Bird Proof News

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.

Read more: Bird Proof Your Property Before It's Too Late

by Alex A. Kecskes

Unlike homes and boats, commercial buildings suffer damage from pest birds on a grand scale. Commercial  building owners spend millions of dollars every year to deal with problems associated with pest birds. The only viable solution is bird proofing.

Failure to bird proof a commercial building can lead to all sorts of problems. The droppings pest birds leave seriously detract from a building's appearance. The acid secretion produced by the fungi that live in bird droppings can mar paint and other surfaces. Cleaning and restoring buildings damaged by pest birds can be very expensive. Nests and droppings can, over time, clog gutters and down pipes, causing rooftops to leak or fill with water and possibly collapse. Pest bird nests and droppings can get sucked into ducts, grilles and vents, clogging commercial air conditioning and heating units, permanently damaging these expensive systems.

Bird droppings deposited at commercial building entrances and fire escapes increase the likelihood that pedestrians may slip and fall on them, creating a huge legal liability to commercial property owners. Droppings also spoil finished products in loading bays and storage areas. They ruin the appearance of costly finished goods, metal panels, and stonework. Droppings can also eat into and destroy wood, paper and cardboard packaging of products on pallets or outside storage.

Read more: Bird Proofing Commercial Buildings

By: Meredith Walako

It’s a situation that happens all too often: a boat owner plans to take their vessel out for a day of enjoyment, only to find it covered in bird droppings.

Bruce Donoho, owner of Bird Control Supply Company, Bird-B-Gone, says “Left unattended, bird droppings can stain surfaces, and eventually erode materials, not to mention the health risk: bacteria and parasites can also be found in bird droppings.” A high concentration of uric acid, found to be even higher in sea birds, can be to blame for the erosion. The acidity can erode materials like steel, discolor paint, and stain canvases. Taking steps to “bird proof” your boat is an investment that will save you time and money.

There are a few steps that boat owners may already be taking to help protect their investment. For example, the wax coating used on the exterior of a boat can buy an owner time before bird droppings reach the boats surface, prolonging the possibility of erosion.  But how do you keep birds off of a boat in the first place? Birds prefer the highpoints on a vessel, but will also land on a protective canvas. Treating these areas with visual or physical deterrents will help encourage the birds to move on to a more suitable location. Birds rely heavily on visual clues in their environment helping with flight, the detection of predators, food sources, ect. In fact, birds have the largest eye to body ratio in the animal kingdom.

Read more: Bird Proof Your Boat

By Kathy Fritsch

Baby proofing the home keeps your baby free from harm, but bird proofing the home keeps you and your home free from the harm a pest bird can do.  Summertime is the ideal season to take action.  It is warm and sunny and the perfect time to be outside doing simple and inexpensive home improvement projects.  Installing bird deterrents should be at the top of your things to do list.  This is the time of year where birds are searching for that comfortable location to start building their nests and hatching their offspring.  There are effective products that will bird proof your home so the birds do not choose it as their nesting site.  Although the idea of baby birds may seem delightful, the damage to you and your property from pest birds and their nests can be quite detrimental.

A very important reason to bird proof your home is to keep your family healthy.  Nesting birds accumulate a build-up of viruses, bacteria and fungal matter in their droppings.  The best way to eliminate this problem is to stop the nesting before it begins.  Inspect your home closely.  Determine areas that may be susceptible to nesting that are close to where your family congregates.  One area that is sure to get summertime and often year round usage is your patio. The patio cover is a great place to mount a solar bird repeller.  The repeller can be mounted on either flat or angled surfaces in a matter of minutes.  It scares the pest birds away from the area by the continual movement of the 2.5’ telescoping rods which have iridescent red foil flash tape at the ends.  The constant sweeping movement does not harm the birds in anyway, but distracts them from making your patio their summer home.  The red foil flash tape also scares the birds away from the area when it is simply tied to the patio, or a nearby tree, creating the perfect optical distraction zone. Bird Netting is a very effective proactive way off keeping birds away from various areas.

Read more: Bird Proof Your Home for Health and Safety