What is Bird Control?
Bird control is quite simply deterring and preventing birds from landing, nesting, and living on or around your buildings or other structures. While you may think that birds don’t cause much of a nuisance, nothing could be further from the truth.
Methods of bird control include removing nesting birds and creating deterrents that make birds less likely to land and nest in the first instance.
Homes that may require bird control systems, as do gas stations, malls, restaurants with outdoor patios, and many other types and sizes of building.
Why Bird Control is Important
Birds themselves, their nesting materials, and their droppings can carry over 60 different diseases and parasites. These can be spread easily – especially if a bird decides to nest near a ventilation system. This will invariably be a health code violation. Birds can present serious health risks for you, your employees, your family, and your customers. Which makes it vital to keep birds off your buildings!
The droppings that birds leave behind are highly acidic and damage paint finishes, stain and corrode building materials. It can cause slip risks when found on pavement or walkways as well.
Birds or their droppings can contaminate both food products and inventory. So any food production facilities to restaurants to even your own home can be negatively affected by the presence of birds. Even non-food inventory can be damaged by the acidic droppings.
The mess that birds leave behind can be unsightly. Plus, the cost of constantly having to clean up can be expensive. Furthermore, bird nests can pose a fire risk, or can block drains if they fall to the ground.
Best Types of Bird Deterrent Products
There are many ways to deter birds – here are some of the best.
Bird Netting
Virtually invisible from a distance, bird netting will keep birds off your buildings. Think of it as a fence on your roof to keep them out. It effectively keeps birds out of the area it surrounds.
Suitable for home use or in warehouses, protecting gardens and crops, or even to protect AC units and air vents. Bird netting is the most common form of bird control.
Shock Track
A bird shock track is even less noticeable to the public. A shock track can be fitted to almost any surface and will conform to the shape of the surface it is attached to. Powered by electricity, it will give a small non-deadly shock to any bird that lands on it, effectively scaring them away.
If perching birds are a problem, a shock track is the simplest solution for bird control, and can be used to protect gutters, signs, window ledges, and more.
Bird Spikes
Similar in effect to shock tracks, bird spikes are strips that are fitted with multiple spikes to prevent birds from landing. They are not designed to severely injure the birds, but instead to provide no flat area to land.
A simple poke from the spike as the bird attempts to settle will prompt it to fly away to find another location to perch or nest. This is a great alternative if there are lots of ledges on a building.
Lasers
Bird deterrent lasers may sound like something from a sci-fi movie but are in fact an effective method of bird control. They generate red and green low-powered laser beams that birds can see. These beams cause the birds to choose somewhere more settled to land.
Other Deterrents
Bird deflectors are visual deterrents that dissuade birds from entering an area, while sonic bird deterrent devices produce bird alarm calls to tell birds to stay away or make sounds that are similar to those of predators. Predator decoys can also be used that give a visual representation of a natural bird predator.
Drones that automatically patrol the area can be used to scare birds away, too.
Cleaning Up After a Bird Problem
Droppings and nesting material are often left behind after the birds have gone and must be safely removed and the area cleaned and sanitized. Professional removal is recommended as toxins and large amounts of dust may need to be removed, all of which can have an adverse effect on your health.
To learn more about the attic clean out process, watch the video below.
If you think you may have a bird problem, contact us for a free inspection.