Birds In The News
Bird problems appear in the news more often than we might realize. In fact, a few of the more high-profile news stories in the past few years have been bird-related:
In 2007, more than 500 people were reported sick, and at least eight died due to salmonella contamination in over 400 popular peanut butter products. It may have been the largest food recall in FDA history. Investigators determined that a leaky roof was to blame for the sanitation breach, and that—as birds are known to carry a variety of infectious diseases, including salmonella—it was highly likely that pest pigeons were the vector.
In 2007, the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed due to weak and rusted steel beams. After closer inspection, it was discovered that the structure’s framework was covered with corrosive pigeon droppings. When bird droppings are not quickly washed away, they dry out and turn to salt and ammonia; when this later comes into contact with rainwater, small electrochemical reactions take place that speed up the rusting process.
Bird strikes cost the airline industry alone around $800 million each year. Who can forget the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ that occurred in January of 2009? Shortly after taking off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Flight 1549 was struck by a flock of Canadian geese, losing thrust in both engines and forcing pilot, Captain Sullenberger, to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River. Fortunately, all 155 passengers survived.
Pest birds can be a nuisance and an inconvenience—they can also cause problems that put human beings in serious danger. It’s important to bird-proof your home and/or your business to avoid these issues. Visit www.bird-x.com to find bird and pest control products that are safe, green, eco-friendly, non-toxic, and non-harmful. Bird-X has solutions for every problem and every budget.
Written by Chrissy Hansen—Media Correspondent for Bird-X, Inc.
Pigeon droppings cost historic church $48,000
The Solon Congregational Church probably wouldn't have had to replace it's steeple if they had implemented simple tactics to get rid of the pigeons.
Famous rock stars aren’t the only one’s having problems with pesky pigeons. The Solon Congregational Church in Solon, Maine had to replace their steeple because of their continuous pigeon problem.
The church is one of the town’s historic landmarks. It is very important to not only the parishioners, but also the residents in general.
In addition to being the largest building in town, it hosts nearly every wedding and burial, he said. It holds music concerts and other events. It served as a place to pray and reflect after Sept. 11 and World War I and II.
So in a town of only 940 (at the last census count in 2000), finding out the steeple of one of their proudest historic landmarks was decayed beyond repair was “devastating” for many. The cause? Persistent leaking and pigeon droppings.
The combination of water and dried, built-up fecal matter is dangerous. Not only toxic to humans – birds carry over sixty diseases transmitted through fecal matter – but also detrimental to surfaces. Eroding steel, metal, and, in this case, a 173-year-old steeple of the town’s beloved church.
Solon residents care about their historic church, and many donated money to replace the steeple. One congregation member even went door-to-door to get the funds for the project.
We’re kind of the little church that could,” the Rev. Nathan Richards said. With between 30 and 40 congregation members, they raised $48,000 for the work mainly through small donations.
Replacing the steeple was necessary, but how is the church going to defend itself against another pigeon attack? Bird spikes are a start. Since steeples use ledges and beams for internal structural support, spikes are an excellent first step for roost inhibiting.
Putting spikes on ledges is the best physical barrier for pigeons. It immediately inhibits roosting, all but eliminating the possibility of resting birds. (Photo courtesy of fencespikes.net)
What are you doing to protect your business from a possible $50,000 disaster? Bird-X can help you maintain your property, keeping it free from possible liabilities, and saving your business a fortune. Call us up and we’ll point you in the right direction.
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.
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!
Birds, Buildings, and Solutions
by Dave Kogan
Bird poop on property
What do buildings, houses, parks, hotels, restaurants, airports, golf courses, all have in common? They are all major targets for pest birds. Face it, they’re everywhere. And you cannot avoid them. Even when cities and town post signs that explicitly say “DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS,” people still sit there and feed the birds. Why? Are they pretty? Sure. People love birds and there are so many of them in so many different colors that they’re hard not to like…except when they leave a foul mess in your building, or hang around when dining alfresco, or when they take over a window ledge so you cannot open your window for fear that they’ll fly inside and take up residence. What then can you do about pest birds?
