As a boat owner, you want to keep your boat in ship-shape condition, ready to sail without a lot of clean-up or maintenance. That means your radar units, canvas covers, masts and Biminis must be free of bird droppings and debris. If you're an experienced boat owner, you know that preparation is the key to keeping your boat in tip-top condition. You know that an ounce of prevention now can keep you boat free of pest birds for all those summer excursions, harbor cruises and parties. The last thing your guests want to see is bird droppings all over your boat as they snack on food and drinks. You also don't want your guests--especially landlubbers--to trip on your deck because of bird droppings, which you know can be slipperier than a banana peel.
Problem: Unless you're prepared with effective bird control measures, your boat can easily become the victim of many types of pest birds. These include egrets, blue herons, crows, doves, and seagulls, even an occasional pelican. Some species of seagulls, such as the Heerman's gull are protected by law. Destruction or removal of a nest may result in legal penalties. So the idea is to keep birds from gathering and nesting on your boat in the first place. No matter which species invade your boat, you'll have quite a mess on your hands. The droppings and food scraps they carry can be both annoying and destructive, especially if left to gather on masts, spreaders, and riggings. In most cases, the droppings, once dried, can be nearly impossible to remove from certain surfaces. Cormorant droppings, for example, can be like epoxy. The worst part is, the high concentration of uric acid--extremely high in sea bird droppings--can erode stainless steel, discolor paint, and permanently stain your jell coat and blue covers. Bird droppings can also carry any of 60 known diseases, so if you're cleaning off the dust, be very careful.
Fortunately, there are ways to keep birds off boats. But you must act now before your boat becomes home to these pests.
Solution: To whip birds away from those high areas of your boat that birds find irresistible, consider investing in Bird Spiders. These popular and highly effective bird deterrents typically have stainless steel "arms" that wave wildly in the breeze to discourage all manner of pest birds. Birds don't like to feel threatened and bird spiders make them feel unwelcome. They come in 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-foot diameter arm lengths to cover ever-increasing areas of deterrence. They're easy to place on masts, spreaders and railings. Some spiders come with an optional base, so you can literally place them anywhere pest birds tend to gather. They're also easily removed and stored when you're ready to set sail.
For the very tip of top of masts and other high areas of your vessel, consider installing some Bird Spikes. These intimidating looking bird deterrents simply won't allow birds to land. They come in stainless steel and in 3-, 5- and 8-inch widths to deter virtually any size pest bird. The best spikes feature a U.V. -protected polycarbonate base, which is 1.5-inches wide, so you can easily attach it with zip ties. Bird spikes won't harm birds and have been approved by humane groups worldwide--including the U.S. Humane Society and PICAS (Pigeon Control Advisory Service).
For most people, their home is their biggest investment. And the part of the home that takes the biggest beating is the roof. It has to fend off attacks from sleet, snow, rain, wind and pest birds. How can pest birds damage your roof? Without adequate bird deterrents, it’s surprising just how much trouble birds can cause.
For starters, birds will often take insects and other small prey to the safety of your roof to peck and claw their catch apart. This can damage roof tiles (especially, crown tiles made of wood or asphalt shingle). Replacing roofing tiles can run into big money. Birds have even been known to build their nests under roofing tiles. This kind of activity can dislodge the tiles, which can cause leaks.
Birds will also build their nests in your rain gutters. When their eggs hatch, the birds will simply leave the empty nests to clog up your gutters. Repeated rains will cause water to back up and seep under roofing tiles to eventually cause leaks. Once again, you’re stuck with expensive roof repairs. If you have attic ventilation turbines, skylights, solar panels, or solar water heaters, pest birds can damage them. If your chimney lacks a screen, pest birds can get trapped inside, block airflow, and create a potentially dangerous situation where deadly carbon monoxide gas enters your home. Bird proofing can save you from these and other problems.
