Persistence pays when trying to send pesky birds packing. Preventing pigeons from making your home their home takes time, effort a...
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They're feathered, but they're not your friends. Pigeon droppings contain acids that can eat through the tiles on your roof. Also present are salmonella and the fungus that causes toxoplasmosis.
"Fecal matter from any animal in significant quantities is certainly unhealthy," says Pete Jameson, owner of Dynamic Pest Control. So what do you do about these pesky birds? Most experts agree on the following steps homeowners can take before calling a pest control professional.
The scent of their own toilet will keep pigeons, and their buddies, coming back. Before removal, wet droppings down with a disinfectant mix of one part bleach to nine parts water, either in a spray bottle or garden sprayer. Also, wear gloves and a respirator or very fine mask. If the material is caked on, a trowel may be required. Hose down the area afterward.
Pigeons don't need us to sit on a park bench with a bag of sunflower seeds. We're also feeding them when we don't seal the lids on our rubbish bins, and when we feed our dogs, cats or "cuter" birds in our gardens. (Pets make crumbs when they eat, and the ground beneath even "pigeon-proof" feeders makes for great foraging.)
On a related note, always use a protective cover after seeding your lawn.
Avoid watering during the day, when pigeons are awake. And bury all drip systems. Even the heavily chlorinated water in fountains, pools and spas will supply life-sustaining hydration – although it may sting Tweety's eyes. For your pool and spa, keep at least six inches between the edge and the waterline to curtail dunking.
Pete recommends the "ball and key" method: shake your keys and hurl a tennis ball. Birds will learn to associate your property with a high sense of alarm. Squirts from your hose will work for birds on the roof. "On the third day, you'll think it's not working," Pete says. "On the fourth day, they won't show up." If the pigeons are already nesting, however, forget it.
If climbing 20 feet up a ladder scares you less than a pest control bill, find your eaves (the spaces between roofs that provide shelter from the sun, wind and rain). Screens can be so effective in pigeon prevention, they should be erected even before pigeon problems develop.
Wire is available at any hardware store. But it needs to be heavy – at least 14 gauge, because pigeons will push through thinner chicken wire. Attaching it also is tricky. Screws need to go into the wood fascia, not the tiles. Otherwise, you can cause a leak in your roof and void your builder's warranty.
They're available for about £10 per short row at most larger nurseries and hardware stores. But they don't work well. Pigeons can simply stand a few inches to the left or right. Adding insult to injury, some even use them to build nests.
These work, but pigeons can learn to avoid the area in which the water sprays. Installing them – including their feed hoses – all over one's property and roof would be ridiculously unsightly and costly.
These work, too, but bait seed will attract more birds to your property than the trap will capture. In addition, you can't just take your "jailbirds" somewhere and let them go, because they'll fly right back to your / their home. (All pigeons are innately homing.)
Article provided by Dynamic Pest Control