Pigeons are beautiful creatures and over the years they have inspired and spurred creativity in many ways. But, not everything is roses with these birds and can cause pigeon problems at home or any property.

They can become a major pest and health hazard if they are not controlled and taken care of in time.

To understand how pigeons or birds for that matter can become a health hazard to humans, we need to understand these two points: Birds can have diseases that they can transmit and they can also host parasites that have the diseases. In either case, it’s really easy to spread the diseases because birds can move around in a wide area during their life.

The most common way of transmitting these diseases is through their feces. Birds can easily contaminate human water or food supply like a food factory by simply defecating in it.

Another way they can transmit these diseases is for example this possibility: when pigeon’s feces contaminate soil that eventually dries, this leads to the microscopic pieces becoming airborne. When people breathe this contaminated air (with the microscopic particles in it) in, they can get an infection. I have seen this happening in a lot of apartment buildings.

Infections can also occur when people (whether in the residential or commercial property) have direct contact with bird droppings on a wound or a cut.

How To Handle Pigeon Problems

Knowing how pigeons transmit diseases is the first step. Now we can work on a few guidelines that can help in case of a pigeon infestation.

Pay attention to droppings and bird nests in closed areas like a garage, industrial areas, or apartment buildings. If you find a high amount of dropping you may have an issue, by the way, pigeons outside in your park don’t mean that you have an issue.

Now, if you own a restaurant and you notice the problem on your rooftop, that’s a real matter for concern.

While working on the issue, whether you have the help of a professional bird removal company or you are handling the problem yourself, it is highly recommended that you use a mask, goggles, and protective clothing. You don’t want to get sick yourself while taking care of the problem.

You need to disinfect the whole affected area. Removing the birds and cleaning it with water is not enough. You need to do a deep cleaning with detergent and antibacterial cleaners.

Other pigeon repellents include anti-roosting spikes and scarecrows. These scarecrows can take the form of owls, snakes, cats, or even people.

To be effective, these scarecrows need to appear alive and move either randomly or responsively.

Stainless steel pigeon spikes, wires, and bird repellent gels can be purchased online, however, it’s a good idea to save time and make sure your tools are installed effectively by enlisting the help of your local pest control experts.

Birds as pests in today’s society not only pose a threat to health due to low quality of hygiene, but also a risk to a bad reputation in the working environment. With this in mind, it’s best to prevent these infectious invaders with bird pest control before they even have the chance to visit.

Nobody is a fan of unwanted visitors to their home or place of work. The most common invitation for these pesky critters is the lure of free food, whether it’s haute cuisine or moldy food, mice and rats will be attracted to your property if it is not properly disposed of.

Through ensuring both the interior and exterior of your home is clear from morsels of food waste, and kept in a hygienic state, is vital to keeping the pests at bay.

It’s not only the ground we need to look out for, pigeons and common sparrows are becoming major threats from the sky; causing structural damage and unhygienic conditions, sometimes even life-threatening illnesses.

Plaguing our towns and cities has become a normal occurrence for the common pigeon, with constant access to food and shelter they are breeding more than ever; causing more problems than the public realize.

As well as carrying serious diseases in the bird feces, urban birds are prone to nesting in awkward and inappropriate places.

Nesting patterns in city birds can cause havoc for building owners everywhere and corrosion can be caused through the alkaline properties in bird poo, as well as erosion from constant disturbance of an area.

With this in mind, building owners must be made aware of how to protect their property; trapping or exterminating can be used in removing the problem, whilst netting and deterrents can be used to keep them away.

As carriers to fatal diseases such as Salmonella, Histoplasmosis, Ornithonis, and Cryptococcosis, pests in our homes or businesses can be seriously damaging in different ways.

Bringing these diseases into areas such as kitchens can be particularly harmful, especially for outlets handling food; strict health regulations govern the management of the hygiene and the resulting effects of pests on business, any unhandled cases can cause an extremely bad reputation.