Finally, it’s worth noting that bird droppings are highly acidic. Over time, accumulated droppings can degrade a roof, causing it to leak and possibly even collapse. Proper bird proofing can deter pest birds and save your roof. Here are two proven bird control measures that will keep your home pest bird free:
Sonic Deterrents—the Sound Solution
Birds like the safety and security of your roof—unless they sense danger. Sonic Bird deterrents generate distress and predator calls that make birds way too jumpy to hang around your home. One commercially available system can generate these calls for 22 different types of birds. The calls, repeated every 10 minutes, sound just like natural birdcalls to the human ear. Even pets can’t tell the difference, but birds sure can. The best sonic deterrents can be programmed to turn on or off at night and include a built-in speaker that covers up to an acre.
Bird Spikes Won’t Let ‘Em Land
You’ve seen these just about everywhere. Some are made of marine-grade stainless steel and feature a U.V.-protected polycarbonate base. You can also get durable polycarbonate bird spikes that come in a variety of colors--like white, tan, gray, black, brown, brick red and crystal clear--so they’re less noticeable and blend in with your home’s exterior colors. To keep pest birds from building nests in your rain gutters, Gutter Bird Spikes will do the trick.
While most birds are loved by man, pest birds represent a significant and ongoing problem. According to the FAA, bird strikes cost civil aviation almost $500 million a year. Keep in mind that just one bird can destroy an expensive jet engine in just seconds. The fact is, bird strikes on military airfields endanger our troops, can jeopardize the mission and ruin equipment. It's easy to see why many people look for ways to scare birds away.
Growers don't much care for pest birds either. Native and non-native bird species have been known to cause crop losses in vineyards--typically 30 percent to as much as 100 percent. Pest birds can quickly devour seeds and ripening fruit. Many growers pull out all the stops to scare birds away.
In the cities and urban areas, pest birds can wreak havoc with building facades, statues, schools, public playgrounds and parks. Bird droppings can destroy the paint on cars and buildings. They leave an unsightly mess and can carry a number of communicable diseases. Diseases transmitted by birds include aspergillosis, salmonellosis, thrush, avian tuberculosis, coccidiosis, cryptococcoses, encephalitis, histoplasmosis, Newcastle disease, toxoplasmosis and West Nile virus. No wonder so many municipalities have spent considerable sums of money to scare birds away.
The feral pigeon is by far the most prolific urban pest bird in the world. Originally descended from the domesticated rock dove, they are now wild and live in close proximity to man. Feral pigeons are scavengers, scrounging for food in cities and town centers, where they are often eagerly fed by the general public. Feral pigeon populations are on the rise due to a lack of natural predators, the constant supply of food and their ability to breed year around.
Other pest birds include the house sparrow, the starling and the gull. Gulls are scavengers and feed from scraps of food in town centers as well as sewerage outlets and domestic garbage dumps. Starlings often gather in huge flocks where their droppings ruin structures and monuments. Small but still a nuisance are sparrows, which often clog rain gutters and downspouts, and frequently cause electrical equipment shorts and fires.
To scare birds away without harming them can prove to be quite a challenge. Fortunately, there are a number of pest bird deterrents that are available to humanely discourage birds from landing, roosting and nesting.
For pigeons and large birds, consider the use of the highly effective Bird Spike strip. Harmless to birds, the intimidating spikes simply discourage birds from landing. Some bird spikes are made of stainless steel, others use rigid unbreakable polycarbonate spikes (the poly spikes are less expensive).
For flat even areas, the Bird Spider has proven its worth as an effective pest bird deterrent. The spindly spider arms whip around in the wind to scare birds away. Spiders come in several diameters to deter various bird sizes. Harmless to birds, spiders are easy to maintain and easy to install. Similar to the spider, the motorized whirly-gig utilizes rotating arms to scare birds away. Ideal for parapet walls, roofs, signs, and billboards, some of these products are powered by batteries and others are even powered by solar energy.
