Three Ways to Deter Gulls from Your Property

If you live near a body of water, gulls can pose a major problem.  When they flock around rooftops, fences, canopies, your pool, spa or water feature, they can create a huge headache in droppings and noise.  If you have an RV or boat, gulls can shower it with droppings, creating a mess that will take hours to clean. You may be tempted to use lethal means like pellet guns and poisons to get rid of them, but gulls are protected by federal, state and local laws. The solution? Humane gull deterrents, like these offered by the bird control experts at Bird-B-Gone:

1. Bird Spikes Create a No-Landing Zone for Pest Gulls

Bird-B-Gone Bird Stainless Steel Bird Spikes won’t allow gulls to land on or near them. These humane, highly effective gull deterrents feature rows of stainless steel spikes embedded in a UV-protected polycarbonate base. This makes them highly durable and ideal for seaside properties. The spikes are widely used for keeping gulls off ledges, rooflines, eaves, windowsills, awnings and canopies. The spiked strips come in two-foot sections and three different widths—3-, 5- and 8-inch—to match the width of the “gull problem” area. The base of each spiked strip is just 1.5 inches wide, so it’s easily installed on narrow surfaces using screws, tie downs or glue.

2. Block Gulls Out with Heavy Duty Bird Netting

Another effective gull deterrent is heavy-duty bird netting. It simply denies gulls access to specific areas of your property. Bird-B-Gone’s Heavy Duty Bird Netting is made of strong polyethylene and offers an ideal bird barrier. This type of bird netting has proven highly successful in preventing pest gulls from entering garages, canopies and other large areas. This netting is made of a UV-resistant mesh that meets tough ISO 1806 test standards. Ideal for long-term outdoor use, this heavy-duty bird netting is rot proof, waterproof, and sub-zero stable. It comes in various sizes and custom cuts and is often recommended by architects.

3. Scare Gulls Away with Bird Chase Super Sonic

Bird-B-Gone’s Bird Chase Super Sonic broadcasts distress and predator calls that intimidate gulls, forcing them to move on. Developed with the help of ornithologists at a major university, Bird Chase Super Sonic repeats these calls every 10 minutes to ensure gulls get the message that dangerous predators are attacking. Unlike sonic devices that emit high-pitched ultrasonic noises birds can hear, the Bird Chase system is fully audible, yet won’t annoy pets or humans. The device comes with a built-in speaker that will cover up to an acre. More speakers can be added to cover up to six acres.

Bird-B-Gone is the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of bird control products, providing effective and humane solutions to a bird-free environment. The company provides advice, training and installation services for those who need help with these and other bird control measures. If you have a problem with gulls and similar large pest birds, consult with a bird control expert.

Top 2 Bird Control Devices for the Water Utilities Industry

Water utility facilities require considerable upkeep and maintenance. With municipal budgets stretched during these tough economic times, reducing the cost of maintenance is crucial. One way to do that is to cost-effectively control the pest bird problem around your facility.

Birds have a habit of nesting in the nooks and crannies of the various structures, towers, storage areas and pipes in and around a water facility. When they do, you’ll find accumulated bird droppings virtually everywhere. Left to harden, bird droppings can seize up valves, cover up gauges, and lock up bolts and covers—all of which can make routine maintenance a costly, time-consuming job.

Bird droppings can also create dangerous slip-and-fall hazards for maintenance crews tasked with climbing ladders and crossing pipes, water towers and elevated landings. Injured workers mean lost time and slipped maintenance schedules. The solution is to implement effective bird control measures to keep birds away from your facility.  Here are two bird deterrents that water facilities mangers have found particularly effective:

1. Stainless Steel Bird Spikes

Proven in industrial facilities worldwide, Stainless Steel Bird Spikes provide an anti-perching, anti-roosting barrier against a variety of large pest birds—like crows, gulls and pigeons. These specially designed spiked strips keep birds off towers, valves, landings, support structures and other elevated areas. They are easily installed in multiple rows to deter birds from large, wide areas; they can be affixed to conduit, ledges, and pipes via ordinary hose clamps, Nylon ties or wire lashings; they can be mounted in any lofty area using intertwining vertical and horizontal spiked rows; and they can be placed atop posts, gangways and curved surfaces using adhesive with Nylon ties or hose clamps. The best stainless steel bird spikes are made in the USA and have their spiked pins tightly embedded in a UV-protected polycarbonate base. These high quality stainless steel spikes come in 1”, 3”, 5” and 8” widths to provide wider and wider areas of deterrence. The spiked strips come with pre-drilled holes and glue troughs to make installation fast and easy.

