Four Things You Can Do To Protect Your Home From Pest Birds

If you’re like most homeowners, you want to keep the outside of your home looking fresh and clean. But pest birds can change all that. Their droppings and nesting debris can quickly deface and often damage your home. Areas most vulnerable include siding, windowsills, patio cover, decorative weather vanes, solar panels, skylights, awnings and fencing.  Birds that typically cause problems include pigeons, sparrows, starlings, swallows and gulls. To keep bird pests at bay, the bird control experts at Bird-B-Gone have four suggestions that can help.

1.    Remove Attractions. Get rid of standing water, keep trashcan lids secure, clean up any leftover food after parties or get-togethers, and trim plants and vegetation.

2.    Install Bird Spikes. Bird-B-Gone Stainless Steel Bird Spikes won’t allow pest birds to land on or near them. These humane, highly effective bird deterrents feature rows of stainless steel spikes embedded in a UV-protected polycarbonate base. This makes them highly durable and ideal for outdoor use. Bird spikes are used worldwide to keep bird pests 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 “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.

3.    Install a Sonic Bird Deterrent. Bird-B-Gone’s Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic broadcasts distress and predator calls that intimidate birds. You can set it to scare any of 22 specific bird types or choose the general setting to intimidate virtually all birds. Scientifically developed with the help of ornithologists, Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic repeats these calls every 10 minutes to convince birds that dangerous predators are near. Unlike ultrasonic devices that emit high-frequency sounds birds can’t hear, the Bird Chase system is fully audible to birds, yet it won’t annoy pets or neighbors. The device comes with a built-in speaker that will cover up to an acre.

4.    Create Visual Distraction Zones. Bird-B-Gone Visual Bird Deterrents will scare birds away. The most basic is Flash Tape, a 50-foot roll of iridescent foil tape that you cut into short strips. Hung in high visibility areas, the strips crackle in the breeze and reflect sunlight to scare birds away. No less effective is the Scare Eye Diverter, a tear-drop-shaped iridescent foil deterrent emblazoned with a large “predator” eye. The same holds true for the Bird Scare Balloon, a large inflatable “beach ball” that also has a big predator eye. When the Diverter and Balloon bob and weave in the wind, birds regard them as predators. For best results, Bird-B-Gone suggests that visual bird deterrents be moved around so that birds don’t get used to them.

Too Many Birds in Your Backyard?

Everyone enjoys the sound of a bird or two. And you may even have a birdbath and bird feeder in your backyard to attract them. But there comes a time when you just have one bird too many. Especially if your backyard is attracting crows or pigeons. They can make an awful racket and leave a huge mess on everything from patio furniture to BBQs.

If you have a pool or spa in your backyard, you’ll have a major cleaning chore if birds poop in the water—doing everything from emptying the pool to re-balancing pH levels. You just can’t leave bird droppings to gather anywhere, especially if you have kids or pets that touch and lick everything. Bird droppings can carry any of 60 known diseases—like salmonella.

If you’ve tried hanging metallic strips and old CDs or DVDs around your patio cover and trees, or placing inflatable owls on your patio table or serving bar--and the birds simply ignore them--you need to consider investing in some serious, professional bird control. Here’s one bird deterrent the pros recommend:

Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic

Scientifically designed to keep birds from landing, roosting and nesting in your backyard, the Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic fully exploits a bird's acute sense of hearing and natural fear of predators. Birds can recognize and remember sounds in absolute pitch. Birds can also hear shorter notes than humans. We process sounds in bytes about 1/20th of a second; birds only need 1/200th of a second. Some birds, like pigeons, hear much lower sounds than we do. One thing birds share with humans is their range of hearing, which is most sensitive between 2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz.

Highly effective against many bird species

The Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic uses this knowledge of birds to create a highly effective sonic bird deterrent. In fact, the device can broadcast distress and predator calls that birds find particularly alarming. It recreates the sound of Peregrine falcons (a pigeon's dreaded enemy) defending their territory. Or the sounds of predator hawks screeching and gulls under attack. These sounds are repeated regularly--about once every 10 minutes. The Bird Chase system is also highly versatile, emitting distress and predator calls for as many as 22 types of birds. So you can set the system to emit distress and predator calls to deter starlings, seagulls, pigeons, crows, swallows, woodpeckers, sparrows, grackles, cormorants and many others.

Won’t annoy pets or your neighbors

The other good thing about the Solar Bird Chase Super Sonic is that it’s highly effective without annoying pets or humans. That’s because the sounds it emits simply resemble normal bird sounds.

