Birds can be carriers of fleas and ticks, which in turn can carry a number of diseases that can be passed on to humans through bites and con...
The return of songbirds and robins on the lawn – for many, these sights signal the arrival of the many joys of summer. The truth is, however, that the birds of summer really bug a lot of people – literally. Summer is also the season of Lyme Disease and more than 60 illnesses associated with birds and their droppings.
The number of cases of Lyme Disease confirmed by blood testing has risen from 292 in 2003 to 768 in 2006. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) acknowledges that confirmed cases do not necessarily reflect all the cases of the disease. HPA official estimates suggest there could be up to 3,000 new cases occurring in the UK every year. Lyme Disease can be debilitating and deadly – and is associated with transmission by birds.
Health officials recommend special vigilance and preventative measures in order to ensure you and your family enjoy a healthy and safe summer. That means keeping birds and their droppings – and the illnesses they may potentially carry – away from where you live, work and play.
There is no single solution for protecting yourself from bird-borne illnesses. Rather, you need to address the issue on multiple levels – managing both the source and the symptoms of the problem.
First, realise that keeping birds off your buildings, out of your garden and off your lawn doesn't mean you're anti-environment. You can protect your domain without harming the birds or the environment by using non-lethal, non-chemical, natural management techniques.
No one wants to harm the birds and killing them is actually counter-productive. You just create a void that more birds will move into. A better, more effective approach is to convince birds that a location is unsafe or undesirable. They'll move along and other birds will get the message to stay away, too.
To address the source of the problem, discourage birds from roosting around your property, make food sources unpalatable and convince fowl visitors that your home is a less than hospitable place.
Roost inhibitors like Bird Spikes or Bird Nets create a physical barrier that prevents birds from settling on potential roosting or nesting spots. Neither product will harm the birds, and both are easy for homeowners to install in a variety of locations, such as rooftops, ledges and window sills.
Another route of attack is to eliminate birds' food source. While removing your lawn isn't a practical option for ridding yourself of Canada Geese or other ground-favouring birds, you can make the grass taste so bad the birds will look to dine elsewhere. Products that use a food-grade extract made from Concord grapes are particularly effective. Completely biodegradable and safe for use in close proximity to people, the compound, methyl anthranilate, has been used to flavour sweets and chewing gum for decades.
Finally, you need to convince birds that your property isn't a safe, peaceful place for them. Sight and sound deterrents work well to disquiet and drive off feathered invaders. Effective visual devices also incorporate motion, such as large spheres with holographic surfaces that mimic movement or iridescent foil strips that can be hung from any surface, such as tree limbs or roof overhangs, which move in the wind and glisten to create an unsettling environment.
Sonic and ultrasonic devices use sound – both audible and inaudible to humans – to upset birds. Devices that play back actual distress calls of several bird species and sounds made by predators looking for food have shown the greatest success rates.
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