2. Bird Chase Super Sonic

Designed for deterring pest birds from large outdoor facilities, the Bird Chase Super Sonic System covers a full acre, broadcasting intimidating sounds birds can’t stand. Additional portable speakers can be easily attached to extend the effective range to five acres. Unlike ultrasonic systems that emit sounds birds can’t hear, the Bird Chase system broadcasts predator and distress calls within the hearing range of birds. The sounds resemble normal birdcalls so they won’t annoy your daily crews. You can program the system to turn off at night and on at daybreak when birds become most active. Another plus is that Bird Chase Super Sonic emits distress and predator calls for 22 types of birds to protect your facility from virtually any type of bird.

How to Use Humane Bird Guards to Protect Commercial Property

by Alex A. Kecskes

Some “big-box” department stores have gone to great lengths to get rid of pest birds, especially when they enter the garden department and other interior areas.

One giant retailer even resorted to lethal glue traps to catch pest birds. Unfortunately for the store, an alert customer saw the bird struggling in one of the traps and alerted PETA. The trap happened to be one of many that had been set by a bird-removal contractor to snare pest birds that had flown into the store. PETA staffers rushed to the store and although they were able to remove the bird, which was a protected species, the injuries caused by the trap were fatal and the bird passed away.

When PETA alerted retailer’s headquarters to the incident, the retailer immediately terminated its contract with the bird-removal company. The contract expressly prohibited birds from being harmed during removal. In addition, local animal-control officers ordered the bird-removal contractor to cease using the lethal glue traps. The officers subsequently paid a visit to all the local big-box stores, letting their managers know that the use of lethal glue traps are cruel and that violators would be cited.

Today, there is absolutely no reason to use lethal or cruel bird traps to deter pest birds from commercial property. There are simply too many effective and humane bird control products on the market. Here are just a few:

Bird Spikes…the Ultimate Bird Guard

Ideal for use in the entrances and lofty perch areas of garden departments and other semi-outdoor areas, Bird Spikes deny birds the landing zones they need to observe before they swoop down and annoy workers and customers. The spike strips come in stainless steel spikes or plastic. Stainless steel versions come in 3-, 5- and 8-inch widths; the plastic spikes are a tad more economical and come in 3-, 5- and 7-inch widths. Plastic spikes offer the added advantage of coming in a full range of colors--including white, tan, gray, black, brown, brick red and even crystal clear. Custom colors are also available. Humane and highly effective, both types are easy to install--using screws, nails or glue--and require no maintenance.

Bird Proofing with Bird Netting

To block out pest birds from specific areas of a big box store or other commercial property, consider this tried and true bird deterrent. Installed properly, Bird Netting physically excludes a wide range pest birds without harming them.

For really rugged bird netting that will last for years, there’s Heavy-Duty Polyethylene Bird Netting. Fabricated using a U.V. -stabilized mesh, this netting is available in various sizes and custom cuts. Current sizes include a 2-inch mesh, 1 1/8-inch mesh, and 3/4-inch mesh. For pigeons, gulls and crows, you would lean toward the larger mesh sizes; for smaller birds like starlings, opt for the 3/4-inch mesh netting.

Heavy Duty Poly Netting is ISO 1806 protocol mesh tested, flame resistant and rot- and waterproof. What makes this netting so tough is that it has 6 monofilaments, each12/1000s of an inch thick. The monofilaments are entwined to create a tough net with 160-200 twists per meter.

They Won’t Hang Around on Bird Wire

Another effective low-profile bird control measure, Bird Wire keeps birds off ledges, parapet walls, rooflines, signs, and all those lofty beams inside your store. Safe and humane, bird wire systems consist of nylon-coated stainless steel wires suspended by poles. Attached to springs, the wires create a super wobbly landing perch that birds can’t stand, so they leave. Bird wire systems are ideal for deterring large pest birds--like pigeons, crows and gulls. They are approved for use on Federal and State Government Structures, however they should not be used in areas where birds have been nesting.