If your school is like most, it has open courtyards, outdoor eating areas and overflowing garbage cans and dumpsters. Birds love to loiter around these areas and seek out any food scraps left under lunch tables and benches. And when they see an opportunity, they’ll dive in. After they’re stuffed, they’ll “let loose” some sizeable bird droppings. These droppings can end up on playgrounds, water faucets, lunch benches, tables and walkways. Besides being unsightly, bird droppings can carry any of 60 know diseases, including salmonella and ecoli. Children can also slip and fall on fresh bird droppings, a liability for any school district.

Chances are, you’ve put up with pest birds all year long. Fortunately, there are three simple things you can do to keep them away. And there’s no better time to implement these effective bird control solutions than during the holiday break. So act now while maintenance crews are on site to keep bird pests from flocking to your school.

Scare Birds Away with Repeller 360°

This simple bird control device sweeps pest birds off rooftops, AC units and other flat areas using sustainable wind power. Ideal for keeping larger birds like pigeons, crows, gulls, cormorants and raptors from landing, Bird-B-Gone’s Repeller 360°’s two long arms each have end sails covered with reflective “predator eyes.” When the arms spin in the breeze, the sweeping action and predator eyes combine to make an effective pest bird deterrent. Self-sufficient and easy to set up, the Repeller 360° needs no electrical power or wiring. It rotates continuously in the wind, covering a 6-foot diameter to harmlessly convince bird pests to move on.

Pest Birds Hate Bird Jolt Flat Track
 
Give pest birds a lesson they’ll never forget—a “hello” jolt of electricity when they land on your school roof, ledge or sign. Bird-B-Gone’s Bird Jolt Flat Track “educates” birds but won’t harm them. It’s like getting a shock when you touch a doorknob after walking on the carpet. The shock convinces birds to avoid any lofty areas of your school. Bird Jolt Flat Track is the #1 Specified electric track by architects and government agencies. Its patented “anti-arcing” design provides an added level of safety. It’s also crush proof and will continue to work even if stepped on by window washers or building maintenance crews.
 
Bird Spikes Create No-Landing Zone for Bird Pests
 
Whether you choose plastic or stainless steel, Bird-B-Gone Bird Spikes simply won’t allow birds to land or perch on or near them. Steel bird spikes feature rows of stainless steel spikes embedded in a U.V.-protected polycarbonate base. You can also go with Plastic Bird Spikes, which come in white, tan, gray, black, brown, brick red and crystal clear--to blend in with your school’s color scheme. Plastic spikes are made of rigid U.V.-resistant unbreakable polycarbonate, which makes them tough and economical. Neither type of bird spike will harm birds or installation crews.

So, hey. You got people coming over. The boss and his family. Your mother in law. The kids’ teachers.  They’re all coming for your big BBQ or pool party this summer. You did the right thing--cleaned up your backyard, the BBQ, the pool and spa. Now you’ve got to keep it clean. So the last thing you need is a flock of birds pooping all over your yard, pool, BBQ, chaise lounges, tables and chairs.

Bird droppings are bad news, and not just for pool and spa owners who have to clean their pools and restore pH levels. Bird droppings carry diseases like salmonella. Not good if you’re having a party with lots of open food sitting around. And if you’ve ever tried to clean dried bird droppings off a patio chair or chaise lounge, you know what a pain that can be.

You can stand outside with a hose 24/7 and blast any bird that dares to enter your backyard. Or you can do the smart thing and get the latest technology in bird control—The Bird-B-Gone Bird Chase Super Sonic.

 Science Meets Bird Psychology

The Bird Chase Super Sonic has been scientifically designed to keep birds from landing, roosting and nesting near your BBQ, pool, spa, patio table, chairs, gazebo—anywhere in your backyard. How does it work? Simple. It fully exploits a bird's natural fear of predators and a bird’s acutely sensitive hearing. It broadcasts distress and predator calls (falcons and hawks) that signal bad news for birds. The little critters can recognize and remember these sounds. They can also process sounds 10 times faster than we can. So in the time it takes us to hear one sound, birds could hear up to ten separate notes. Some birds, like pigeons, hear much lower sounds than we can. Like humans, their hearing is most sensitive between 2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz. Which is why ultrasonic bird deterrents seldom if ever work. Birds can’t hear them. They just annoy the heck out of dogs and cats.

Deterring All Manner of Birds

The Bird Chase Super Sonic is extremely versatile. It emits distress and predator calls for as many as 22 types of birds. The calls resemble normal bird calls to the human ear, but strike fear in birds. That means they won’t annoy your pets, neighbors or party guests. The bird calls are repeated regularly--about once every 15 minutes. So any pigeons, crows, starlings, swallows, gulls, woodpeckers, sparrows, grackles, cormorants or most other birds within earshot will not want to hang around. The Bird Chase Super Sonic sound bird deterrent covers a wide area—up to an acre. If you have a big spread, you can add more satellite speakers to cover up to five acres. The Bird Chase unit is ruggedly constructed of UV-protected materials (sun & weather resistant) to last for years outdoors.

