Bird Control and Removal
Birds, though often nice animals can be amongst the worst of nuisance pests,
especially for commercial property owners. Birds often choose to roost on signs or
rafters of commercial buildings. This might not be so bad, except for the fact that
they make a horrible mess with their nesting material, and worse, droppings.
Pigeon droppings in particular can really accumulate, and are not only unsightly, but
a health risk to your employees or customers. To the right youwill see some
pigeons that I captured using standard pigeon traps, placed on the roof of a
commercial property where they created a nuisance with their unsightly and disease-
ridden droppings. Pigeons have adapted well to urban environments. Most cities are
full of flocks of these birds, just looking for handouts. They often associate humans
with food, and are unafraid to flock closely to people. They are also unafraid to
leave droppings everywhere (cars are obviously preferred spots), along with
nesting material. The nesting material can clog vents and drain pipes, and cause
potential fire hazards. The droppings and feathers can contaminate large quantities
of livestock feed and food destined for human consumption. If that's not enough,
pigeons lack the common decency to rid themselves of parasite and disease before
they enter our urban areas. These "flying rats" or "gutter birds" can carry or
transmit: pigeon ornithosis, encephalitis, Newcastle disease, histoplasmosis,
cryptococcosis, toxoplasmosis, pseudo-tuberculosis, pigeon coccidiosis and
salmonella food poisoning. Pigeon parasites include a number of bugs, fleas, ticks
and mites. Sparrows and Starlings often choose to nest in buildings. This causes
problems when nesting material clogs vents and drains pipes, and poses a fire
hazard. These birds are not as dirty as pigeons, but feces buildup can lead to
structural damage from the uric acid in droppings, plus the bacteria, fungal agents
and parasites in the feces also pose a health risk. Woodpeckers are a nuisance
when they decide to peck on your house instead of a tree. Woodpeckers hammer
on trees for two reasons: in search of food, and as a signaling device. The males
repeatedly sound off to claim their territory (can't they just sing like normal birds?
No, they just have to drum). Woodpeckers often find that a wooden house serves
as a good place to make their noisy territory claim, perhaps due to better
acoustics. If your house has insects, then that gives woodpeckers another reason
to peck away. I've seen houses full of woodpecker holes. They can cause quite a
headache with their noisy hammering, and quite a lot of damage to a home. Other,
less urbanized birds can cause problems as well, such as noise and unwanted
droppings. Seagulls, crows, geese, ducks, vultures, etc. if a bird isn't regularly
nesting in an urban area, it can be hard to control, but there are ways.
Wondering how to get rid of birds? There is no magic spray or device that you can
use to make them go away. Some people try to sell fake plastic owls or plastic
hawks to get rid of pigeons, but that doesn't work. They also try to sell ultrasonic
sound emitters. These devices are worthless at eliminating birds. Some old wive's
tales recommend the use of mothballs or ammonia-soaked rags to make them
leave, but I've been to countless homes where these techniques failed - biologists
know that these attempts won't work. The ONE AND ONLY WAY to take care of
your problem is with trapping and removal of the animals.
Call ANIMAL DC, LLC at (860)334-3901 or (401)632-6821