Next up are the growing number of balloons and banners of iridescent reflective foil and shiny tape, which create an “Optical Distraction Zone.” Some of these bird scare products feature lifelike reflective predator eyes. Others have "day-glow" backsides to scare birds away at night. One of the many things that make these bird scare products so appealing is their low cost and easy installation. They're ideal for use on boat docks, pool areas, overhangs, gazebos, and other troublesome areas.
We know people get irritated whey they walk across a carpet, reach for a doorknob and get shocked. It's the same with birds. Electric Shock Bird Repellers have been used for years to scare birds away. Ideal for pigeons, seagulls and larger birds, these electrified tracks mildly zap birds that try to land. Easily mounted on ledges, signs, rooftops, and flat or curved surfaces, many electric tracks have a low profile tracks, so they can't be seen from below.
While screaming at birds or blasting loud horns can scare birds away, there are bird deterrents that use ultrasonic sounds that annoy birds--annoy them enough to discourage them from landing. These audio deterrents imitate distress calls and predator calls. They're ideal for enclosed areas like parking garages, overhangs and sheds, where pigeons, sparrows, starlings or seagulls sometimes gather in flocks.
Farmers and growers have long used this next category of bird deterrents to scare birds away. Known as Foggers or Misters, these disperse a food-grade, non-lethal aerosol of methyl anthranilate. The chemical has been approved by the EPA and won't harm birds. It simply irritates birds that fly through it, convincing them to avoid the area. Some misting systems feature multiple remote spray nozzles to allow specific areas to be treated and pinpointed.
Let’s say you own or manage an open-air produce market, the kind that’s becoming increasingly popular as today’s quality conscious consumers shy away from big chain supermarkets.
You pride yourself on the fresh, clean appearance of your store, something that draws a discriminating clientele to shop there, week after week. What you don’t want to draw are pest birds. They not only bother your customers, but they can ruin the image of your store with their smelly nests and droppings. Droppings that can contaminate your produce, deface your signage and awnings/umbrellas, and create filthy walkways your customers will sidestep to avoid. Worse yet, bird droppings on open-air produce can bring a citation or two from health inspectors who can easily shut you down.
So how do you get rid of pest birds? BB guns, poisons, noisemakers--they’re just too dangerous or intrusive to be practical. The only viable solution is modern effective bird control. These devices and systems have been specifically designed to deter pest birds from commercial premises like yours. Here are a few of the more popular pest bird deterrents:
Bird Spike. Pest birds love to loiter on roofs, parapet walls, signage, awnings and other lofty areas. From there, they can “dive bomb” onto open food carts and displays, pick food off tables and chairs, and scavenge for scraps on the ground. Bird spikes deny them these loft perches, making it impossible for birds to land on or near them. Ideal for pigeons, crows and other large birds, bird spikes come in strong, rigid unbreakable polycarbonate or flexible stainless steel. The best spikes are made of marine-grade stainless steel and feature a U.V.-protected polycarbonate base. You can also get bird spikes with a crush proof, non-reflective metal finish. If you opt for less expensive plastic bird spikes, you can choose from a variety of colors--like white, tan, gray, black, brown, brick red and crystal clear. To keep birds like crows and pigeons out of your rain gutters, you’ll need the Gutter Spike, which has an adjustable clamp at the base for easy attachment to the lip of a gutter.
Bird Spider. To protect specific areas of your market from pest birds, Bird Spiders can be quite effective. These portable devices can be easily moved onto most lofty areas birds like to frequent. They include a glue-on base, which allows them to be permanently affixed to flat most surfaces. Place one or two on a roof or fixed awning and birds will definitely avoid the area. How do they work? Simple. Bird spiders use long spindly spider-like arms that whip about in the breeze, making pest birds too nervous to land near them. If your market has outdoor seating areas, you can temporarily place a spider on an outdoor table or two before opening hours to keep pest birds from landing on them. Spiders come in several diameters (arm lengths) to discourage many types of pest birds--typically, 2-, 4- and 8-foot arms to cover increasingly larger areas. Ideal for use against pigeons, seagulls and larger birds, spiders have no moving parts to wear out, so they’re basically maintenance free. Look for bird spiders that have a U.V.-protected polycarbonate base.