As a homeowner, you know the problems pest birds can create when they’re allowed to roost and nest in eaves, canopies, awnings and other covered areas around your home. The beams of your patio cover, gazebo  and other elevated backyard structures offer an ideal sanctuary for birds. These areas protect them from weather and predators. Unfortunately, when  birds gather there, they create quite a mess down below—on your patio table, chairs, BBQ, walkways, spa, pool and thru-window serving bars. Kids toys can also become covered with disease carrying bird droppings.

Fortunately, there are a number of effective and humane bird control products you can use to keep birds away from your eaves, canopies and awnings:

Garden Bird Netting

A lightweight, easy to handle mesh, Garden Bird Netting physically denies pest birds access to specific areas of your home. It comes in 14 x 100-foot and 14 x 200-foot rolls and can easily be cut down to the size you need. It’s also available in three different "mesh" sizes: 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" mesh. The netting installs easily under eaves and other areas, and bird netting clips are available to further speed installation. The best garden bird netting is made from a durable, UV-protected polypropylene. It’s strong, lightweight, designed for temporary use and practically invisible.
 
Bird Slope

Another bird control product that effectively denies birds access to your eaves is Bird Slope. The angled PVC panels won’t allow birds to gain a solid footing on its slippery surface. After a few tries of “squirrel-caging” on the panel, birds just give up and move on. Bird slope panels come in different colors to blend in with your home’s exterior. The panels are easy to install using glue, nails or screws and they're basically maintenance free.

Copper Stuf-Fit Mesh

If your home has a number of small holes and crevices under the eaves and other architecture, Copper Stuf-Fit mesh will keep birds out. It works great for all those tight spaces too small for regular netting or other bird control products. The mesh comes in 20-foot and 100-foot roles and can be “shaped” to conform to the area needed to keep birds out. Stuf-Fit mesh holds its shape in small, narrow areas so birds can’t “work” their way around it. The mesh can even keep birds from getting under your roofing tiles, retractable awnings, and junctions where pipes enter your siding or foundation.

No Nasty Nest

Simple but effective, No Nasty Nest uses hanging "twine" to block birds from potential  nesting sites. Confronted with working through a gauntlet of twine strips, birds will simply move on to a better nesting spot. If you had swallow mud nests under the eaves and sides of your home last year, No Nasty Nest makes a great bird deterrent. Each strip of No Nasty Nest features a self-adhering back for quick application on eaves, gables, entryways and other areas.

by Alex A. Kecskes

Tired of hosing off bird droppings from your car/SUV/camper or boat? Have you run out of car soap in scrubbing off bird poop? Unless you’ve implemented effective bird control measures to keep pest birds off your vehicles and boat, these acidic droppings will eat into the paint and cause permanent damage. So you’re more or less stuck whipping out your hose and sponges every day, cleaning off those smelly droppings—droppings that can carry any of 60 known diseases.

Bird droppings damage paint when the cooling paint lacquer contracts and hardens around their deposits. When exposed to sunlight, bird droppings dry and harden. At the same time, paint lacquer heats up in sunlight, causing it to soften and expand. When the paint lacquer cools down at night, it contracts and hardens around bird droppings. Left for any length of time, the droppings will eventually etch the paint.

Some vehicle and boat owners have resorted to canvas covers. But these, too, must be cleaned often or the bird droppings will harden, weaken the fabric and cause it to rip and tear. Vehicle covers, especially boat covers, are not cheap.

Fortunately, there are a number of bird deterrents you can use to keep pest birds off your vehicles and boats parked in your driveway. The two most popular bird control measures include:

Sonic Bird Deterrents

While they may not have raebbit ears, birds have very acute hearing. They’re always on the alert for a fellow bird in distress or the threatening shriek of an approaching predator. Sonic Bird Deterrents deliver the message, broadcasting recorded distress and predator calls that make birds far too nervous to stay around your driveway. The sounds they emit resemble normal bird sounds to humans, so you don’t have to worry about neighbors complaining or your dog or car rushing for cover. The best sonic deterrents will be versatile enough to emit a number of sounds. One sonic bird deterrent currently available can generate distress and predator calls for 22 different species of birds. It’s basically “dial sound” and forget about pest birds. Look for sonic deterrents that feature a built-in speaker, a volume control, and one that lets you program it to turn on or off at night.

Bird Scare Deterrents

If you’re on a budget, these versatile bird deterrents will keep pest birds away from your vehicle or boat. They include inflatable balloons--covered with predator eyes—that sway in the breeze to convince pest birds there’s a big predator just aching to eat them. Scare eye diverters are similar to balloons in that they feature a big eye that spooks birds even thinking about landing on your car or boat. For best effect, you would typically hang these deterrents from your garage (for cars/SUVs), or tied to your covered boat or camper. Just make sure you move them about from time to time or birds will get wise to them.