Easy to set up

The Bird Chase Super Sonic is designed for outdoor use. It can be mounted on your patio cover or under an eave. Set in the sun for at least 8 hours to charge the batteries, set it for a specific bird, or to the general setting, and the device will protect a full acre of backyard day and night.

Birds Eating Your Garden Bare? Time for Bird Control!

You sweated, toiled and tilled your garden until your hands were as blue as the blueberries you’re growing. But all that hard work could be in vain if you don’t protect your garden against pest birds. They’ve been eyeing your ripening fruits and veggies for weeks now, just waiting for you to go inside so they can feast on your bumper crop of goodies.

Sparrows, swallows, pigeons and crows are just some of the pest birds you’ll need to worry about. As are blackbirds, starlings and robins. And little did you know that if you regularly spray pesticides to limit the amount of insects in your home garden, birds will simply eat more of your fruits and vegetables. It’s a no-win scenario unless you implement some effective bird control measures. One of the best bird deterrents you can get to protect your garden is Garden Bird Netting. 

Garden Bird Netting

Used by professional growers and gardeners, Garden Bird Netting physically blocks birds from specific areas of your garden, yet allows sun, rain and fresh air to nurture your fruits and veggies. Spread over your plants, the netting denies birds access to fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables and other edible garden plants. And it does so humanely without bird poisons or traps. Although it’s designed for temporary use, Garden Bird Netting is made of tough, UV-protected polypropylene. It comes in a 3/4-inch mesh size to seal off today’s most troublesome birds. Other mesh sizes include a ½-inch and ¼-inch to block out smaller birds. You can buy this netting in pieces or bulk rolls of 14 x 100 feet and 14 x 200 feet. The large rolls can easily be cut down to the desired size.

Easy to Use

Garden Bird Netting is light, easy to handle and virtually invisible to the eye. Simply follow these guidelines to ensure your plants are properly protected against the ravages of pest birds:

For Blueberry Bushes and Grape Vines. Suspend the Garden Bird Netting over your bushes or vines, leaving at least a four-inch space between the netting and the bush or vine. This will prevent birds from sitting on the net and eating fruit through the mesh using their necks and beaks. You can also suspend the netting from a series of poles placed around the perimeter of your garden or plants.

For Vegetable Gardens. Wrap each of your individual plants in netting. You can also suspend the netting around an entire garden area to completely block out pest birds. To secure the netting and ensure that it stays taut, use zip ties, twine or similar materials.

Fruit Trees. Measure the circumference of the tree and cut the net accordingly. Make sure you cut at least one foot extra. The netting can be secured with twine, zip ties, or hog rings. Garden bird netting clips are also available to simplify installation.

For additional advice on how to deter pest birds from your garden, consult an expert like the folks at Bird-B-Gone.

A Very Sound Bird Control Strategy for Your Home

While the sounds of birds chirping by your window may be pleasant, the damage birds leave behind may not be. Birds can ruin the appearance of your front porch, back patio, gazebo, pool or spa. They can peck and nest under your roofing tiles causing leaks. Bird droppings eat into paint, wrought iron, patio furniture, cushions and BBQs.

Cleaning bird droppings can get very messy. Everything you wash them off with should be disinfected or thrown away. If you try to simply brush droppings off when they’re dry, you'll aerate the germ-filled dust, which can carry some very nasty diseases—like salmonella.

So how do you keep birds away this summer—without harming them? One very effective and humane solution uses a sound approach. It’s called the Bird Chase Super Sonic.

The Science of Sonic Bird Deterrents

Scientifically designed to keep birds from landing, roosting and nesting on your property, the Bird Chase Super Sonic fully exploits a bird's heightened sense of hearing and its natural fear of predators. Birds can recognize and remember sounds in absolute pitch (the ability to reproduce a tone without reference to an external standard). Birds can also recognize 'timbre' (a fundamental note combined with harmonies). And birds hear shorter notes than humans. We process sounds in bytes about 1/20th of a second; birds just need 1/200th of a second. So in the time it takes humans to hear one sound, birds hear up to ten separate notes. Some birds, like pigeons, hear much lower sounds than humans. One thing birds have in common with us is range of hearing, which is most acute between 2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz.