Bird Sonics. Certain sounds can be perfectly innocuous to humans while at the same time striking fear in the hearts of pest birds. Bird sonic systems have been scientifically designed by ornithologists to do just that. These systems and their portable speakers are easily mounted on storefronts, patio covers, and under eaves and awnings. They can keep pest birds away from outdoor areas by emitting predator and distress calls most birds find alarming and disturbing. Once installed, they’re designed to ward off all manner of birds--including pigeons, crows, starlings, swallows, gulls, woodpeckers, sparrows, grackles, cormorants and many others. One super-flexible sonic system emits distress and predator calls for 22 types of birds. Something to keep in mind if you’re being invaded by several bird species.
Almost everyone has heard about pigeons invading parks and monuments, shedding their disease-carrying droppings on statues and contaminating ponds and playgrounds. But pigeons also pose a problem to many businesses. And perhaps the least mentioned are the many problems pest pigeons pose to gas stations.
Take your basic gas station canopy, for example. Once pigeons have claimed them and decided to nest on them, it's just a matter of time before a flock of pigeons can ruin your average $25,000.00 canopy.
Why do so many pigeons like to nest on gas canopies? Simple. They provide a great observation point for pigeons. The resourceful birds like to sit along the canopy edges and survey the area. And if you've ever seen how these canopies are built, you know that they easily provide plenty of protected nesting sites on their undersides and gutter areas.
Unless you get rid of pigeons, the flat metal roof areas will soon be covered with pigeon droppings and nests. Both will clog the canopy's drains and eat away at the canopy's paint and metal. After a rain, one can't help but notice the brown residue and offensive odor caused by collected pigeon droppings and nesting debris. This debris and unsavory odor will collect on the covered paved areas of a gas station and create and unwelcome site for customers. Worse yet, left to gather in the wet, pigeon droppings can cause dangerous slip-and-fall hazards to customers and employees. After several years, gas canopies can even become structurally degraded to cause a possible hazard for motorists and workers.
So what to do? If high gas prices aren't enough to keep motorists away, do you really need pest pigeons? Fortunately, there are several humane and highly effective ways to get rid of pigeons.
Intimidating Bird Spikes
The mother of pest bird deterrents, the Bird Spike has saved more buildings and structures from pigeons than perhaps any other deterrent. Bird Spikes get rid of pigeons because they simply can't negotiate a landing around them. The spiked strips come in rigid U.V.-resistant unbreakable polycarbonate, or longer-lasting, slightly more expensive stainless steel, which you can get in a non-reflective metal finish. These days you can even get bird spikes in a full spectrum of colors--including white, tan, gray, black, brown, brick red and crystal clear. The spikes are easily glued or screwed to any surface. Choose the Girder Spike for keeping pigeons off girders or I-beams (they come with adjustable “C-clamps” to fit any size girder). To keep pigeons off rain gutters, there's the Gutter Spike. The best bird spikes are blunted, safe for birds and maintenance crews and GSA approved.
Virtually Invisible Bird Slopes
Install these in the 90-degree nooks and crannies of your gas station canopy and pest pigeons will never be able to land. Bird Slopes are angled, slippery PVC panels that pigeons can't seem to get a grip on. The panels come in a variety of colors to blend in with your gas station's aesthetics. U.V.-stabilized polycarbonate panels are best as they stand up to years of inclement weather.
Wobbly Bird Wire Systems
This is a great way to get rid of pigeons. They'll wobble and shimmy off these Bird Wire Systems like Bozo on a banana peel. Pigeons, like most birds, prefer stable landing areas. And bird wire systems with their post-and-spring-wire set-ups are anything but stable. String these systems on the roofs of canopies or their undersides and forget about pigeons. The systems are easily installed, and even used on Federal and State government buildings. The best systems feature nylon coated stainless steel wire for lasting durability.
