Bird Control Services
Birds are one of nature’s greatest wonders. All you need to do to appreciate this is observe the extent of diversity among bird species as well as their elegance in flight. But with all these fascinating characteristics, birds can quickly become a nuisance when they roost on your house or property.
That’s right. Certain bird species have learned to take advantage of human settlements for food and shelter. These species are generally referred to as pest birds. Common examples of pest birds in California include the common starling, the American crow, woodpeckers, and pigeons, to name a few.
At A Team Services, we provide effective bird control for home and business owners in Los Angeles and Orange County California. Our control tactics have been honed over several years to achieve outstanding results for our clients.
In this post, we explore all you need to know about bird control: why having birds around is problematic and what you can do to keep them away.
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Problems Caused By Birds
Birds may look harmless, but if given the chance, they can wreak great havoc. Here are some of the potential problems caused by birds:
- Corrosion
Bird droppings are highly acidic. When their droppings land on the rooftops, or walkways, it accelerates the corrosion metals in these surfaces. The acidic content of their droppings can also peel off paint and sealants. If left to their vices, birds can cause irreparable damages to vital materials.
- Risk of diseases
Do you know that birds are carriers of several zoonotic diseases including avian tuberculosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, and campylobacteriosis, among many others? Many of these diseases are potentially fatal if left untreated.
For instance, histoplasmosis is caused by inhaling a fungus found in bird droppings. This infection affects the lungs, which can result in breathing complications and even death if left untreated.
- Contamination
Industrial plants spend thousands of dollars to keep birds away because of the contamination they cause. Because of their ability to fly, they can easily gain access to feedstock and contaminate it with their urine and droppings.
- Crop theft
If you have succulent fruits in your garden, then you probably know how hard it is to keep birds away. They fly in and have their share of fruits before you get to enjoy them.
- Fire hazard
When birds get trapped in HVAC ducts or get entangled in equipment, they can clog components and result in fires.
- Pollution
If you have a flock of birds roosting on your property, then get ready to deal with a large amount of waste. As their droppings and urine accumulate, they begin to smell bad, thereby reducing your air quality.
Bird Control Process
Because of their ability to fly, birds have a special advantage over other nuisance wildlife. That’s why you need to outsmart them if you’re serious about getting rid of them. At A Team Services, we have devised a robust process that can be used to solve bird infestation problems. Here’s how it works:
Find out why they’re attracted.
Birds are attracted to properties for different reasons. They love roosting on the roof because of the elevation it provides, enabling them to easily assess their surroundings for threats. They are attracted to gardens because of the availability of fruits. Pigeons may be attracted to the attic because of the safety it provides.
After pinpointing why you have a bird infestation problem, you can then develop an effective strategy to keep them at bay.
Choose the right control tactic.
There are different kinds of bird control tactics. Here, we look at some of them and what situations they’re best suited for:
- Bird spikes
Bird spikes are plastic or metal thin rods with pointed edges used to create a no landing zone for birds. Spike humanely and efficiently creates an anti-perching, anti-roosting, anti-nesting area that even the most stubborn birds cannot dare land on.
Bird spikes are usually installed on narrow surfaces like signage, security cameras, ledges, light posts, above windows, and other elevated surfaces frequented by birds.
- Bird netting
Netting is used to create a semi-enclosed space in open areas, like the garden When you cover your garden with a bird net, birds will be denied access, but your plants will still be able to absorb the much-needed sunlight and water from the environment.
Bird netting comes in a variety of sizes and materials. The best one to choose is dependent on what bird species you’re trying to keep out.
- Ultrasonic devices
These devices emit irritating high pitch frequencies that make nuisance birds uncomfortable. Not to worry, the sound they emit cannot be heard by the human ears. Hence, you get to keep birds away while you maintain your quiet.
- Shock tracks
While shocking birds might sound cruel, the use of shock tracks is a humane and effective way to keep birds away. When birds land on surfaces covered with shock tracks, it delivers a mild electric shock. Thankfully, this shock is not enough to cause them harm, but it is high enough to send them packing.
Shock tracks can be discreetly laid on flat and curved surfaces like eaves, ledges, beams, rooflines, and parapet walls.
- Flash tapes
Reflective flash tapes can also be used to scare birds away. As the wind moves, the tapes reflect the sunlight haphazardly, which disorients approaching birds. As a result, they are compelled to avoid areas with flash tapes.
- Predator decoys
Decoys are usually predators of nuisance birds made from plastic. Examples of predator birds include owls and birds of prey like hawks. Having these decoys on your property scares off nuisance birds.
Note that with time, nuisance birds may realize that these decoys are just empty threats. That’s why you need to change their position from time to time to give the impression that they’re real.
- Drones
Drones are high-tech pest control devices relatively new to the market. They are primarily used to keep birds away from industrial facilities. A drone’s threatening presence coupled with sound technology (usually playing recordings of predator noises) can fly autonomously to keep birds away from the defined premises.
Clean up, decontamination, and repairs
After you’ve gotten rid of nuisance birds, it’s time to clear their wastes. Ensure that you put on hand gloves and a face mask when clearing off bird droppings. The infected area should also be decontaminated. Damaged areas in the building should then be repaired to prevent further decline.
Bird Control is Not Easy Without Professional Help
Trying to get rid of nuisance birds on your own is time-consuming and can quickly become frustrating. Unfortunately, the longer you allow birds to roost on your property, the harder it becomes to get rid of them.
Why go through this stress when you can get a bird control expert involved? A Team Services provides customized bird control solutions for both commercial and residential properties. Contact us today to turn your property into a bird-free zone.
