Bird Off Methods that Work
You don't have to be an ornithologist to know that birds come in two basic species: nice birds and pest birds. Nice birds coo and sing and flap their wings to inspire poets. Pest birds annoy and poop and destroy to inspire derision.
If you're a property manager, all you want to do is keep birds off your property. That's because you've seen, first hand, the serious damage pest birds can do. Their nests can clog and clutter ducts and gutters, causing roofs to leak and even collapse. Their poop can ruin expensive electrical equipment like air conditioning units, solar panels, and electrical boxes. This includes eating away at the insulation covering wires, which can eventually lead to sparks and fires.
If you've ever had a maintenance worker slip and fall on bird poop, you know the legal ramifications this can pose. Then there are the health hazards bird droppings can create. Unfortunately, many birds can carry any of 60 known diseases. Their nests are often filthy breeding grounds for these diseases, drawing flies and other disease carrying insects.
So how does one keep birds off their property?
The good news is, there are several effective pest bird deterrents on the market today. Each has its own merits. Some are basic and economical, exploiting a bird's fears. Others are more active and prevent birds from landing. Still others use chemicals and physical deterrents to keep birds off your property.
If you're on a budget, you might look into reflective foil banners, blow-up balloons or similar products designed to work on a bird's psyche to scare them away. The foil banners crinkle in the wind, which annoys birds, leading them to believe that a predator bird is about to swoop down on them. Similarly, balloons covered with big predator eyes, wave in the breeze and convince pest birds that a giant predator has staked out their territory. Both balloons and banners are easy to install on overhangs, gazebos, patios, eaves, and other open areas. For best effect, you'll need to change their position and color so birds don't get used to them.
A little more sophisticated but exploiting the same basic bird psychology is the Bird Spider. These use spider arms that wave in the breeze to scare birds away. You can get these with various spider arm lengths to deter different sized of birds off your property. Use them for flat surfaces like tabletops, awnings, patio covers and canvas boat covers.
One can't talk about bird off deterrents without mentioning the ubiquitous Bird Spike. Spikes have kept birds from annoying man for many decades. But only recently has the modern bird spike been refined to emerge as a truly effective pest bird deterrent. Yes, they look like they would impale anything that comes near them, but they're harmless to birds and humans (people who install them and those who work around them).
Ideal for rooftops, awnings, gutters, girders, signs and ledges, the spikes are made of steel or rigid U.V.-resistant unbreakable polycarbonate.
One ingeniously simple way of keeping a bird off your home or building is the Bird Slope. Pest birds just slip and slide off these steep-angled PVC panels. You can order these panels in a number of popular colors to complement your building's décor. You can install the panels on most any surface with screws or glue. Some manufacturers offer UV- stabilized polycarbonate panels, which last longer.
Our next bird deterrent keeps birds off by convincing them that it's uncomfortable to land. Known as Bird Gel, it's applied like caulk from a gun and when it dries, it leaves a really annoying sticky, tacky surface that birds despise. Ideal for flat or curved surfaces like parapet walls, conduit, pipes, ledges, and I-beams, gels need to be re-applied after 6 months for best results.
For those who prefer the straight out physical barrier method of bird off pest control, there's Bird Netting. Ideal for atriums, orchards, vineyards and other open areas, bird control netting comes in 3/4", 1-1/8" and 2" mesh sizes. The stuff keeps pest birds at bay without harming them. Choose agricultural netting to keep birds off fruit trees and crops, or heavy-duty netting to prevent pest birds from entering buildings and other structures. The best netting is U.V. stabilized, flame resistant and rot and waterproof.
If you want to give pest birds an attitude adjustment, there's the Electric-Track. Birds land on these electrified tracks and zap, they get that annoying tingling feeling that goes from their toes to their beak. While it won't harm birds, it sends a message that this place is verboten. Ideal for ledges and rooftops, electric tracks are easily installed on flat or curved surfaces. Some low-profile track systems are practically invisible to those looking up from the ground, which makes them a favorite among architects. Other tracks feature a flow-thru design to prevent water from damming up on rooftops.
Seems everyone is going solar these days. So why not devices to keep a bird off your patio table or boat? Enter the Solar Powered Bird Repeller. It features spinning arms that whoosh pest birds away. Made to order for pigeons, seagulls and larger birds, solar powered repellers are ideal for signs, billboards, roofs, and other flat surfaces where bird poop is a no-no.
If you heard a snake in the bushes would you camp there? Sonic Pest Bird Repellers use the same fear principle. They scare birds off with sounds of distress and predator calls. Place them strategically on gazebos, rooftops backyards, patios, and other open spaces and you won't have to worry about pest birds.
Finally, a favorite among growers and vintners, Bird Misting Systems use chemicals to keep birds off your property. They spray an atomized mist of methyl anthranilate into a large area frequented by pest birds. Birds hate this stuff and fly out of it as fast as they flew in. The harmless yet irritating grape extract can be found naturally in concord grapes. Ideal for sparrows, pigeons, starlings, crows, blackbirds and geese, these systems can cover a lot of ground with their multiple nozzles and spray units. Each can be separately controlled for maximum effect.
