Common Pest Birds In Dundee
While there are many bird species that exist around the world. Our Dundee bird control team commonly encounters two main pest bird species. These species are feral pigeons and seagulls. Here’s what you need to know about these pest birds to be aware of why these birds are considered to be pests.
Feral Pigeons
Feral Pigeons often can be found infesting places such as derelict properties or the underside of bridges. Pigeons are prolific breeders as well, with a Pigeon on average producing some 7 broods of up to 3 chicks every year. Pigeons also frequently defecate and a one pigeon will on average produce almost 12 kg of bird faeces in a year. Many health and safety issues can be linked to pigeon fouling. Not only does it have a terrible odour or unsightly appearance, but pigeon fouling also carries a wide array of bacteria and pathogens, including Salmonellosis, Cryptococcus and Ornithosis, all of which have the potential for a severe impact on human health.
Pigeon droppings also have an impact on buildings and structures due to its acidity, which can damage limestone and paintwork. Tar and metal roofs are also vulnerable. The weight of accumulated bird ‘guano’ alone can over a long time, cause structural damage.
Gulls
Gulls (commonly called Seagulls) are increasingly common in Dundee. Like with pigeons, gull’s tendency to foul wherever they go is an issue, but gulls also pose some unique issues, particularly their aggressive behaviour in defending their young during breeding season.
Apart from pest birds like pigeons and gulls, the other species our bird control Dundee team provides assistance with includes crows and starlings.
Bird Proofing and Bird Control Solutions
Dundee Pest Solutions team has extensive knowledge and experience in providing an array of different bird control and bird proofing services. Our pest controllers are trained to provide solutions ranging from bird netting to installing anti bird spikes on both residential and commercial properties.
Bird Netting
Pest birds pose increasing issues for cities in Scotland like Dundee, where the dense population provides a steady supply of food and a suitable environment for pest birds to nest and feed, allowing them to cultivate huge populations.
One of the most effective responses to this has been bird netting, which is among the most common methods of pest and bird control in Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK. Bird netting is favoured for a number of reasons;
- Versatile: Bird netting can be installed and use in a wide array of locations and comes in a variety of different forms and designs; pigeon netting, starling netting, gull netting, netting for bridges, canopies and stadiums. It can be adjusted and altered to fit whatever needs your property has.
- Durable: Pest Solutions typical use a UV stable polyethylene knotted bird netting, mounted with BS316 stainless steel fittings, to ensure it can cope with harsh Scottish weather. It is durable, and with a life span of ten years.
- Effective: Bird netting is exceptionally effective; by providing a barrier, the birds cannot land or perch. The bird’s response to this kind of obstructions is simply to fly off. This means the method is also humane, as there is no harm to the birds.
- Discrete: When properly installed by professionals, Bird netting can be made to be very discrete, ensuring no harm to the aesthetic appearance of a building.
Your property will not just be protected from unsightly bird dropping, anti bird netting has a strong track record of success, even in areas suffering from a truly severe pest bird infestations and is an effective form of bird pest control in Dundee. Our technicians are fully trained to provide installation services, possessing PASMA and IPAF certifications to work at heights. We provide a FREE visit and survey by one of our expert pest technicians so call us today to see if bird netting is right for you and your Dundee property.
Bird Spike Systems
Ledges and roofs make the perfect place for birds to roost, and from here they will proceed to foul on anything below. Aside from producing a terrible smell and being unsightly, it also will accumulate to become a real health hazard. One of the most effective forms of bird pest prevention here are bird spikes. Bird spike systems are made up of a series of wires and BS316 stainless steel spikes that are laid upon the surface and ‘jut’ out to prevent the birds from landing. Despite their name, bird spikes are not an inhumane system, as the spikes simply prevent the bird from landing and cause no harm. One the bird has detected the obstruction, it will just fly off to find somewhere else to roost, preventing them from defecating all over your property.
Despite their name, bird spikes are not an inhumane system, as the spikes simply prevent the bird from landing and cause no harm. One the bird has detected the obstruction, it will just fly off to find somewhere else to roost, preventing them from defecating all over your property. Spikes are an effective means of bird proofing, and when installed by a professional technician, can be made to be discrete as well, ensuring they do not harm the appearance of your building.
Bird Deterrent Solutions
Bird Scarers
An effective bird deterrent, bird scarers coming in a variety of forms, usually broken down into ‘visual’ or ‘audible’ scarers. Visual bird scarers are dummies modelled after the pest bird’s predator’s species. The pest bird, upon seeing the dummy perched on your property, will panic and avoid the area. Audible scarers work by broadcasting loud noises, such as predator calls, which will also dissuade the birds from nesting or roosting in the local area out of fear.
