by Alex A. Kecskes

Pest birds are attacking everything you own and you're just sitting there hoping they'll go away. You could use mental telepathy like the "Men Who Stare at Goats" and maybe, just maybe, they'll get the message and flee. Already tried that? Okay, it's time to pull out all the stops and get some professional help. Time to bird proof your property using modern science and a little bird psychology.

Pest Birds Will Cost You Big Time

Pest birds are responsible for millions of dollars of damage every year. They destroy all manner of machinery, ventilation systems, crops, and much more. Much of this damage is the result of acidic bird droppings, which can eat away metal, stone, wood, paint, canvas and plastic. Failing to bird proof your property can cost you. And it doesn't take long for bird droppings to do a surprising amount of damage. But it's not just the droppings that wreak havoc on property. Bird nests do their fair share of damage too. That's because many birds often build their nests in drains, rain gutters, and roof corners, allowing water to build up and seep into structures, resulting in extensive and costly damage. Pest birds also invade property, nesting in and creating all sorts of problems in attics, apartments, and other buildings.

Bird Proof or Risk Getting Sick

Pest birds can spread diseases and do so with surprising efficiency. Consider the accumulation of daily bird droppings on or near an air duct or ventilation system. The air that's sucked into your home or business could carry any of 60 known diseases. If you don't use your fireplace that often, birds have also been known to build nests in chimneys. This can not only spread diseases, but trap lethal carbon monoxide gas when you eventually use your fireplace. Maintenance and repair crews are also susceptible to the many health risks posed by pest bird droppings. Then there's the slip and fall hazards that wet bird droppings pose--exposing you to huge liability should a neighbor or worker fall on your property. If you bird proof your property, you'll have far less to worry about when it comes to pest birds.

Birds Can Ruin Costly Equipment

For some reason, birds love to build nests in or near electrical boxes or other non-noisy machinery. This can pose a real problem as most bird nests are perfect kindling for electrically sparked fires (twigs, straw and dried droppings are highly flammable). Acidic bird poop can also damage solar panels, most insulation, rooftop ventilation turbines, industrial skylights, and they can freeze up sliding windows, doors and access panels. And what can be more costly (or painful to endure) than trying to remove bird droppings that have ruined a car's paint job? Left unchecked, bird poop can eat into paint fairly quickly.

If you fail to properly bird proof your warehouse, airplane hangar, or factory, bird droppings can work their way through plastics and other packaging to contaminate food being prepared or packaged. Dried bird droppings, feathers and nesting materials can ruin delicate aircraft engine parts and potentially bring down an aircraft in flight.

Bird Droppings can Turn Off Customers

If you own any kind of eatery or restaurant, bird droppings can convince customers that your establishment is unclean and will avoid it. For that matter, droppings and nesting materials on or around any retail building can turn away customers. Signs, marquees and other banners can quickly be covered with droppings to make them virtually unreadable. To rid yourself of these potential problems, it's important that you bird proof your property before pest birds invade it.

The Many Ways to Bird Proof Your Property
 
One of the most popular and successful bird proof devices is the ubiquitous Bird Spike. These spiked strips come in durable stainless steel or rigid unbreakable polycarbonate. They are easy to install and are ideal for deterring a wide range of birds from landing on virtually any flat surface or ledge. And while they may look menacing, their blunted spikes will not harm birds or installation/maintenance crews.

For businesses with lots of awnings and patio covers, and for restaurants with lots of outdoor tables, the Bird Spider has proven hugely successful as a bird proof device.
These devices utilize spindly arms that wave in the breeze. Pest birds see these arms and just won't land anywhere near them. The spider arms come in different diameters to deal with various bird sizes.

To discourage pest birds from landing on eaves, ledges, beams and other 90-degree areas, there's the Bird Slope. These angled PVC panels are way too slippery for birds to get a good footing. As one farmer put, "They're slicker 'n goose poop on a pump handle." They're also super easy to install and deter a wide range or pest birds.

Another highly effective way to bird proof your property is Bird Netting. It comes in a variety of net mesh sizes to deter all types of pest birds--including pigeons, sparrows, starlings and seagulls. The best bird netting is flame resistant, U.V. stabilized, and rot- and water-proof.

Like you, birds hate to walk on sticky surfaces. That's the principle behind Bird Gel. You easily apply it with a caulking gun in a zigzag pattern on places birds are likely to land and presto, they avoid the area like the plague. Gels bird proof you property by leaving a tacky membrane that birds hate. They're ideal for use on any flat or curved surface--like conduit, pipes, ledges, I-beams and parapet walls.

If you run or own a vineyard or grove, you can easily bird proof most areas with Foggers and Misters. These systems spray an area with a food-grade, non-lethal aerosol of methyl anthranilate. While the chemical is harmless to birds, they would much rather go somewhere else to nest.

No bird proof list would be complete without mentioning the wide array of Bird Scare products currently available. These reflective foil and shiny tape banners and balloons create an “Optical Distraction Zone” that have proven quite successful in scaring pest birds away.