Birds are an important part of our natural environment, playing a key role in seed dispersal, plant pollination, and even pest removal. In the United States alone, there are 1,100 avian species. Birds are afforded considerable protection by laws, regulations, and public sentiment.
Bird control cannot harm, displace or trap birds, their young or their nests. Legal bird control changes the environment to make it less hospitable. The more established a bird is, the more involved the control methods need to be. A bird that has created a nest in or on your home will take stronger bird control methods than a bird temporarily roosting on your roof.
The professionals at Trutech Wildlife Service can properly identify the bird species and match the appropriate humane bird control method.
Bird Control Products
The most effective method of bird control is prevention and exclusion. The primary objective of bird control products is to make the property unsuitable or unattractive to birds.
There are four categories of repellents – visual, audio, barrier, and chemical. The setting and bird species determine the most effective one to use.
Bird Barriers
Bird barriers remove potential roosting locations for birds. The best bird barrier depends on the pest bird species and the roosting location.
Bird Netting
Birds have the ability to get into gaps that are as small as 3/4 of an inch (depending on the bird species), so specialized netting material is needed to provide adequate protection from bird entry.
Nets come at various gap sizes, lengths, and heights. They range from 10ft x 10ft, 25ft x 25ft, 50ft x 100ft, and possibly some custom sizes; however, usually, the netting may have to be attached together if it is not the adequate size.
Bird netting can be used alongside buildings and to enclose areas completely. They can be ordered in different colors. The manufacturer provides a 5-year warranty on the product.
Bird Slide
Bird Slide is a permanent deterrent system for birds such as pigeons that like to nest or loaf on ledges of buildings. They are installed via screws or glue and are paintable to match the structure. They are highly effective in creating a ledge that discourages them from landing.
Bird Spikes
Bird spikes are the most common form of eliminating roosting access for birds. They work for birds as small as finches to as large as seagulls. They come in sizes of 1-inch, 3-inch, 5-inch, and 8-inch spread to provide the best coverage. They can be easily cut and installed onto almost any surface. They can be glued or screwed down.
Bird spikes are made of different materials. Plastic spikes are ideal for smaller birds because they can fit between stainless steel spikes. Larger birds break plastic spikes. It is best to have the application area cleaned off for the best installation.
Daddi Long Legs
The daddi long legs is a bird deterrent product. It is best for covering a larger surface area that is not a ledge situation, such as a roof or ventilation system. The daddi long legs comes in different circumference sizes (4ft, 6ft to 8ft) for the best coverage. The legs are not in a fixed position.
Thin, stainless steel rods rotate in the breeze and wave menacingly, interfering with birds’ wings as they attempt to land. It is flexible, so that if a bird tries to land on it, it makes it an undesirable landing area. Birds tend to land on sturdy surfaces, thus the legs take that away. It is best to have the application area cleaned off prior to installation.
Flex Track
Flex Track is a shock track system that can be used in multiple situations. The product can be used against birds, raccoons, and otters just to name a few. The shock track runs on a power supply that sends intermittent power surges throughout the track. If an animal is on the track, it will feel a shock and deter landing or usage of the area(s) being protected by the track. Birds get shocked by landing on the track.
It is a humane method of eliminating access for animals, such as an electric fence that works for livestock. It comes in grey, black, or tan color to try to match the area it would be installed. It is best to have the application area cleaned off for the best installation.
Visual Deterrents
Visual deterrents scare birds away. Shiny objects reflect light and create visual disturbances for birds. Fake owls are another type of visual deterrents because owls are the predators for many bird species.
Mylar Tape
Mylar tape strips are a visual deterrent against pigeons, woodpeckers, water fowl and other birds. It is hung on a structure to intimidate birds from landing or flying around a certain area of a structure. Mylar tape can also be used effectively in gardens to protect crops.
This can also be hung on scare eye balloons for increased intimidation.
Optical Gel
Bird Barrier optical gel may be used to deter feral pigeons, gulls, and many other unwanted birds from roosting on buildings and other structures. It does so by altering their behavior, not by acting as a physical barrier. Once applied, birds will completely desert a habitat, even one they have been using for years.
Multi-sensory bird repellent that has birds seeing fire or smoke, although there is not any and smelling peppermint oil, which they dislike. It also is sticky to the touch, which birds do not like to land on.
Bird Barrier optical gel is supplied in ready-to-use plastic-dish containers. These should be affixed to surfaces with commercially available silicone adhesive or other suitable and removable adhesive.
Scare eye balloons
Scare eye balloons are highly successful against woodpeckers. They are a visual deterrent that mimics a predator’s eye.
The balloons also come with flasher attachments to add additional intimidation effects. They usually come as mylar streamers and reflective stickers to attach to the balloon.
When attached to a pulley system, the balloon will have the ability to move up and down with a slight breeze to add additional intimidation because it is not always in a stationary position.
It would be the homeowner’s responsibility to provide maintenance to the balloon or remove it if they did not want it up anymore. We could provide that service at an additional cost to remove, reinstall, or adjust the position of the balloon.
Bird Taste Repellent
Taste repellents are one of the most common bird deterrents. Taste repellents are effective when there is a larger area to protect.
Pigeons and doves congregate in large numbers. They can be a nuisance in high-traffic areas such as department and grocery stores as these areas provide a high place to roost and (usually) ample food access.
Geese eat grass. There are repellents that change how geese perceive the tase of grass.
Woodpeckers, for example, lick the surface of the area they are drilling (pecking) into to create holes or claim their territory. Repellents can be sprayed onto the surface of the area that they are drilling to make the surface taste bad, thus creating an undesirable location to be in.
An avian repellent, used in our Bird Buffer machine, is a natural irritant that attacks the lungs and eyes of the birds flying into the mist the machine creates using the fluid. This response is temporary but, if used consistently and correctly, can cause long-term bird problems to disappear.
Bird Control Services
Hiring a hire a bird control expert to provide bird control services. Getting rid of pest birds is only part of the solution.
Installing deterrents and repellents can work to scare pest birds away, but it doesn’t solve all the problems associated with a bird infestation.
You need to clean up any nesting materials especially if they are inside vents or attics. It’s important to remove bird feces and sanitize the area.
Health risks from bird droppings can carry a large number of diseases, fleas, lice, mites, and ticks. Bird droppings spread various diseases and parasites, including histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis.