If you're a property manager, all you want to do is keep birds off your property. That's because you've seen, first hand, the serious damage pest birds can do. Their nests can clog and clutter ducts and gutters, causing roofs to leak and even collapse. Their poop can ruin expensive electrical equipment like air conditioning units, solar panels, and electrical boxes. This includes eating away at the insulation covering wires, which can eventually lead to sparks and fires.
If you've ever had a maintenance worker slip and fall on bird poop, you know the legal ramifications this can pose. Then there are the health hazards bird droppings can create. Unfortunately, many birds can carry any of 60 known diseases. Their nests are often filthy breeding grounds for these diseases, drawing flies and other disease carrying insects.
So how does one keep birds off their property?
The good news is, there are several effective pest bird deterrents on the market today. Each has its own merits. Some are basic and economical, exploiting a bird's fears. Others are more active and prevent birds from landing. Still others use chemicals and physical deterrents to keep birds off your property.
If you're on a budget, you might look into reflective foil banners, blow-up balloons or similar products designed to work on a bird's psyche to scare them away. The foil banners crinkle in the wind, which annoys birds, leading them to believe that a predator bird is about to swoop down on them. Similarly, balloons covered with big predator eyes, wave in the breeze and convince pest birds that a giant predator has staked out their territory. Both balloons and banners are easy to install on overhangs, gazebos, patios, eaves, and other open areas. For best effect, you'll need to change their position and color so birds don't get used to them.
A little more sophisticated but exploiting the same basic bird psychology is the Bird Spider. These use spider arms that wave in the breeze to scare birds away. You can get these with various spider arm lengths to deter different sized of birds off your property. Use them for flat surfaces like tabletops, awnings, patio covers and canvas boat covers.
One can't talk about bird off deterrents without mentioning the ubiquitous Bird Spike. Spikes have kept birds from annoying man for many decades. But only recently has the modern bird spike been refined to emerge as a truly effective pest bird deterrent. Yes, they look like they would impale anything that comes near them, but they're harmless to birds and humans (people who install them and those who work around them).
Ideal for rooftops, awnings, gutters, girders, signs and ledges, the spikes are made of steel or rigid U.V.-resistant unbreakable polycarbonate.
One ingeniously simple way of keeping a bird off your home or building is the Bird Slope. Pest birds just slip and slide off these steep-angled PVC panels. You can order these panels in a number of popular colors to complement your building's décor. You can install the panels on most any surface with screws or glue. Some manufacturers offer UV- stabilized polycarbonate panels, which last longer.
Our next bird deterrent keeps birds off by convincing them that it's uncomfortable to land. Known as Bird Gel, it's applied like caulk from a gun and when it dries, it leaves a really annoying sticky, tacky surface that birds despise. Ideal for flat or curved surfaces like parapet walls, conduit, pipes, ledges, and I-beams, gels need to be re-applied after 6 months for best results.
For those who prefer the straight out physical barrier method of bird off pest control, there's Bird Netting. Ideal for atriums, orchards, vineyards and other open areas, bird control netting comes in 3/4", 1-1/8" and 2" mesh sizes. The stuff keeps pest birds at bay without harming them. Choose agricultural netting to keep birds off fruit trees and crops, or heavy-duty netting to prevent pest birds from entering buildings and other structures. The best netting is U.V. stabilized, flame resistant and rot and waterproof.
If you want to give pest birds an attitude adjustment, there's the Electric-Track. Birds land on these electrified tracks and zap, they get that annoying tingling feeling that goes from their toes to their beak. While it won't harm birds, it sends a message that this place is verboten. Ideal for ledges and rooftops, electric tracks are easily installed on flat or curved surfaces. Some low-profile track systems are practically invisible to those looking up from the ground, which makes them a favorite among architects. Other tracks feature a flow-thru design to prevent water from damming up on rooftops.
Seems everyone is going solar these days. So why not devices to keep a bird off your patio table or boat? Enter the Solar Powered Bird Repeller. It features spinning arms that whoosh pest birds away. Made to order for pigeons, seagulls and larger birds, solar powered repellers are ideal for signs, billboards, roofs, and other flat surfaces where bird poop is a no-no.
If you heard a snake in the bushes would you camp there? Sonic Pest Bird Repellers use the same fear principle. They scare birds off with sounds of distress and predator calls. Place them strategically on gazebos, rooftops backyards, patios, and other open spaces and you won't have to worry about pest birds.
Finally, a favorite among growers and vintners, Bird Misting Systems use chemicals to keep birds off your property. They spray an atomized mist of methyl anthranilate into a large area frequented by pest birds. Birds hate this stuff and fly out of it as fast as they flew in. The harmless yet irritating grape extract can be found naturally in concord grapes. Ideal for sparrows, pigeons, starlings, crows, blackbirds and geese, these systems can cover a lot of ground with their multiple nozzles and spray units. Each can be separately controlled for maximum effect.
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