In the summer, birds are everywhere. They can be seen congregating on lawns, ledges, rooftops, wires, and more. In the fall, some birds will travel south for the winter, but many stay right where they are. Through the winter, birds can still be seen. If there is food to be gotten, birds will emerge from their hiding places in nature and urban locations to find it. And in the spring, all the birds will be back in force. For a business, they can be a year-round problem. Here are some of the year-round problems they cause.
Messes
Wherever birds are, there is sure to be droppings. Not only are droppings unsightly, they cost your business money to clean up. Water must be used to spray walkways, benches, statues, ledges, and other places birds congregate. And employees must be assigned the task of clean up.
Health Risks
Droppings do more than make a mess, they can lead to injury. Employees and customers are both at risk of slipping. And when falls occur, it is going to cost you time and money.
Sickness
Droppings can contain harmful human pathogens and bacteria. When droppings are left in food storage areas, it can contaminate food. Feces from birds also make the clean up of nests a more complicated task. Birds are linked to histoplasmosis, which is caused by the inhalation of the fungal spore histoplasma capsulatum. This illness can cause fever, headache, chills, muscle pain, a dry cough, and chest pain.
Unwanted Noise
When birds congregate, they can bring unwanted noise with them. While the song of a single bird may be nice, there is nothing nice about several dozen birds taking to flight from a tin roof. And, if you've ever heard a group of starlings outside your window early in the morning, you know what we are talking about.
Property Damage
Birds don't urinate. They excrete uric acid in their feces. This makes their droppings corrosive to many building materials, including concrete. While damage to concrete is not immediate, it can develop over time and lead to repair costs.
Damaged Equipment
Heavy machinery, large air conditioning units, solar panels, and other equipment can be damaged when birds get into places they don't belong. Birds can also get into junction boxes and spark a fire.
Attacks
As we see more and more Canada geese coming into the state, there is an increased threat of bird attacks. Though rare, Canada geese are known to attack humans if they feel threatened or they are protecting young. These attacks are not life-threatening, but they can be painful.
Bird Control
The best way for a business to deal with bird pressures is through the application of bird deterrents. Since birds are a year-round problem, it makes sense to apply year-round solutions.
When birds come to roost, greet them with bird spikes, spring wire, coils, electric shocks, or anti-roost gels. When these products are installed to rooflines, ledges, arches, and other roost locations, they work to deter birds without harming them.
When birds are getting into a location you don't want them to get into, netting is the perfect solution.
In locations where netting is not preferable, bird aversion fogging can be used.
Visual and audio deterrents are great for deterring Canada geese and pigeons prior to nesting.
If you're in our Illinois service area, and you're dealing with pest birds, Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators offers comprehensive bird control services which include all of the above deterrent methods, along with humane trapping, and specialized cleaning and sanitation services. Reach out to us today to schedule a visit from one of our bird control specialists--because dealing with birds is for the birds.