Bird Barrier Celebrating 30 Years in Business

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the April print version of PCT under the headline "30 Years of Bird Control."

Birds and the problems they cause have remained virtually unchanged since I entered this industry in 1993. But how we tackle the problems has changed dramatically.

Thirty years ago, the most common solution was bird spikes. Metal spikes had been the same for at least 50 years but eventually evolved. Spikes introduced in the 1990s featured clear plastic bases with spikes further apart. This allowed them to be shipped in smaller boxes, made them less visible on a building and they worked well when installed in the right situation. But we all learned embarrassing lessons with spikes. They generally shouldn’t be used where birds nest. We had to do better.

Netting frequently earned a bad name because it was often installed poorly and done with thick sports netting or cheap plastic net, which was prone to ripping. In 1994, I helped introduce a new product to the U.S. market. United Kingdom-based Network Bird Control’s netting was made from polyethylene twine (a strong UV-stable plastic) that was supported by a wide assortment of low-profile hardware. This meant it could be installed on all surfaces and would effectively disappear. No more gluing or nailing strips of wood over the netting. Facility managers often didn’t even notice it on their own building. But while netting was great under loading docks, over roofs, around equipment and stopping birds from entering openings, there was still a problem with ledges, especially with nesting birds.

SOMETHING SHOCKING. There were a few electrified ledge deterrents that shocked birds’ feet, but none really worked well, lasted a long time or looked good. The market needed an electrified track that was low profile, flexible, easy to install and effective against a variety of bird pressure levels, and we were able to develop a product that we felt met those needs.

UNDER PRESSURE. Speaking of pressure, it was while writing our first bird control manual that my partner, Joe Bollinger, a UCLA psychology major, categorized bird behavior on buildings and coined the phrase “bird pressure.” Heavy pressure was a nesting site. Medium pressure was not a nest, but the birds were committed to being there for food and water. Light pressure was a take-it-or-leave-it site. The pressure concept helped the industry understand bird problems from the birds’ standpoint — why were they there? We taught the new concept, and it seemed like it caught on. The term is now used across pest control.

SPECIAL MENTION. There are a lot of great solutions on the market. Methyl anthranilate is a liquid extract of concord grapes that irritates birds’ sensory receptors. It can be applied to turf or hazed into the air with a fogger. It is not a permanent solution, and it needs to be applied regularly, but it is effective in challenging situations, like birds in trees or geese on grass.

Spinning, reflective devices mounted above roofs have proven effective against pigeons, gulls and other large bird species. Up to 90 percent of birds can be repelled with proper placement and the correct color schemes. But flashing is not enough: The rate of rotation, angles of the reflective surfaces and occasional support from other products will make a big difference.

Another interesting product is a high-tech automated laser, which is mounted on a small tower (or something else tall) and programmed to sweep an area clean of birds. They can be mounted on rooftops or in agricultural settings. From what we have seen, the lasers are a good way to keep birds from stealing crops and repelling them from large flat roofs.

WHO’S DOING BIRD WORK? For their part, PMPs have embraced bird control, but not to the level of European PMPs. In Europe, most companies are proficient in bird control and generate significant revenue from it. In the U.S., many companies offer services, but not consistently from office to office, and bird control among smaller companies is hit or miss.

Salespeople who are used to selling monthly services may struggle with the scope of a bird job, which can often exceed $10,000. In the past 30 years, I believe the number of bird control professionals has at least doubled in size, if not more, as the demand from facility managers and homeowners has increased. With all those additional professionals, training on bird control products becomes vital.

One trend that has emerged is the number of small bird specialist companies who partner with larger PCOs, who don’t have the expertise or manpower to do challenging jobs. There are a lot of skilled subcontractors out there who do bird control regularly, and are comfortable doing the work safely, effectively and efficiently, which allows the larger company to stick to what they do best. These are generally wildlife control operators (WCOs) or window cleaners with access skills, or even specialty bird control companies. We regularly make introductions to facilitate this work.

The internet has changed the game considerably. PMPs often meet with a facility manager who has researched solutions online and knows what he or she wants. They generally want a long-lasting product that can’t be seen from the ground. Sharp facility managers know what it costs to clean up the bird mess regularly and are willing to invest in the right solution to protect their employees, customers and infrastructure.

And speaking of infrastructure, utilities, energy generation plants, oil rigs, telecom and many more have identified birds as a major issue to their operations and want specialty solutions that don’t interfere with operations or conduct electricity. Small footprint products like multi- sensory disks can evict birds without creating other risks for the operators.

WHAT’S NEXT. Current bird control products solve most problems. But there are still gaps. Electromagnetic products look interesting but are very new to the market. Inventors all around the world are focusing on finding more solutions. You never know what the next big thing will be.

There are opportunities for new products to stop birds from hitting windows, a big issue for our environment and our industry. They also need to be kept from entering warehouses, airplane hangars and other large facilities, a big headache for facility managers globally. The goal should be to solve these problems humanely, affordably and without interruption to the customer’s business. The products in development are technology based, keeping bird control relevant in an evolving world.

I’m proud to be a part of an industry that is always trying to do better. If you are a PMP or WCO with a good bird control idea, give me a call!

The author is president of Bird Barrier America.