Visual and audible scarers are both effective bird deterrents and are often useful in environments where spikes or netting are not appropriate (such as places with unsuitable architecture) but must be used effectively and appropriately to have successful results. Dummies must be moved around consistently to ensure the illusion of the predator bird isn’t lost. Audible systems might not be appropriate in some environments, since they can potentially spur noise complaints.
Dummies are not the only form of visual scarer. Our Dundee bird control team hosts trained experts who can fly live predator birds like Harris Hawks. This often can have an immediate effect. However, this must be combined with other long-term measures to ensure the pest birds do not return when they realise the predator is no longer present.
Call today for a FREE, no obligation survey and visit from one of our Dundee team experts. They can assess whether bird scarers are the right form of pest control for you and how best to apply them as part of a wider package of deterrents.
AVISHOCK System
Netting and bird spikes are effective bird deterrents but can in some cases have a negative impact on the appearance of a building. In others, they might simply be inappropriate due to the unique architecture of the building. In these cases, Pest Solutions Dundee can offer a new and intuitive form of bird deterrent called AVISHOCK. AVISHOCK consists of a pair of thin metal strips which produce every few seconds a low-level electric shock. While this is harmless (and completely humane), the shock is still enough to give whatever bird attempts to land on the strips or near to them a fright. Overtime, the birds will come to recognise the discomfort caused and avoid the property.
AVISHOCK is much like spikes and netting in that it is humane and causes no harm to the birds but works on a fundamentally different principle. While spikes and netting work to stop the birds from landing, AVISHOCK doesn’t and works to modify their behaviour in the long term.
AVISHOCK has several benefits. It is versatile and suited for buildings that could normally not be equipped with netting or spikes due to its relatively simple design. This simple design also ensures it has little aesthetic or visual impact.
The team at Pest Solutions Dundee are professionals and fully equipped and trained to install the AVISHOCK system. Our Technicians are fully certified in the required IPAF and PASMA qualifications meaning they can safely work at height and have 20 years of experience installing bird proofing systems. Call today for a FREE visit and survey and one our expert pest professionals will inspect your property and see if AVISHOCK is right for your needs.
Pest Bird Shooting Programmes
Shooting is undertaken as a measure of last resort to control extreme bird infestations, and where other deterrents have failed or are unlikely to handle the scale of the bird infestation.
Shooting is a necessary (but rarely used) component of the pest controllers toolbox, and is in some cases, the only way to keep a large infestation under control. Shooting produces immediate results, as is most commonly used against feral pigeon infestations. Due to their prolific breeding rate, in some cases shooting is the only way to keep a feral pigeon population under control. The equipment used by our Dundee based team are air rifles, rather than the traditional shotgun. A shotgun’s noise can easily scare off birds, while the spread of their shells ‘pellets’ means they pose the potential to damage the property, as well as some safety concerns. Air rifles on the other hand are far more discreet and safe and are perfectly suited for handling a pest bird infestation.
Our pest professionals are dedicated to solving your pest control issue in the most discreet and safe manner possible. They are fully trained marksmen and hold the appropriate air rifle license.
Pest Bird Trapping and Pest Bird Removal
Pest Solutions Dundee aim to try and prevent bird infestations from occurring, though in many cases, customers only make contact with our bird control team once the birds have entrenched themselves and bred in huge numbers. This can make deterrents like spikes and netting ineffective if the bird population numbers aren’t cut down first. One way to do this is bird trapping and bird removal. Using automated cages loaded with bait, it is possible over time to trap large numbers of pest birds and have our pest control technicians release them elsewhere. This makes trapping a humane and efficient means of control, allowing our controllers to rapidly cut down a large-scale bird infestation without harming the birds. The devices our bird control Dundee experts operate are fully approved by the government and designed to cause no harm to the birds, with all the food and water they need to survive.
Trapping shouldn’t be mistaken for a ‘soft option’, however. It is exceptionally effective and often a good alternative for a shooting programme when it comes to handling large numbers of pest birds like feral pigeons. For safety reasons, shooting is not always possible, especially when it comes to public spaces. Trapping is discreet and can be placed out of the way of the public in locations that don’t obstruct work or business.
The actual trapping process relatively simple. The traps are set up with ample food and water and the local Birds are allowed to become familiar with them. Overtime the bird infestation will use them for food, and large numbers of Birds can eventually be trapped when the traps are activated. This process lasts 6-8 weeks, allowing our technicians to trap a large number of birds.