Unfortunately, once an infestation has taken hold, it can be extremely difficult to control; managing the cleanliness of a property before a problem can escalate can be the deciding factor on how badly a situation can turn and the aftermath of the invasion.

Because of this, it is advisable to contact a professional pest control organization, at any sign of an infestation.

Birds in general also create hazards for people and other animals as they are vectors of dangerous parasites and harmful bacteria which can give rise to different kinds of diseases.

Do some research and you will be able to find a suitable bird removal service. It is always better if you opt for a bird removal company that has years of experience and track record in this field.

The arrival of birds could cause problems to be sanitary hygienic potential carriers of pathogens that cause foodborne illnesses, and bird abatement should be planned.

Currently, there are well-defined mechanisms to address the problems caused by insects and rodents in facilities where food is stored or processed.

Even the methods for the protection of the growing areas have experienced significant advances, allowing largely mitigate the detrimental effects they cause in crop pests.

However, there are still difficulties to achieve the same effectiveness in controlling other pests affecting the food industry: poultry pests.

It depends on individual situations, the species to control, the number of individuals and their link to the place we want to protect. Therefore, before choosing any of the methods available, it is advisable to consult an expert to tell us what might be effective in each case, in order to use our time and money on those who actually have a chance of success.

In this sense, it is important to note that many wild birds are carriers of pathogenic microorganisms, especially bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and Escherichia coli.

In these circumstances, the risk of transmission of pathogens is high, especially if the birds have access to storage areas of raw materials or finished products.

How To Limit Access To The Birds

Bird pest control depends on each particular situation, to control the species and its relationship to the scene to protect the main difficulty posed by birds to control is its ability to fly.

Its high mobility, coupled with legal restrictions regarding the use of poisons, requires the use of pigeon bird control methods that have varying degrees of success, depending on each case. In any case, a wide variety of solutions that can be used in accordance with the facility to protect or preserve.

These solutions include, first, those that sought to prevent access from birds to protect places of interest. And, mesh networks are often very effective around specific areas or covering the gaps through which the birds enter buildings.

Its main disadvantage is that trap leaves, pollen, and other materials and can become a heap of dirt. As a complement, can be used spikes, which prevent the birds from alighting on specific points, but ultimately also accumulate dirt and nesting birds can reach him.

Steel cables also prevent the birds are landing, but it loosens with time and loses effectiveness.

The counterpoint to the aforementioned devices is electrified systems. In general, are very effective, as they cause electric shock when the bird perches. But its cost, both installation, and maintenance are higher than previous methods.

Another way to limit access to the birds is through the use of repellent methods. These include gels and liquids. The first litter too and they adhere elements carried by the wind as pollen, leaves, or insects.

A second possibility is an ultrasound. Disturb the birds but runs the risk that they become accustomed and to lose all effectiveness.

Bird droppings affect multiple aspects of businesses and they tend to seriously degrade roofing materials. That said, many companies opt for a bird dropping removal service.

The acidic nature of the droppings was not the only problem. Pigeons, who eat gravel, would defecate on the roof and their fecal matter would clog the drains creating an even bigger problem: germination.

The high nitrogen content of the droppings offered a great environment for seeds to grow at an accelerated rate in the drainage system. Once droppings dry, it is a race to get them off the surface to avoid degradation of the mostly-organic roofing materials.

Bird droppings on asphalt and pressed wood fiber, found in roofing materials, can mildew.

Birds carry over sixty diseases, a few of which can be lethal. Mix the fecal matter with pools of water and the disease becomes airborne, filtrating through ventilation systems, being breathed in by employees and patrons, and causing quite a mess for a company.

Another big mess? The liability factor. Some species can produce up to 1.5 pounds of fecal matter a day. Slip-and-fall incidents are all too common these days. Unassuming passersby can stir up a stink.

In desperate hopes of preventing these potential disasters, many people use methods that are harmful and not all that effective. For the cost and labor, it was not worth the expense since the birds returned.

