Birds

There are three species of birds that together account for the bulk of bird control calls in urban areas: pigeons, sparrows, and starlings. All three of these species have adapted to living in close association with humans and thrive in urban areas like Houston, Sugar land, Pearland and other rapidly-growing Texas communities.

In addition, there are some species of birds, such as woodpeckers, that aren't technically considered "pests" but may be excluded when necessary, using humane, non-lethal means that do not injure them in any way.

• Large numbers of birds near airports cause a hazard to air travel.

• Birds deface buildings and monuments with their droppings.

• Birds can get caught in building ventilation equipment, dryer vents, exhaust fans, and HVAC ducts, sometimes causing damage to the equipment and the spread of disease-causing organisms through the building.

• The droppings of many birds contain pathogens that cause several serious diseases, such as histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis.

• Ectoparasites living or feeding on birds can transmit a number of serious diseases including West Nile virus and other arboviral encenphalitides.

Gulf Coast Pest Control specializes in providing lethal and non-lethal, humane bird control, bird removal, and bird exclusion in Houston and throughout the metro plex area. We utilize a variety of methods to remove and exclude pest birds and their nests.

Sometimes, bird trapping is used to remove birds from sensitive areas.
Nesting materials, feathers, and so forth are removed to prevent health hazards from bird-borne pathogens.

Bird droppings are very acidic and can eat away at construction materials. An accumulation of droppings can shorten the life span of a roof considerably. Buildings with a bird problem have to be cleaned, painted, and repaired more often. Droppings will also eat into protective coatings on automobiles, boats, and airplanes.

Nests and droppings near ventilation systems can spread disease. Additionally, they can block air flow which can cause serious consequences to equipment and building inhabitants' health. Deaths have been reported from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Elimination of Pigeon Flocks in Unwanted Areas

The pigeon or rock dove is the number one bird pest in the United States. These nuisance birds were introduced to the United States as pets but quickly adapted to our environment and have continued to flourish in numbers, becoming a pest of business, airports, historical landmarks, schools, stadiums -- any place where adequate food and shelter is available. Pigeons primarily feed on grains with some occasional fruit in their diet. This basic diet has changed as the birds learned to live in our neighborhoods and cities. It is not uncommon to see flocks of pigeons walking through the parking lots of shopping centers and fast-food restaurants, looking for handouts or scraps of food dropped by humans. Pigeons are birds that live in communal flocks. These flocks generally feed, loaf and roost together, enjoying the company of their companions. These birds usually mate for life. Pigeons have a life span of up to 10 or 15 years in the wild but in urban areas they may only live for about 5 years. Most pigeon problems occur where the birds are loafing or feeding. It is in these areas that you generally need to use nuisance bird control products.

Elimination of nuisance birds (including pigeons) can involve the use of visual scare devices, roost inhibitors, audible or sonic devices and inaudible or ultrasonic devices. Ultrasonic devices work well in lofts or high ceilings of warehouses, dry docks or other large, indoor areas. Professional ultrasonic units (such as the Quadblaster) cannot be used outdoors, as their speakers cannot tolerate rain, snow or other moist conditions. For outdoor pigeon problems, the Super Bird Expeller Pro 1 works better than any other audible unit on the market. To enhance the effectiveness of the Super Bird Expeller where large pigeon flocks are present, use one or two visual scare devices. Irri-Tape and Prowler Owls work best with the sonic repellers. Successful combinations or sonic, visual and roost inhibitor bird repellers are quite effective.

Bird Proofing Mechanical devices used to physically prevent birds from loafing or nesting in specified areas include visual scare devices, "hot foot" products that make a bird feel uncomfortable when standing on treating surfaces, netting to product fruit trees and spikes that make landing or standing on ledges difficult. Some of the more popular mechanical products are Terror Eyes Irri-Tape Prowler, Owl Bird-Lite Scarecrow, Bird Proof Bird spikes

Eliminating Pest Pigeons

Nuisance birds can be tough to eliminate and nuisance pigeons are historically harder to control than other birds. The reasons for this are numerous but main reasons are their sheer numbers, IQ (4!) and their strong nesting instincts. These nesting instincts make it imperative that all nests, nesting materials, etc. are removed at the start of your pigeon control program. This also means that a combination of devices is usually needed to keep pigeons out of unwanted areas for good. Examples of good combinations: Super BirdXPeller Pro with Irri-Tape and Prowler Owl. Irri-Tape with Bird Proof Irri-Tape or Bird Lite with Spikes or Bird Proof.

As you can see, it is best to use an audible with a visual, a visual with physical roost deterrents or a combination of visual devices. Rarely will one visual device scare away unwanted pigeons or other nuisance birds when used alone. The exception to this rule is when dealing with small numbers of sparrows or woodpeckers. In these cases, Irri-Tape used alone can solve the problem - but not when dealing with pigeons!

Choose the combination of products that you feel best suites your problem.

  Gulf Coast Pest Control can help  

    you take back your property!