Are you are dealing with a pest bird infestation on your property? Contact Pest Solutions Dundee today. We’ll provide a FREE, no-obligation visit and inspection of your property and provide you with an assessment of what the best pest control option is for you.
Expert Gull Control and Pigeon Control in Dundee
Gulls are among the most common nuisance birds in Scotland and Dundee, and their populations are only destined to grow, as are the problems they bring. Unlike pigeons, gulls aren’t docile birds, indeed, they have the ability to be aggressive which is part of what makes them such a problem for health and safety. Like pigeons, gull fouling is a health and safety issue, with the potential to damage property and spread disease. But general gull aggression and its scavenger tendencies cause unique problems. Gulls often rip rubbish bags open to get at the rotting food inside, creating hygiene problems with the litter they leave strewn about. Worse, gulls can even attack people attempting to seize the food they are eating. While gulls do not breed at the same rate as pigeons, their breeding habits cause other issues. Specifically, during breeding season, Gull’s behaviour becomes more aggressive as they work to defend their young and build extensive, messy nests.
Due to their poor eyesight, gulls can often mistake people as a threat to their nests and eggs and will swoop down and in some cases, attack. If an area hosts a large population of gulls, this can pose a real issue. Other problems with gull’s nesting habits include the debris and mess they leave, which can often clog gutters and drains.
At Pest Solutions Dundee our specialists can provide a wide range of methods to handle gulls. Alongside the standard deterrents of spikes, nets and scaring systems. Gulls are territorial birds and so return to the same place to build and establish their nests every year. If they find their ability to build a nest has been disrupted and they cannot construct a proper nest during the breeding season, they will abandon the area in search of new territory. As such, egg and nest removal is one of the most effective forms of pest bird control there is in Dundee. Over the course of 5-6 visits, our team members will dismantle the gulls nesting sites. As well as distracting the Gulls and keeping them from engaging in pest behaviour as they work to rebuild their nests, it also diminishes their aggression. Eventually, the gulls will abandon their efforts to build a nest and leave. In the long term, this helps to keep down the local gull population, and without harming the birds either.
Gull control is work only for professional bird controllers. As with most birds in the UK, gulls receive protection from UK Law which requires a license to take action against them (which our BPCA educated staff are fully educated to acquire on your behalf). But furthermore, attempting to take action yourself can spur the Gulls aggressive tendencies, meaning it’s best to leave any gull control to trained professionals. Call us on 01382 768 888 for a free survey and inspection of your property, where we can assess your gull problem and work on a solution fitting your needs.
Bird Control Benefits
Pest and nuisance Birds bring with them a wide array of problems for both public health and safety and property problems which are only going to increase as the population of birds grows in cities like Dundee. Bird faeces, for example, have a strong potential for spreading diseases while also acting as a slipping hazard. The acidity of bird faces can in the long-term damage buildings and even cause structural damage to property, which can be very expensive to repair, not to mention the unsightly appearance and odour. Some pest birds, like gulls, can become aggressive when threatened and have the potential to attack. Pest Solutions Dundee aims to provide comprehensive and long-term bird control focused not just on removing the immediate pest but providing long term deterrents and all for an affordable price. Some benefits of bird control include;
- Prevents Bird Fouling Damage: The acidity of pest bird droppings means it can in the long term, severely damage the faces of buildings – while it can also cause damage from its weight alone.
- Prevents Bird Foul from accumulating on pavements and exits: Bird droppings can easily become a potential slipping hazard if allowed to build up on pavements or entrances or exits, especially places like fire exists.
- Prevents Bird Noise Pollution and Odour Issues: Birds are noisy animals and in large numbers the sound they produce can be unbearable, especially for properties like hospitals or hotels. Likewise, birds fouling habits can produce a deeply unpleasant stench.
- Prevents harm to Industry: Bird droppings can potentially cause real issues for industry, especially given its nature as a spreader of disease and acidity, which make it able to damage products and produce.
- Prevents Insect Infestation: Bird fouling and nests both make great breeding grounds for mites and other insect pests, stopping the build-up of guano or the construction of bird nests can go a long way to prevent you from having to deal with these pests as well as birds.
Contact Us For Reliable Bird Control Dundee
Don’t let pest birds take over your property and remember that you do not have to handle a pest bird issue on your own as our Dundee bird control professionals are here to provide efficient and effective pest control solutions to any pest problem you are dealing with.
In the event that you are dealing with a pest problem, do not worry as out pest control Dundee professionals can help. We can deal with rodent pests like mice, rats and squirrels and insect pests like cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas, ants, flies, beetles and moths.
Give us a call on 0800 027 2555 to request a free no-obligation quote or book our bird control Dundee services or simply complete our online contact form and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.