Lethal methods may solve the problem in the short-term, but remember that killing the birds only eliminates the ones that are presently roosting.

Disrupting The Pattern

A good start is ultrasonic sound devices. They deliver ultra high-frequency sound waves that are beyond the normal human hearing threshold. The sound annoys the birds, discouraging them from inhabiting areas in earshot.

The odor and mess the pigeons caused were disrupting the progress and bothering the workers.

Putting spikes anywhere attractive to the birds, like wires and beams, will prevent them from roosting. The spikes provide an uneven surface, making it inconvenient for birds to set up shop. There are also gels that are safe to apply to all surfaces. The gel makes the surface sticky, forcing the birds elsewhere.

Scare Tactics

Visual scares are another way to get rid of birds. Unfortunately, many people are using the wrong products, or are using the right products incorrectly, deeming them ineffective.

Bird-scare balloons with holographic eyes can move with the wind and create the illusion of the birds being followed. Over time, effectiveness can be boosted by moving these balloons around the property.

Sonic noisemakers blend in with the environment, which is not annoying to patrons and can scare the birds away.

Correct bird control can save your company thousands, maybe even millions, of dollars in clean-up costs, labor, and lawsuits.

Using any of these methods on their own will definitely send the birds a message, but using them in conjunction with other effective products is bound to make your site bird free for life.

Fortunately, there are several ways of pigeon pest control that are both effective and humane.

Pigeons are stout-bodied birds that are pale gray in color, with black bars on each wing. When people talk about “pigeons,” they are most commonly referring to the feral Rock Pigeon, which is the species most commonly found in urban areas.

These birds are about 12 to 14 inches long, with a wingspan between 25 to 28 inches. They are quite a nuisance and will feed on many different readily available foods, like seeds, fruits, plants, and discarded food. Pigeons are effective scavengers and will go to wherever the food is.

Pigeons generally build nests on top of roofs, in gutters, on external ledges, or even in external air conditioners. They also prefer to nest together in abandoned buildings, on walls, or on statues. These birds will stay in one place for as long as the food supply holds out.

Pigeons are considered pests as they can cause damage to buildings and carry disease. They have been shown to carry the Avian Flu, as well as several different kinds of parasites.

Should pigeons begin to roost in your area, there are several strategies that can show homeowners how to get rid of pigeons. When dealing with any pest, the first step is always prevention. Homeowners should seal off potential nesting sites with screens or fillers.

Homeowners can also use chemical pigeon repellents. Some of these chemicals simply make the perch uncomfortable for the birds to sit on or cause pain to the feet.

Other chemicals may not simply repel pigeons, but will instead kill them. Avitrol is one chemical commonly used to eliminate pigeons, although it is indiscriminate and will kill other birds or animals that come in contact with it. It may unintentionally harm pets or even children.

However, the chemical is rather ineffective anyway. Although the pigeon population will initially decrease, it will quickly come back, as these birds breed rapidly.

The most effective way to get rid of pigeons is to reduce the food supply. Some cities also use avian contraceptives, which control the pigeon population by decreasing the viability of the egg.

Why Do I Need Bird Proofing And Pigeon Deterrents?

The majority of us who live in cities and large towns across Arizona will know that pigeons can be a nuisance. Their fouling has been known to cause damage and deface buildings making them look dirty and shabby.

This is why bird proofing and pigeon deterrents are essential tools.

Their nests are often hidden in and around large cities and can harbor insects and mites which often migrate from the nest to other parts of the building. Birds’ nests can be the initial source of many of the insect problems experienced in and around cities.

These include obvious insect pests such as pigeon fleas and mites and can also include carpet beetles, case bearing clothes moths, biscuit beetles, and flies.

It would be a great idea to contact your local pest control. All well established high-quality pest control services offer a free survey, assessing the scale of your problem and the possible methods available.

Why Get Rid Of Birds At All?

