Pigeons are lovely birds, but we cannot deny the disadvantages of having them around our living spaces. Are you sick and tired of being annoyed by these pesky gray creatures? Is the look of your house being spoiled by their mess, your water being contaminated and your health affected by these birds? If you want to see a full comparison among different pigeon control methods refer to the table created by OvoControl. Then read on and we’ll tell you about how to get rid of pigeons.
General Information about Pigeons
Before we look at how to get rid of pigeons, let’s look at what we know about them. They have short necks and are often gray in color. Their feet are designed to perch on any type of ledge and their beaks are suitable for picking up small pieces of food.
They live anywhere that they can find food, therefore, they’re happy both in crowded cities or in the peaceful countryside. Their nests can be found all over. Their favorite nesting sites are tree branches, in attics, in chimneys, on balconies or anywhere else where they’ll be undisturbed.
In terms of food, they like to eat anything that’s grain-based. They aren’t afraid of human beings and their population increases rapidly in a short time. These are just some of the reasons why people need to know how to get rid of pigeons before they do damage to our living areas.
Damage Caused by Pigeons
It cannot be denied that pigeons are beautiful birds and for a time we may even enjoy seeing them in our gardens. However, after a while they outstay their welcome and become a nuisance because of the damage they do.
Firstly, damages come from their droppings. Their droppings have a high uric acid content, which is something that causes significant damage to metals in particular. Thus, if you park your car under a tree where pigeons are sitting, the paintwork will be damaged. This also occurs with the metalwork on houses, such as gutter pipes. The droppings damage the physical structure of the roof if their droppings are left to accumulate for a long enough time.
Secondly, their nests are often made inside your house such as in the attic, on the balcony or in the chimney. This becomes a hygiene issue, because each and every place where they settle becomes loaded with shed feathers and dirty droppings.
At the same time, their noise at all hours of the day and night can get a bit much after a while. Most seriously though, it is that the mess left by pigeons that puts your household in danger of diseases and contamination. It has been found that many bacteria, fungi and ectoparasites existing in the droppings are responsible for dozens of acute diseases, especially salmonella and respiratory problems. For these reasons, it should definitely become a priority for you to find out how to keep pigeons away from your home and garden.
How to Get Rid of Pigeons
As soon as you see their nests or droppings, make sure that you take some essential steps to get them away before their friends move in too.
Keep Pigeons away from Your House by Frightening Them
Spray water directly onto pigeons. Don’t give pigeons them a chance to make their nests. This method will take a little time and perseverance, but they’ll quickly get the message that they’re not welcome in the area.
Exploit Their Fear of Predators
Go to your local department store and invest in some plastic predators such as owls, hawks or snakes and put them nearby the place where pigeons are roosting. You’ll need to move them about regularly, though, as pigeons are smart and will quickly realize that the fake predator hasn’t moved.
Hang up Reflective Surfaces to Hinder Their Eyesight
Make the most of your old CDs and small broken mirrors and string them along all the important pigeon perching branches to reflect the sunlight. They won’t roost in a place where they cannot see well due to reflected sunlight.
Use Natural Bird Repellents
One of the most popular and safe repellents for these unwelcome guests is natural spicy smells coming from garden plants such as pepper and cinnamon.
If these methods of scaring pigeons off don’t work for you, it may be time to resort to more hardcore solutions.
Trap Pigeons and Cover All Entrances where They are Getting into the House to Nest
You could use live traps. These are a highly recommended control strategy. They work very simply: you open a one-way door, set bait inside the trap and wait until the pigeons go inside to feed and get trapped. Remember to regularly check your traps in order not to let them die in there. Call in an expert to remove them for you as even if you drive away and release them, they have an uncanny ability to find their way home.
Seal off All Entrances such as Attics and Chimneys
To seal the attic, use hardware cloth or plastic bird netting to close off all the edges and holes. For the chimney, install mesh stainless steel caps, which allow smoke to get out but keep birds from entering.
Turn the Locations the Pigeons Use to Perch into “unperchable” Ones
There are several ways of doing this, from anti-roosting spikes, pigeon nets or electric shockers. Attach them anywhere the birds often perch and roost. Pigeons hate them and when they cannot be comfortable on your property, they’ll hopefully move elsewhere.
How to Prevent Pigeons
Now you know how to get rid of pigeons, but it is better to know how to keep pigeons away in the first place and how to keep them away once they’ve been removed.
Remove All Sources of Food
If your house provides the best bird food in the neighborhood, guess who’ll come to visit. Make sure all compost and trash is covered, and remove bird feeders.
Sprinkle or Spray Homemade Deterrents once a Week
There are many recipes available, such as a chilli-vinegar mixture. Spraying regularly will make sure the birds know you’ve got your eye on them.
Build Nests for Them
If necessary, you even can build nests for them far away from your house, for instance at the bottom of the garden.
Regularly Check Your House
Regularly check your house and seal all holes. If they are large enough for pigeons to move in, be sure to repair them quickly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, to keep your house looking clean and beautiful and preserve your health you should know how to keep pigeons away. Knowing how to get rid of these pesky birds is simpler than you think. Just follow these easy tips in this post, they will be helpful to you.
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