Barrier Pigeon Netting
Exclusion is the name of the game. And Bird Netting keeps them out of the corners and recesses of your gas station canopies like few bird deterrents can. It gets rid of pigeons by denying them access to these areas. The best netting is made from ISO 1806 mesh test polyethylene fabric. If you want the netting to last, get U.V.-stabilized, flame-resistant and rot and waterproof netting. Non-conductive netting is available for installations where electrical conductivity or radio frequency interference could cause problems--probably a good idea in gas stations. You can even get netting in several different colors--like including white, stone and black.
Stick it to 'em with Bird Gels
Like most birds, pigeons can't stand walking on these sticky gels. They get that stuck-in-flypaper feeling and can't wait to leave. Bird Gels are easy to apply using a standard caulking gun. The chemical skins over and stays sticky for up to six months.
Cell-phone towers are becoming as ubiquitous as trees. Over 100,000 towers are listed in a federal database, with some 22,000 new towers having been erected in just the past five years. Without proper bird deterrents, the towers can be dangerous to birds. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, between 5 million and 50 million birds die each year when they slam into towers that are used to power cellular telephones, pagers, televisions and radios, Migrating birds crash into these towers because they are lighted at nigh and attract birds. Bird deterrents can prevent these mishaps.
According to environmentalists, birds killed or injured include such endangered migratory songbirds as the black rail, Bell's vireo, the golden-winged warbler and Henslow's sparrow. Most songbirds fly at night and orient themselves via starlight. In bad weather, birds often mistake tower lights for stars. The birds keep circling until they collide with the tower, support wires, or each other. The problem is that birds are sensitive to magnetic radiation to the point where microwaves interfere with their sensors and misguide them while navigating. Environmentalists have urged cell phone companies to install bird deterrents to save the birds.
Pest birds pose all kinds of problems for commercial property owners. They create a distraction for employees. They make noise that can turn off customers and annoy workers. And they can contaminate your property with disease-carrying droppings.
The bird invasion begins innocuously enough. One bird will act as a scout and check out the area for predators and other dangers, another may be in charge of finding food, and perhaps a third will evaluate the area for nesting possibilities. These early scouts often relay the good news to their flock, and pretty soon you've got a small-scale invasion of flying pests. To get rid of birds, you've got to swing into action early with effective bird control measures.
As a commercial property owner, you have to be pro-active in your mission to get rid of birds. If your establishment has anything to do with food processing or packaging, you can't bury your head in the sand and pretend the birds don't exist. Ignore them and you'll have to deal with health inspectors. Let birds go unchallenged and they will damage your sliding windows and doors, seize up skylights and turbine roof vents, and damage those expensive AC units you paid so dearly for. Bird nests can also create a fire hazard as most of them are built from excellent dry fire kindling.
Not long ago, feeding pigeons in Trafalgar Square became an offense with violators being fined. In one city, pest birds had learned to associate a school's lunch bell with feeding time and would aggressively pester children for food. The fact is, "get rid of pigeons" has become the battle cry in many cities, towns and parks throughout the world. Especially as city health officials become increasingly aware of the many diseases carried by pigeon droppings.
The truth is, pigeons can create a number of serious problems. Gathering in flocks on buildings, pigeons can constitute a threat to human health and safety. The mess and droppings left by pigeons can negatively impact the appearance of a business. Often, the sheer weight of bird droppings can lead to structural collapse, particularly ceilings. It can also have a negative impact on a business's workforce. This includes the slip-and-trip hazards bird droppings leave on walkways, steps and entrances. It's no wonder more property owners seek ways to get rid of pigeons.
Clean-up costs can be prohibitively expensive. Removing nesting materials and accumulated droppings can be difficult, sometimes requiring specialists in "moon suits" to protect them from disease-carrying droppings that are aerated during removal by sand blasters.
Through bird egg removal, birth-control pills and food deprivation, problem pigeons can be driven out of most areas in three to five years. While these methods may be humane, they are too time-consuming to appeal to most property owners and municipalities. Fortunately, there are far more efficient and expedient ways to get rid of pigeons.
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