Successful Bird Control Strategies

Successful bird control strategies is an intimidating topic for an article. This entire issue of PCT could be dedicated to the subject and we would only scratch the surface. In this article, I will relate the principles and concepts upon which successful bird control programs are founded.

One of the most overlooked, but fastest-growing, segments of the pest control industry is bird control. Long an important and significant service in cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, bird control is capturing markets in fast-growing cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix. As these cities grow, eating up natural habitats and creating ideal habitats for commensal birds, the tolerance for the damage they cause, diseases they carry and the nuisance they become declines. The trend to incorporate lavish landscaping, complex architecture and outdoor urban recreational areas increases the carrying capacity of each acre of city for pest bird species.

Problem birds fall into two categories: commensal birds (pigeons, crows, sparrows and starlings) and nuisance wild birds (seagulls, doves, grackles, swallows, woodpeckers and others). Controls fall into five categories (from most passive to most aggressive): exclusion/relocation, repelling, trapping, suppression and poisoning/killing. When developing a control strategy, it is important to understand the offending bird’s category, its biology and habits. It is also necessary to analyze what is going on, what are the birds doing, what the client’s goal is and determine the client’s tolerance. Your goal, as it is in all Integrated Pest Management programs, is to use the least aggressive strategy that will meet the client’s needs.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE BIRD SPECIES. Commensal birds, also known as pest birds, are unprotected species. Legally, they may be controlled by any method appropriate, provided non-target species (birds, animals or people) are not injured. It may not be politically correct to use aggressive methods and, in fact, their use may result in bad press for both the client and the pest control company.

While most pest control operators may consider pigeons "sky carp" or "flying rats," there are many people who think these birds are beautiful wildlife to be fed and nurtured. Nuisance wild birds can only be controlled using some exclusion and repelling techniques. These birds are protected and must not be harmed.

Of course, as with most pest management programs, the first thing that should be considered is sanitation. Can resources such as food and water be eliminated or made unavailable to the birds? Knowing the bird species and its behavior will help identify these resources so that they may be addressed, often making additional controls unnecessary. Making food inaccessible may be as simple as closing the lid on dumpsters and grease traps, or it may be extremely difficult for birds like woodpeckers or situations in which people feed the birds daily. Also, water can be a difficult issue to address. In some cases, depressions in the ground may be filled to prevent water collection, but it may also be that irrigation, fountains and other water features are providing a virtually limitless source of water.

Finally, guano or bird droppings must often be addressed. Accumulations of more than 6 inches are not uncommon. The work must be performed with safety equipment and the area must be sanitized. If bird pressure is high, controls must begin as soon as clean up is completed to prevent additional guano build-up.

STEP 2: CONTROL. Exclusion is almost always the control method of choice once sanitation is addressed. How exclusion is accomplished is limited only by the imagination of the PCO. The goal is to exclude the birds without damaging the aesthetics of the structure to be protected — and to come in under budget. This last item is one of the biggest pitfalls of bird control. It is too easy to misjudge the number of hours necessary to perform a job (and don’t forget to include clean-up), unforeseen delays and the volume of materials and equipment needed. Bird exclusion is an art. It must be thorough and complete as well as "beautiful" to look at. Neatness counts. Often, this means less is more.

For example, say there are pigeons nesting and loafing on a deep ledge, high on a building. Your first instinct may be to net off the ledge, excluding the birds from the area. A simple pin and wire system near the edge of the ledge will prevent pigeons from staging on the edge before flying off. Birds do this to check for predators, looking before they leap. Without access to this ledge, birds will be too nervous to continue nesting. If the birds are persistent or long-time residents, electrified wire or track systems will typically repel them quickly.

If power is available, pigeons may be "excluded and repelled" by eliminating the crevice shadow that attracted them in the first place with a flood lamp. Pigeons are rock doves, native to cliffs in Europe. They will automatically inspect any crevice-like pattern on the side of a structure. In fact, if one was to paint a flat black triangle of suitable size on the side of a building, doves would attempt to land in it.

Knowing the biology and habits of the bird species is critical in providing effective control. Seagulls, a protected species, are generally excluded from areas in other ways. Rotating rods, spider-like spring wires with weighted tips and spikes are often used to keep these large birds from settling on boats, signs, piers and roofs. Plastic owls are not to be included in a professional program (besides, owls don’t typically prey on gulls).

A network of stainless steel cables strung across open spaces will prevent seagulls from diving on public areas where they compete with humans for burgers and fries. A real problem exists with gulls at seaside airports where birds drop clams and other shellfish on the runways to break the shells. In one instance the birds stopped dropping their clams at one airport when a clever PCO painted seagulls flying in a search pattern (as seen from the top) on the runways. The flying birds were afraid to drop their shellfish, lest the "other seagulls" get to it before they do.

Suppression, trapping and killing birds are generally unpopular methods of control. Reducing the carrying capacty of the environment best carries out suppression of nearly any species of bird. This may involve removing or severely pruning trees and eliminating food sources. A regular program of cleaning out nests and eggs can be effective in reducing and eventually eliminating a bird population.

In the case of pigeons, actual sterilants are available to end reproduction in the flock. Trapping is an effective way to harvest and remove pigeons. It should be done out of the public eye and in a manner that is humane. Food, water and shade should be provided to keep birds from dying of starvation and exposure. The birds should not be released because they will finally find a way to return. Killing them quickly, usually by drowning or breaking their necks, is the most humane way of dispatching the harvested birds. Bird roosts containing a toxicant can be secured to vantage points about the area to be protected. These typically contain an avicide that is absorbed through the feet. The problem with these roosts is that they are not selective and non-target birds can be killed. Most people will include Avitrol as a method of killing birds, but that is not the intent of the product. Every now and then, a story makes the papers where some PCO used Avitrol, resulting in sick and half-crazed pigeons flying upside down and dive bombing a parking lot in a shopping mall. This would be an example of misuse of the product and poor judgment on behalf of the PCO. Properly used, this avicide is a repellant. Mixed with untreated corn, diluted product is fed to a bird population resulting in one or two birds becoming intoxicated. The dying birds put out a distress call to the flock, scaring them off. Properly used, a huge flock of birds can be moved with only a few fatalities, making this a fairly humane (though sometimes unpopular) method of control.

Today, the variety and ingenuity of the bird control products available is staggering. New and innovative products are being developed every day. The manufacturers and distributors of these products are only too eager to provide training on the sales and installation of their various systems and will often accompany a work crew to the account to provide on-the-job training. Bird control is not for the meek and conservative at heart. If a PCO is creative, open-minded and a little adventuresome, then bird control can become an exciting and profitable add-on service that can help differentiate a pest control company from its competition.