Using Distress and Predator Calls to Deter Birds

The Bird Chase Super Sonic can broadcast the distress and predator calls for 22 different species of birds. This includes the sounds of Peregrine falcons (a pigeon's dreaded enemy) defending their territory. Or the sounds of predator hawks screeching and gulls under attack, sounds that strike fear in the hearts of starlings and seagulls. Which means the Bird Chase sound bird deterrent can be set to deter virtually any bird that has become a problem on your property--pigeons, crows, starlings, swallows, gulls, woodpeckers, sparrows, grackles, cormorants and many others. And since it continually alters the pitch, frequency, timing and intensity of these sounds, the "threat" is kept fresh and alive to deter birds that may quickly get used to repetitive sounds. The distress and predator calls are repeated regularly--about once every fifteen minutes.

Non-Annoying to Humans and Pets

Another key advantage of the Bird Chase device is that the sounds it emits resemble normal bird calls to humans. And pets aren’t bothered by them. What’s more, unlike ultrasonic bird deterrents that emit sounds birds can’t hear and do annoy pets, the Bird Chase unit is fully audible to all birds and thus very effective.

The Cicadas Are Coming? Are You Ready to Block Them?

Millions of cicada bugs are expected to “explode” from the soil this spring. They’ve been patiently waiting for 17 years.  And when they emerge, they’ll head straight for your favorite plants and fruit trees.

The devastating insects are among 15 “broods” of periodical cicadas that show up every 17 years or so. When they work they way out of the ground—after sucking the fluids from your tree roots—they’ll cut slits into your tree’s branches to lay their eggs. The bugs are pretty easy to spot. They have orange legs, red eyes and clear wings. Expect them to pop out at night when the ground temperature rises to 64 degrees. If you’re not ready for them—1/4-inch mesh bird netting blocks cicadas nicely—you can say good-bye to your young saplings and plants. Cicadas are particularly fond of trees that have branches that are 1/4- to ½-inch in diameter. These are preferred by egg-laying cicada females.

Few trees and plants are safe from cicadas

Think your trees and plants are safe. Think again. Cicadas will swarm over a wide range of trees, including maple, oak, hickory, beech, ash, dogwood, hawthorn, magnolia, willow, apple, peach, cherry and pear. Cicadas will also attack your favorite flowers, vines and shrubs. Rose of Sharon, rose, raspberry, grape, black-eyed Susan, hollies, spirea, rhododendron, viburnum, junipers, and arborvitae—all are vulnerable to attack by these noisy little bugs. In fact, they can pretty much wipe out an entire garden or grove in just a matter of days.  All the more reason to be pro-active with an effective cicada deterrent.

Block them out with Bird-B-Gone 1/4" plastic netting

What you need to protect your trees and plants is a barrier deterrent that has been proven effective in gardens, yards and orchards nationwide. A bug deterrent that doesn’t depend on spraying toxic chemicals on your plants and trees, chemicals that maybe harmful to your pets and children. It’s called 1/4" Plastic Netting. Easy to handle and install, Bird-B-Gone 1/4" Garden Netting protects your prized plants and saplings by denying access to them. The netting comes in 14 x 100-foot and 14 x 200-foot rolls and can be easily cut to the size you need to cover your small trees, plants or shrubs. Netting clips are available to ensure the netting remains in place during windy or rainy periods. Manufactured from a durable, UV-protected polypropylene, this high quality netting is made to last in harsh outdoor climes. For best protective results, wrap the netting over your saplings, plants and trees when the cicadas fist begin to buzz. Tie the netting to the stem or trunk under the lower branches to protect them. Once the cicadas leave (stop buzzing), you can usually take the netting down. Or you can keep the netting in place to protect your plants and ripening fruit from pest birds.

For additional advice on how to keep cicadas away from your plants and trees, consult an expert like the folks at Absolute Bird Control.

Bird Netting for Effective Garden Bird Control

Your garden will be flourishing soon. All those fruits and vegetables that you’ve been nurturing for months will finally be bearing the benefits of your hard work. Unless, of course, you failed to implement an effective bird control strategy. In that event, your efforts may prove to be in vain. For surely as the sun rises, birds will feed off your ripening fruits and veggies this spring.

Adding insult to injury, pest birds will also cover your garden with droppings, which are not only unsightly but can carry any of 60 infectious diseases. Instead of a garden richly scented with ripening fruit, you’ll have a smelly garden covered with bird droppings.