Pigeons and other birds are causing extensive damage to buildings. Bird droppings are an ideal breeding ground for various molds and can dissolve even calcareous stone, which is why a professional bird removal service is conducted.

When water freezes in these fine voids it causes frost shattering damage. The ammonia that is found in pigeon droppings can ruin sandstone, stucco, anodized metal surfaces and even asphalt.

Birds also transmit diseases (food poisoning, diarrhea, pneumonia, encephalitis, etc.). They also spread ticks, fleas and bird mites. Cryptococcus neoformans – a fungus particularly dangerous to people with weakened immune – grows particularly well in bird droppings.

Pest birds are mostly found in places like all crops and gardens, Airports, Aquaculture, boats and marinas, Bowling greens, golf courses, etc.

Residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, grain silos, mining, solar pool heating, timber window frames, and windows.

Bird spikes are some of the devices designed to keep them from perching on the edges, parapets, pipes, beams, cutouts, and ledges of building structures. it is easy to set up and are available in many dimensions.

Why do the birds come straight to my house?

Bird find your house interesting for two reasons:

1. Food: The birds find a specific area to be most promising in the search of food.

2. Reproduction: The birds use the area for nesting, especially if it is protected from weather and predators.

How Dangerous Are Bird Droppings?

Pigeon droppings, because of its exposure to bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Exposure over the air, on the skin, or otherwise can lead to infections or parasitic infestations in humans. The removal of pigeon droppings and disinfection should therefore only be performed by a professional.

Some Methods To Get Rid Of Birds 

1. Spikes that are made either out of stainless steel or plastic. There are different versions for different birds and applications.

2. Ultrasound devices that use sound pressure, which is released permanently.

3. Electrical systems where the bird gets in contact an unpleasant but harmless electrical impulse, which it distributes without habituation.

4. Current pulse systems operate on the electric fence principle.

5. Electrical systems are among the most effective methods of defense. 

Bird Control Solutions For Pools

Pools are especially attractive to birds in warmer regions for water consumption or bathing.

Not only does the pool water get dirty, but even the pool edges are often heavily marked. Some solutions for that problem are canopies, slat blinds, and covers, floating films, and safety nets which also protect your pool from other wildlife.

What Can I Do About Protected Birds?

If the birds are under special protection, they may not be fought directly. Therefore preventive measures must be taken to prevent colonization.

What To Do After We Get Rid Of Birds?

After you get rid of birds, you should perform disinfection with chemical and thermal means to prevent the colonization of undesirable or even disease-causing microorganisms, bacteria, and parasites. Disinfection should only be performed by licensed contractors.

Generally, pigeons live a life of equity. They do everything in common: from eating, taking their bath, flying, and sleeping.

Pigeons on roof are a very interesting lot to study, their complexity of character and simplicity is one quality hard to find in any other society of animals from avian to reptiles, from amphibians to mammals.

After a male and a female pigeon hooks up, they start making plans for having a family. They commence mating like every other animal in their care.

Pigeons are similar to humans in many aspects and this is one of them. They kiss with the male putting its head in between its wings occasionally, after this prolonged foreplay the female bends down for the normal copulation which takes place with the two birds joining their organs found at the base of their tails.

Gradually, the female’s eggs are developed and ready to be laid, that is when the male starts getting the pen ready for the female to roost. The male starts picking up sticks, straw, feathers to make the place cozy for its wife.

During this period it chaperons the wife from place to place and pecks it roughly at times on the neck signaling other males of the danger posed if they ever disturb the wife who is ready for roosting.

The eggs after being laid, two maximum, and the two pigeons now take turns to sit on the eggs. The female sits on them from night until morning, at about 12pm the next day or so, it leaves for the male to take over from that time to maybe 6 pm after which the female comes back and takes charge until the morning of the next day.

While the male keeps watching at the entrance of the pen to ward off other impending males that might disturb the female while she sits on the eggs, as rearing a family is a collective responsibility between the male and female pigeons respectively.

