before damage emerges.

Bird Deterrent Choices

There are choices when it comes to bird deterrent methods.  There are physical bird deterrents, visual deterrents and sound deterrents.  Physical bird deterrents are products that get in the way of the bird landing in an area.  Bird spikes are considered a physical deterrent.  Bird spikes stop the birds from sitting along the ledges, parapet walls and rooflines of a building.  Wherever the spikes are installed, the birds will not be able to land.  Bird spikes come in stainless steel and plastic.  The plastic bird spikes come in different colors to match the structure they are secured on.  This helps with their invisibility factor.

Visual bird deterrents scare birds away.  There are hawk decoys, scare balloons, flash tape and diverters.  They work by having a common scare trigger of a predator’s feature along with a reflective shiny surface.

Sound deterrents also frighten birds away.  Sonic devices are used to broadcast actual predator calls and distress calls. The birds hear the familiar distress calls and will fly away from the area.  There are over 22 different species programmed into the unit.  Never waste your money on ultrasonic sound devices.  They do not work.  Birds hear at the same level as humans, so if you hear the sound, they do.

If you are unsure which product is best suited for your needs, please consult with a bird control specialist.