Well, many people love birds until, well, they don’t. That is when the birds make a terrible mess and ruin your property that one stops liking those adorable yet messy abominations. How un-adorable are they? Take for example the Butler County Courthouse in Hamilton, Ohio. Birds were roosting on ledges all over the building leaving quite an unsightly mess. The problem came crashing to reality when a cornice on the structure began pulling away from the building in 1988. A maintenance crew removed the cornice to find over 300 pounds of bird feces. “Conditions were deplorable,” said the purchasing director of Butler County. “Bird droppings were a foot thick on some ledges.”
The mess generated questions in regards to public health and was a public relations nightmare for the county. A few of the courthouse employees were diagnosed with Histoplasmosis, a bacterial infection caused by a fungus found in bird droppings. The county installed some bird preventative measures at a cost of nearly $100,000. Then the building was refurbished in 1997 and the architects found Bird-X’s 100% recycled polycarbonate plastic, nearly invisible spikes which now cover 11,000 linear feet of ledges, porticos and round windows for the 4-story building…and there have been no more birds or their feces since.
Electronic sonic bird deterrent installed on roof
That’s just one scenario. In Davenport, Iowa, pigeons were bombing a local branch and sidewalks surrounding a US Bank with their nasty droppings. The bank was spending thousands of dollars every week power washing the exterior walls and sidewalks. The bank manager went on line, completed a search for getting rid of pigeons and found Bird-X. They decided on using an electronic sonic bird deterrent. Now there are no birds leaving their droppings or even roosting or nesting by or on the bank.
So what can you do as a homeowner, business owner or unfortunately, a resident in Magna who are under attack from barn swallows? Wildlife control experts will tell you to move the nests or trap the birds and release them elsewhere. To make matters even more challenging, there are often restrictions on conventional control methods. Harming the birds is often a problem. Facility managers are often reluctant to kill birds due to sensitive public relations and image concerns (we’re still reading about the 2,000 geese being culled in New York near JFK airport a week later). Other options which do not kill, but are still visible to the public, such as traps or possibly glue boards, may not be permissible.
Ultrasonic bird repellent sound device
Yet there are ways to get rid of the birds without harming them. A sound deterrent works great inside or outside. This, of course depends on the area you’re seeking to protect. For instance, patrons at an outdoor eatery may not want to hear the distress cries or predator calls of birds every hour or more. So how does a restaurant combat birds? There are ultrasonic sound devices. That means that the sounds are played above that of human hearing. Patrons can eat in peace with the noise of birds or the mess.
If the bird problem is on or inside a building, like with the restaurant, facility managers can try sound deterrents that will readily disperse the birds. However, many will tell you that the best defense for any building ledge, roof or outcropping would be to use plastic or stainless steel spikes. Or a special bird proof gel or spray that includes methyl anthranilate which comes from the skin of concord grapes.
The spikes, sprays and gels would work well for residents in Magna, Utah as well as everyone else. Those residents might also benefit from sonic bird repellent machines to scare off their swallows. Building owners may also want to try bird netting to block entry to a specific area or visual scare deterrents like scare balloons, prowler owls or three dimensional coyotes to scare off birds before they even get close enough to find an area desirable.
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Synergestic bird control
The main thing is to make an area inhospitable to birds. While birds might become accustomed to one approach, combining two or more to work in tandem (for instance using a sonic device and polycarbonate spikes) will greatly increase your success rate. With so much easy to use technology developing in the realm of bird control, every situation has a solution just waiting to be found. And clearing a bird infestation can make a huge difference in terms of economics, morale, and most importantly, public safety. If the choices seem to be overwhelming or you don’t know where to start, there are always bird control experts who are happy to help.
For more information about bird control and bird control products, contact Bird-X at 800.662.5021 or visit the website at www.bird-x.com.