Roosting might take an average of seventeen days depending on the prevailing conditions, immediately the eggs hatch into young pigeons.

This time for feeding their young, with the male playing a dominant role, a role he plays until the female is ready to lay another set of eggs.

Now while the female gets prepared for laying another set of eggs, the males continue to feed their young until they get ready for their first flight.

Their feeding technique, another delight to watch, the parents after taking insufficient food and water, the two substances dissolve and serves as food to the young who get their nutrition by putting their tender beaks into the beaks of their parents who in turn send the food by vomiting it out into the bodies of these young ones.

As soon as they are brought into the world, within a short period of time, say, two weeks —  it is ready to join other matured birds in the community for its first flight.

The issue of borders and territory is respected. Every male point and mark out areas and spaces for domination. The other pigeons respect these boundaries and borders.

The acidic nature of bird droppings was not the only problem homeowners and businesses face. Pigeons, who eat gravel, would defecate on the roof and their fecal matter would clog the drains creating an even bigger problem: germination. And this is where the need for pigeon control begins.

The high nitrogen content of the droppings offered a great environment for seeds to grow at an accelerated rate in the drainage system.

Without sunlight, the plants die and clog the drains. Once droppings dry, it is a race to get them off the surface to avoid degradation of the mostly-organic roofing materials.

Pigeon droppings on asphalt and pressed wood fiber, found in roofing materials, can mildew.

Birds carry over sixty diseases, a few of which can be lethal. Those who spend a lot of time outdoors working in construction zones are at a high risk of contracting one of these diseases since these types of environments are very attractive to birds.

Mix the fecal matter with pools of water and the disease becomes airborne, filtrating through ventilation systems, being breathed in by employees and patrons, and causing quite a mess for a company.

Another big mess? The liability factor. Some species can produce up to 1.5 pounds of fecal matter a day, and slip-and-fall incidents are all too common these days. Unassuming passersby can stir up a stink.

The New York Transit Authority was ordered to pay a man millions after he slipped on pigeon droppings on subway stairs. Can your company afford a $6-million-dollar lawsuit?

Luckily, there are ways to prevent these potential disasters. Many people use methods that are harmful and not all that effective. One resident tried snakes and owls, which only worked when they were moved constantly, and tar, which killed the birds.

For the cost and labor, he said, it was not worth the expense since the birds returned.

Lethal methods may solve the problem in the short-term, but remember that killing the birds only eliminates the ones that are presently roosting. Killing them does not take away from the fact that your property is bird-friendly.

Disrupting The Pattern

A good start is ultrasonic sound devices. They deliver ultra high-frequency sound waves that are beyond the normal human hearing threshold. The sound annoys the birds, discouraging them from inhabiting areas in earshot.

Homeowners described their problem with the pigeons roosting on the steel beams on their site. The odor and mess the pigeons caused were disrupting the progress and bothering the workers.

Some made the mistake of bad bird-control devices and had no luck in getting rid of the birds. After he put up the ultrasonic device, though, the pigeons left almost immediately.

Putting spikes anywhere attractive to the birds, like wires and beams, will prevent them from roosting. The spikes provide an uneven surface, making it inconvenient for birds to set up shop.

There are also gels that are safe to apply to all surfaces. The gel makes the surface sticky, forcing the birds elsewhere.

If all else fails, call your local birds nest removal company for effective services.

Pigeons are commonly found in all parts of the world. They are adorable creatures as long as they are out of the house and bird control is required for everyone’s health safety.

In reality, birds perching in the balcony or windowpanes can be dangerous since they carry bacteria and viruses that spread diseases.

To understand how pigeons or birds for that matter can become a health hazard to humans, we need to understand these two points: Birds can have diseases that they can transmit and they can also host parasites that have the diseases.

In either case, it’s really easy to spread the diseases because birds can move around in a wide area during their life.

