Get Rid of Pigeons: pigeon repellents

Showing posts with label pigeon repellents. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Get Rid of Pigeons with Pigeon Spikes

by Fran Prisco

Pigeons have become public enemy number one in many large cities. They are in public parks, food courts, and landing or roosting on public buildings. Each year governments and municipalities spend thousands of dollars cleaning up after and repairing damage caused by pigeons. Pigeon droppings are acidic and can damage building materials as well as carry any of 60 different diseases. Bird droppings are also slippery and a big cause of slip and fall accidents on sidewalks and building walkways. It is important that the public feel protected from illness as well as physical harm when using public facilities.

To get rid of pigeons from public areas, the pigeon spike is the answer. Pigeon spikes keep pest pigeons from landing and roosting on flat and curved surfaces such as roof ledges, windowsills even channel letters. The best pigeon spikes come are made from polycarbonate plastic with built in U.V. protectors for long life. They are manufactured in two-foot sections for easy and quick installation.

Installing Pigeon Spikes

Before installing any type of bird control product or system, it is important to do a thorough clean up. All debris and droppings left behind by the birds must be removed. It may be necessary to power wash the area to remove bird droppings and other debris before installing the pigeon spikes. A clean surface is needed in order for the spikes to adhere to the surface being treated when installing with adhesive.

Pigeon spikes are easily installed using glue, screws or tie downs. When using glue, choose a construction grade adhesive that will keep the spikes in place regardless of weather or temperatures. It is important that the entire surface be covered with the spikes. If there is space of more than an inch in front of or behind the spikes, pigeons will be able to land and use the spikes to drop nesting materials and make nests.

Once installed the pigeon spikes are virtually invisible and will not take away from the building aesthetics. Pigeon spikes are practically maintenance free. It is a good idea to inspect the spikes periodically to be sure there is not a build up of leaves or twigs in the spikes, or that they have not come loose.

Monday, March 21, 2011

How to Get Rid of Pigeons

Launceston is a city just north of the state of Tasmania, Australia, at the juncture of the North Esk, South Esk, and Tamar rivers. It is the second largest city in Tasmania with a population of over 100,000 people. The city recently sought advice on how to get rid of pigeons. A recent pigeon plague across inner Launceston rooftops created a smelly mess, cost local businesses thousands and threatened to potentially spread serious diseases.

The pigeons made their nests in some of the city's landmark buildings, including the old gasworks, the Telstra tower, and several of the city's historic banks and government institutions.

Some referred to the putrid pigeon infestation as a major nuisance and potentially toxic. The problem got so bad that one office was forced to close while hundreds of pigeons and their chicks were destroyed as the building's roof cavity was cleared and cleaned. Clearly, something had to be done to get rid of the pigeons.

Business owners noted that the pigeon problem was worse than dealing with rats. People were warned not to feed the pigeons to reduce the amount of droppings, which not only carry disease like salmonellosis, aspergillosis and histoplasmosis, but can create dangerous slip-and-fall liability for a business.

Commercial property owners demanded the problem be addressed. Some businesses had to move into temporary alternative workplaces in remote locales. Other building owners spent thousands removing the pests. The roof of a former bank drew hundreds of pigeons. The bird droppings were knee deep and had to be pumped into a waste disposal truck. To get rid of pigeons, they had to cast a bird net over the entire roof and put up bird spikes.

Bird netting works well to get rid of pigeons. For pigeons, a 1-1/8-inch mesh size is ideal. When installing pigeon netting on rooftops or other outdoor areas, U.V. stabilized, flame resistant and rot- and water-proof netting is best. One brand of bird proof netting currently being marketing is said to be able to withstand severe temperature extremes--from 250-degree Fahrenheit to "sub-zero" temperatures. Non-conductive netting is ideal for installations where electrical conductivity or radio frequency interference could cause problems.

Another way to get rid of pigeons is to use pigeon spikes. These come in either rigid U.V.-resistant unbreakable polycarbonate or high strength, durable stainless steel. The spikes look threatening, but they won't harm birds or people. They have even been approved by a number of humane groups worldwide--including the U.S. Humane Society and PICAS (Pigeon Control Advisory Service). Pigeon spikes are available in various sizes and colors. Thee stainless steel spikes come in 3-, 5- and 8-inch widths; their plastic counterparts come in 3-, 5- and 7-inch widths. The plastic spikes are more economical, and they can be used near RF transmission equipment like cell phone antennas because they won't interfere with radiated energy. Pigeon spikes even come in a variety of colors--like white, tan, gray, black, brown, brick red and crystal clear.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Get Rid of Pigeons

by Alex A. Kecskes

Almost everyone has heard about pigeons invading parks and monuments, shedding their disease-carrying droppings on statues and contaminating ponds and playgrounds. But pigeons also pose a problem to many businesses. And perhaps the least mentioned are the many problems pest pigeons pose to gas stations.

Take your basic gas station canopy, for example. Once pigeons have claimed them and decided to nest on them, it's just a matter of time before a flock of pigeons can ruin your average $25,000.00 canopy.

Why do so many pigeons like to nest on gas canopies? Simple. They provide a great observation point for pigeons. The resourceful birds like to sit along the canopy edges and survey the area. And if you've ever seen how these canopies are built, you know that they easily provide plenty of protected nesting sites on their undersides and gutter areas.

Unless you get rid of pigeons, the flat metal roof areas will soon be covered with pigeon droppings and nests. Both will clog the canopy's drains and eat away at the canopy's paint and metal. After a rain, one can't help but notice the brown residue and offensive odor caused by collected pigeon droppings and nesting debris. This debris and unsavory odor will collect on the covered paved areas of a gas station and create and unwelcome site for customers. Worse yet, left to gather in the wet, pigeon droppings can cause dangerous slip-and-fall hazards to customers and employees. After several years, gas canopies can even become structurally degraded to cause a possible hazard for motorists and workers.
So what to do? If high gas prices aren't enough to keep motorists away, do you really need pest pigeons? Fortunately, there are several humane and highly effective ways to get rid of pigeons.