Many home owners contact Hot Foot wanting advice on how they can remove pesky pigeons from their property. Apart from the constant coo coo coo-ing in the early hours of the morning there is the ever present and increasing amount of bird “do do” that accumulates on the house and walkways usually where people walk and meet socially.
Occasionally we receive more desperate calls about mites that have entered the house, originating in older and more established pigeon nests.
Here is some advice that may help in your quest to remove these birds.
The Attraction of Water
Pigeons need a readily available source of water especially in summer time when temperatures soar into the 90’s and 100’s. They can be seen roosting close to these sources and these are usually this is where the fecal matter and feathers etc accumulate rapidly. Look at the following photos and you can see lot of pigeons sitting facing the fountain below where water is readily available. They are crowding under the shade lines and even on the awnings. As the flock increases in number then the birds will spread to other shaded areas such as balconies, under air conditioners, under roof solar panels and so on.
Tip No.1
Try to dry up any sources of water available to birds such as standing water from air conditioners, water in flower pots, gardening water and such like. Obviously water in fountains is not something that is desirable to remove but even a temporary removal for a week or so may assist in forcing these birds to go look elsewhere. Or put small stones in areas where water is ponding so birds cannot get their beaks in there for an easy drink.
Tip Number 2
Install repellents such as Hot Foot Gel or hot Foot springwire on any surface where these birds are landing before walking in to take a drink. Look at the photo below which shows how one building owner installed the springwire system around his fountain to stop the pigeons from landing and being able to take a drink.
No longer can the disrespectful pigeons simply fly and land on the ledges to take a drink and “leave their mark”. Effective only on larger birds like pigeons, gulls and crows, the system leaves small birds free access to the water and not be driven away by their more dominant cousins.
Harborage
Pigeons are descendants of the ancient Rock Doves of Europe which used to live in caves and holes that were dark and protected from weather and predators. It is in their nature therefore to seek dark quiet areas for nesting. Houses offer some very favorable places for nesting, for example in the shade line of dormers, under awnings, under solar panels even on top of lights and ledges on balconies. Even bright lights adjacent to them is no deterrent to them taking a comfortable overnight nap. There you will see the greatest accumulation of birds and droppings and other contaminants.
Tip Number 3
The first and most important tip when confronted with accumulated bird fecal matter is NOT TO CLEAN IT UP IN DRY FORM. Always wet it down before attempting clean up and preferably use a sterilizing agent in your clean up water.
Tip Number 4
There are over 40 known viruses and 60 transmittable diseases directly attributable to birds and their fecal matter. Birds also carry up to 10 parasites on their legs, wings and bodies and these usually co-exist in bird nests that are active. Due to these known hygiene hazards, areas which form the subject of any bird or other animal abatement program should be sanitized and cleaned prior to any repellents being applied.
Without doubt the most toxic form of bird fecal matter is old, dry droppings because that is where spores of histoplasmosis (a fungus) and other diseases can be found. If these are disturbed and become airborne then they can be inhaled and infection can begin.
Always wear protective disposable clothing when doing bird clean up. That includes disposable outer clothing like coveralls, gloves, safety glasses, a face mask correctly fitted and if possible shoe covers.
Tip Number 5 - Prevent the Birds from Returning
Preventing birds from returning can be as simple as installing some Hot Foot repellent gel or spikes on the ledges where they are roosting; installing some steel mesh around the “dormers” to force birds out of the shade line or installing some netting across areas where the pigeons are entering the roof area. The photos below illustrate what we are saying.
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