Another way they can transmit these diseases is, for example, this possibility: when pigeon’s feces contaminate soil that eventually dries, this leads to the microscopic pieces becoming airborne.

Contaminated air can cause respiratory infection. With many birds around, this happens quite a lot of apartment buildings.

Infections can also occur when people (whether in the residential or commercial property) have direct contact with bird droppings on a wound or a cut.

How To Handle Pigeon Problems

Knowing how pigeons transmit diseases is the first step. Now we can work on a few guidelines that can help in case of a pigeon infestation.

It’s important that you pay close attention and seek out birds nests and droppings nests in closed areas such as apartment buildings, garage, or other establishments close to your residence.

If you find a high amount of dropping you may have an issue, by the way, pigeons outside in your park don’t mean that you have an issue. Now, if you own a restaurant and you notice the problem on your rooftop, that’s a real matter for concern.

While working on the issue, whether you have the help of a professional bird removal company or you are handling the problem yourself, it is highly recommended that you use a mask, goggles and protective clothing for safety measures.

You also need to disinfect the whole affected area. It’s not enough that you get rid of the birds and wash the area only with water. You need to do a deep cleaning with antibacterial detergents and other cleaning solutions.

Some homeowners can keep the pigeons at bay by making the house look dull and avoiding the birds to enter the house. They can fend off pigeons by making sure that, vulnerable spots like window roofs are dry and there is no puddle.

Another very effective measure for pigeon control is to avoid feeding them and other birds.

Attics and rooftops are generally the most common places where pigeons find it very easy to nest. Steps must be taken to secure these places to discourage pigeons from returning to the spot.

If no home remedies work, then it would be advisable to seek the help of a pest control specialist, who would make sure that the pigeons are removed from the house.

When asked to name a few things which could be considered a nuisance — hence the need for bird control, or indeed harmful to businesses and their premises, you may be forgiven for not including birds amongst your answers.

Most of us love birds and enjoy sharing our beautiful planet with them and we do not consider them to be a pest in the normal sense of the word and therefore would be reluctant to include them on a list of potential business hazards.

The truth, regrettably, is a significantly different matter; birds can be not only a nuisance but an actual threat to health in some cases, a threat that sometimes has to be dealt with quite firmly.

Some species of birds, especially pigeons, are well-known for their nuisance-factor. They can be noisy and gather in large numbers in locations where the results of their defecation can result in extremely unhygienic conditions developing.

An additional hazard resulting from excessive fouling of pavements and pedestrian areas is that they become slippery and pose a tripping or falling hazard.

In commercial properties, the problem is even more significant and potentially hazardous. This is particularly true in those areas where food is prepared, stored or processed.

It is said that a single pigeon can produce an extraordinary amount of excrement in a single week. That sounds like a lot of pigeon poo but, the substance in question is corrosive and therefore can be harmful to buildings, as well as carrying diseases that can be passed on through the food chain and so the need for action is fairly well established.

The question is, how should it be done? No one likes to kill birds deliberately and the first piece of advice to be given is that wild birds should never be fed in public places.

This is advice that largely goes unheeded unless backed up by some fairly stringent legislation and an effective system of enforcement.

It’s difficult of course to reprimand, let alone prosecute, children, and others giving crumbs from their cakes and sandwiches to the pigeons but you see this happening in many public places and this is probably the level at which the problem needs to be tackled in many cases.

When it comes to protecting commercial and public buildings from bird damage there are a number of humane options available that do not involve killing the birds but shifting them on.

These methods include the installation of netting, spikes, (gentle, flexible non-metallic ones), bird repellent gels and the use of decoys to act as a deterrent.

The elimination of potential nesting sites is also useful. The most important factor is not to have anything present which will attract them to your property.

These measures, coupled with a strict policy of not allowing the feeding of the birds, will be sufficient in most cases to handle the problem. If this problem affects you or your business, it may be worth discussing it with a specialist control company who will have all the solutions to hand and rid you of your problem expeditiously.