What to do? Most people who nurture gardens are reluctant to use lethal means to get rid of birds. Many will use water hoses to “shoo” them away. Others will rattle pots, pans and noise makers. But these measures have proven largely ineffective in the long run. Birds simply return minutes after you go indoors. The only real solution is to implement professionally recommended bird control measures. Among the most effective for gardens is Garden Bird Netting.

Lightweight and easy to handle, Garden Bird Netting will deny birds access to your fruits and vegetables. Ideal for fruit trees as well as garden plants, this netting will protect your blueberry bushes, grape vines and other plants from being attacked.  It's sold in 14 x 100-foot and 14 x 200-foot rolls, and you can easily cut it down to the size to need to protect specific plants or areas.  It’s also available in three different "mesh" sizes--1/4" mesh, 1/2" mesh and 3/4" mesh to protect your garden from a wide variety of pest birds. The netting is easy to install, and bird netting clips are available that make for effortless installation. The best Garden Bird Netting is made from a durable, UV-protected polypropylene. This netting is strong, light and virtually invisible.

Garden Bird Netting is also highly recommended to prevent birds from nesting. Birds who are in the process of nesting can be very territorial. They will return to previously established nesting sites and protect them. Bird netting places your garden off limits so birds simply move on. You can install Garden Bird Netting temporarily if you have seasonal problem with birds, or you can install the netting permanently for year round protection.

Working effectively with Garden Bird Netting to achieve bird control are Visual Bird Deterrents. These include reflective foil and banner tape strung up on nearby trees, posts or fencing. By rattling in the breeze and reflecting sunlight, they create a distraction zone around your garden. Tear-drop shaped Bird Scare Diverters and Bird Scare Balloons accomplish the same result with their large, intimidating predator eyes bobbing in the wind. Visual distractors like these need simply to be moved around every so often to convince birds that they are an on-going threat.

Why Birds Are Attacking Your Garden and What to Do About It

If birds are continually attacking your garden and you’re at wits end, there are some very specific reasons why they’ve chosen your garden over others in the neighborhood.

First off, you may have ripening fruit that birds love to eat. Tomatoes, grapes, peaches, apples, pears, and the like are all invitations to any bird looking for an easy meal.

If you have lots of leafy trees in your backyard, birds can perch on them without being seen, and dive in for a meal the minute you leave your garden.

If you have a birdbath, that will attract birds. And once they see your ripening fruit, they’ll feast on it.

If you don’t have a dog or cat, birds will shy away from any neighbors who do and consider your garden a safe haven.

If you don’t have lots of children constantly playing in your garden, once again, birds will not free threatened and visit your garden.

If you do have children and they continually leave crumbs and food scraps on your patio table and underneath it, birds will dive in for the smorgasbord.

If you’ve tried poisons to get rid of the birds, they’ll still come, since you haven’t removed the other attractions of your garden, e.g., ripening fruit. You could try leaving the dead bird to rot in your garden. This may deter some birds, but the sight and smell of a dead bird ripening in the sun is a pretty stiff price to pay. Besides, your family and neighbors will start calling you “Cruella” if you go this route.

If you’ve tried trapping birds and they still invade your garden, again, you haven’t removed the initial attraction—the food source—so your garden still presents an inviting place to feast.

So what can you do to keep birds out of your garden? Some suggestions from the pros:

Garden Bird Netting

Lightweight, strong and practically invisible,  Garden Bird Netting can be draped over your small fruit trees and vegetable plants to deny birds access to your prized crops. The netting comes in 14 x 100-foot and 14 x 200-foot rolls and is easily trimmed to the desired size. It’s also sold in three different "mesh" sizes:1/4" mesh, 1/2" mesh and 3/4" mesh. Be sure to get the bird netting clips for hassle-free installation. The best netting is made from a durable, UV-protected polypropylene.

Sonic Bird Deterrents

Ideal for large gardens, Sonic Bird Deterrents broadcast bird distress and predator calls that create fear and panic in any approaching bird. The pre-recorded sounds resemble normal birdcalls, so they won’t irritate your pets, friends or neighbors. If your garden is being attacked by several varieties of birds, there’s one sonic system you can get that emits distress and predator calls for 22 different species of birds.

Visual Bird Deterrents

Used with other bird deterrents, Visual Bird Deterrents--which you can easily hang just about anywhere--include Flash Tape and Reflective Banners. These flagellate in the breeze and catch the sunlight to distract birds. You can also hang Scare Eye Diverters and Bird Scare Balloons from your trees and patio covers. These will twist and bounce in the wind and display their large predator eyes to intimidate birds.