Kings of Leon concert halted by pigeon poop
The Kings of Leon had to stop a concert because of pigeons. (Photo courtesy of CNN)
Who expects to go to a concert and have it end three songs in due to…pigeons? That’s what happened at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in St. Louis this past weekend. The Kings of Leon spent Friday, July 23, dodging aerial attacks by pigeons.
An infestation of the birds in the rafters of the Verizon Amphitheatre bombarded the musicians as soon as they took the stage, according to Andy Mendelsohn of Vector Management.
“Jared (Followill) was hit several times during the first two songs,” Mendelsohn said of the band’s bassist.
The pigeons were a problem the entire night, even before the popular band took the stage. Band members reported seeing droppings on their instruments and carpet when they walked out. Soon after, the droppings began falling from the sky.
Even the opening bands, The Postelles and The Stills, dealt with the birds during their sets.
(The opening bands) came offstage complaining of getting riddled with large amounts of excrement, their publicist said…
…”We couldn’t believe what The Postelles and The Stills looked like after their sets,” Followill said.”
This didn’t have to happen, and, honestly, this never should happen. There are too many maintenance free and inexpensive ways to curtail this sort of thing. A simple, stop-the-problem-right-now solution is bird spikes. Pigeons love to roost on ledges, wires, panes — anything that’s available and easy. Spikes immediately take away that option.
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre only need a few spikes to get rid of the pigeons. Instead, they got a media firestorm and the worst publicity imaginable. (Photo courtesy of Bird-X, Inc.)
Don’t like the way spikes look? Well, try a roost-inhibiting gel like this one. Like spikes, this stops birds from roosting. But the gel makes the surface sticky and uncomfortable for the birds, and they’ll find another place to rest.
Outdoor music venues are ideal places for pigeons to roost. (Photo courtesy of Blisstree)
Another option are sound devices. Two in particular – the Ultrason X and the Quad Blaster QB-4 – emit ultrasonic sounds inaudible to humans. The Ultrason X has four external speakers each with 100-foot cords perfect for indoor and outdoor music venues like the one pictured above. It covers 3,600 square feet and gets rid of all types of birds, especially pigeons.
The Quad Blaster QB-4 is also great for outdoors. It’s four internal speakers emit high frequency sound waves and audio signals. The sounds confuse and frighten the birds, quickly scaring them away from the effective area up to 6,500 square feet. Either one of these sound devices, in combination with physical aversions, will greatly reduce the risk of pigeons affecting your business negatively.
This story has been all over the news, and it’s been awful publicity for all involved. What if this had been your business? What would you say or do to make this go away? Could your business handle this kind of publicity?
Situations like this are 100% avoidable. Call us up at 312-226-2473 if you have questions about bird damage or just want simple tips to get rid of them. And definitely check out our website for more info on effective bird control products.
Raising pigeons, wreaking havoc
An Illinois man likes to collect pigeons as pets. His neighbors, though, see them as more of a nuisance. (source: www.ajservicesllc.com)
Oh boy…an Aurora, IL man is bother his neighbors because of his hobby of collecting carrier and racing pigeons “to pass the time.” According to The Daily Herald, neighbors have begun to complain about the noise and the stench.
And the droppings.
Pigeon droppings are serious business. Birds carry over 60 diseases transmitted through their fecal matter. So to have a neighbor harbour up to 45 pigeons in and around his property can be dangerous. Unfortunately for nearby residents, there’s not much the city can do.
Seventh Ward Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns was limited in what she could do to assist the unhappy neighbors. Until she help get a state law changed, municipalities were unable to regulate pigeons.
A recent amendment now allows the city to regulate but not prohibit the orderly keeping of the birds.
Luckily for the residents, a new ordinance has been passed that charges anyone housing such birds a fine for each offense. It’s a step in the right direction; human safety needs to be the top priority when it comes to having pigeons as pets. Their droppings are more than just annoying — they can be fatal.
Bird-X offers plenty of products that can get rid of pest pigeons, protecting you from possible infection. Check out our website or give us a call for a free consultation.
Scotland woman gets spikes for pigeon problem
If they think your place is comfortable, pigeons will call it home. And bring their buddies.
Pigeons could be the most fearless creatures around. They practically walk right up to you on the street and leave a little something special behind to remind you they were there. An Edinburgh, Scotland woman’s home, that she shares with her two small children, was overwhelmed with pigeons. Nearly 200 of them found respite on her block, and they were waking her and her kids up at night. From the Edinburgh News:
The pigeons, which have covered windows and balconies with droppings, have been roosting en mass on the roof of the block in Hyvot Green, with some residents afraid to venture outside and others struggling to sleep at night because of the constant noise.
Luckily for the woman, a very generous local pest control company donated hundreds of dollars worth of plastic spikes like the ones below.
Bird-X's polycarbonate bird spikes sit anywhere that birds do.
Bird-X‘s polycarbonate spikes are one of the most effective ways to halt the pigeon population. Putting spikes up makes roosting impossible; it’s a humane way of telling the birds to stay off your stuff. These can be placed literally anywhere that pigeons like to hang out. Chicago’s “L” track stations use these on all of their outdoor beams, signs and ledges which has cut down the number of birds bothering commuters probably by the thousands.
Chicago's CTA "L" stations are big proponents of polycarbonate spikes.
The best thing about spikes is that you can put them up once and be done with pigeons, or any other roosting birds, for good. It doesn’t get any more low maintenance than this! Bird-X also offers stainless steel spikes and three different kinds of bird netting – standard, heavy duty, and premium.
And if you check out the website, we currently have a great deal on all of our spikes. They are 15% off!
Questions? Ready to order? Call us up at 800-860-0473 to talk to one of our experts!