How to Trap a Pigeon?
With over 400 million pigeons worldwide, it’s not too shocking to hear that most people have seen one at some point. However, it may be surprising to hear that pigeons often find their way into attics, chimneys, homes and even create nests in properties. Obviously, that’s not the case for you, and that’s why we’re here to help you learn how to trap a pigeon.
Understand Why Pigeons Do What They Do
Although pigeons seem like dumb birds, they’re not really. While they might lack some of the thinking skills other animals and we have, they’re smart enough to make their way into some challenging and hard-to-reach places. That makes it especially difficult to trap these birds as you’re not likely to find them in easily trappable spots. Visit probirdcontrol.org to learn more about bird control.
It’s not impossible to trap a pigeon, though, as there are a few well-known methods to remove one of these birds. Nonetheless, the best way to trap a pigeon is to know how a pigeon works. These birds are omnivorous, eating seeds, grains, fruits, insects, and even spiders and lizards.
If there’s a pigeon nearby, it’s likely moving towards the same food you can use to trap it. Once these birds fall into a habit, you can use the pattern to ensure they’re trapped and easily movable. However, there are a few more things to look for, including their usual perching place, where they go to sleep, and the places where they usually stay. Fortunately, it’s not very hard, and the resulting process requires just a trap and some food.
Setting Up a Trap
After you’ve looked around a bit, watching the pigeons and what they eat, then it’s time to set up the trap. It’s best to buy a pigeon trap for the birds — these traps are very similar to cage traps, although they’re better suited to capture birds.
After you’ve gotten your hands on one, then it’s time to place it in a typical spot for the pigeon. Luckily, after watching it, it should be pretty easy to find a suitable location for it. If you’re struggling to find a pattern or need some help, feel free to call local animal control or A Team Services, who know to help you through the process.
Once you’ve placed the trap in the right spot, then you can put some corn, birdseed, or other pigeon favorites in the trap before activating it. Once you’ve placed the activated trap and the food, then you can wait for the pigeon to arrive, where it’ll be promptly trapped.
However, that’s not the end of the process, as you’ll need to remove the pigeon. While most people end up driving off with the bird in a backseat to let it free a few miles down the road, pigeons will more than easily find their way back to your property.
Instead, it’s best to contact animal control or a local control company for assistance in local regulations and where you’ll need to drop off the animal. In most circumstances, you’ll even be able to give animal control or a company the pigeon, and they’ll be able to take care of it safely and effectively.
After everything’s done, you should investigate re-entry prevention methods to prevent other pigeons, animals, and even the same pigeon from returning. If one animal uses the area to fit their needs, then it’s likely suitable for other animals in the same manner. Fortunately, bird netting mesh, spikes, and other methods are more than sufficient for most scenarios, stopping all but the most stubborn animals from arriving.
How to Get Pigeons Out Of The Attic?
If you have pigeons roosting in your attic, you know how noisy and annoying these birds can be. Pigeons are often not scared of humans, and they have no problem living in our homes. But, no one wants to have pigeons in the attic because of the disturbance and damage they cause.
Pigeons in the attic can bring a lot of issues. For starters, they poop everywhere, and these feces can transmit infectious diseases and can serve as a breeding ground for germs. Bird droppings also stink a lot and attract all sorts of insects to the attic. Pigeons also bring in their filthy nesting material, which can clog vents, and pose a fire risk. They can also introduce lice and bird mites into the house. There are too many reasons why these birds should never be in your home, but if you find them in your attic, then you should make sure you get them out ASAP. Here are some tips to help you evict pigeons from the attic.
Exclude the birds from the attic: there are many ways to scare pigeons away from your attic, you can frighten them with a leaf blower, manually catch them or install an exclusion door, but none of these methods can work for long-term except if you first figure out how the birds are getting in. If not, you’ll never be able to keep out for good. If pigeons are in your attic, it only means that you have a broken attic window, a missing roof tile, turn soffit, broken fascia board or some other hole somewhere.
Excluding or trapping is the best way to get rid of pigeons in the attic. And you can easily do this by installing a one-way door or netting that allows them to go but not return. The mechanism of a one-way exclusion device, whether store-bought or handmade, lets the birds fly out, but they will be unable to fly back in.
Make sure they all leave: once you install the exclusion device, monitor it for a few days to ensure that it actually works to let the birds out. It should be uninstalled when all the birds are out of the attic. If some pigeons refuse to fly out, you can catch them with your hands and take them outside, but you have to be very careful with this exercise. Make sure you wear gloves and a face mask to avoid any form of direct contact with birds, and thoroughly wash up afterwards. You can also set up pigeon traps in your attic to catch the birds, however these can be difficult to successfully execute.
Clean up the attic: the next task is to get rid of the nesting material, and keep in mind that pigeons might lay eggs in the attic, which should also be removed. Wear protective clothing throughout this activity because the pigeon feces contain parasites and bacteria. The pigeon droppings should be carefully removed and disposed of. Finally, use an enzyme-based formula to eliminate any remaining biodegradable waste items, as this is the most effective method to ensure that the attic is completely clean. It is also ideal to use atomizing sprayers to apply these cleansers because they will be able to reach every corner of the attic.
Get Professional Help
Pigeons can be difficult to remove once they’ve made themselves at home in your attic, in which case the best thing will be to contact a professional to evict the birds. We have professionals who are experienced in dealing with stubborn pigeons. With their knowledge and experience, they will quickly locate access sites, and ensure that the pigeons leave without returning. If you have stubborn pigeons in your attic, call us today for an inspection and exclusion.