Get Rid of Pest Birds on Your Boat!

While bird populations in North America have dropped considerably in the past 40 years, birds tend to nest or rest on the nation’s coasts where nearly half the U.S. human population lives or works. Most birds serve an important role in the ecosystem, but three species of birds in the U.S. are considered pests. Birds categorized as pests include the pigeon, the house sparrow, and the starling. As pests, they can be legally controlled with no justification other than the property owner’s displeasure. Of course, there are many other reasons to scare birds away.

Besides being a nuisance and defacing homes, boats, buildings and monuments, pest birds also pose a serious health hazard. Because of their easy and far-reaching mobility, they can vector an alarming variety of serious diseases. Among these are histoplasmosis (a lung disease that can be fatal if untreated), salmonella, ornithosis (a lower or upper respiratory disease resulting in fever, chills and headache), pseudotuberculosis (causing fever and abdominal pain), and several other diseases, including West Nile Virus via parasites (like fleas and mites) that live on their bodies or grow in their droppings.

If you want to scare birds away, it helps to know a little about the birds we regard as pests. The first of our fine-feathered friends is the pigeon. Initially introduced from Europe as pets, pigeon populations have expanded almost exponentially and are now considered by many to be pests. These birds congregate in huge numbers and contaminate public areas with their droppings. They deface both stone and metal monuments, and present a serious risk to aircraft.Next up is the starling. An imported species not native to North America, starlings nest in roof soffits, electrical boxes, and structural crevices of buildings. Young starlings often gather in huge flocks where their droppings deface and damage structures and monuments, park benches, playgrounds and other areas.

Finally, there’s the sparrow. These small birds build fancy nests in gutters, electrical boxes, roof soffits, door housings, and other man-made openings. Sparrows often create expensive problems when they clog rain gutters and downspouts. Their elaborate nests in electrical equipment can cause electrical shorts and fires.

So how to scare birds away?

For pigeons and large birds, one proven and highly effective methods is the use of Bird Spike strip. They look menacing, especially to pest birds, but they won’t harm them. The spikes simply discourage birds from landing. Some bird spikes are made of rigid unbreakable polycarbonate. Others employ flexible stainless steel. Another option is the Bird Spider. The spider arms flagellate with the breeze to scare birds away. Spiders are available in a wide range of diameters to deter different bird sizes and cover wider and wider areas. They require little or no maintenance and they won’t harm birds.

One of the most economical ways to scare birds away is through the use of Bird Scare products. These flashy, twirling objects and banners use iridescent reflective foil and shiny tape to create an “Optical Distraction Zone” that discourages pest birds from landing. An unusually effective bird scare product is the inflatable balloon with lifelike reflective predator eyes. These scare-eye diverters are easily attached in areas frequented by birds. Some even feature glow-in-the-dark backsides to repel birds at night. Bird scare products can be easily set up in and around patios, vineyards, pool areas, overhangs, gazebos, boats and other troublesome areas.

A more technical approach to scare birds away involves the use of Electric Shock Bird Repellers. Ideal for pigeons, seagulls and larger birds, these repellers use electrified tracks to impart a mild electric shock when birds try to land. The pest birds are not injured; the mild “jolt” just changes their roosting habits so that they move on. The tracks are easily mounted on signs, ledges, rooftops, and flat or curved surfaces. Some manufacturers offer low profile tracks that are virtually invisible from ground level. Other manufacturers offer electric tracks with a flow-through design to prevent water from damming up on rooftops and other surfaces.

Imagine the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and you’ll get an idea of what our next category of bird scare products sounds like–at least to a bird. Known as Audio Bird Deterrents, they produce ultrasonic sounds that annoy birds. Ideal for walled-off or enclosed areas like sheds, parking garages, and overhangs, these audio devices will scare most birds away–birds like pigeons, sparrows, starlings or seagulls.

There’s also a category of products that use chemicals to scare birds away. Known variously as Foggers or Misters, these bird deterrents utilize an aerosol delivery system to disperse a food-grade, non-lethal aerosol of methyl anthranilate. Approved by the EPA, this chemical irritates pest birds and deters them as they fly through it. Ideal for large areas, many systems feature multiple remote spray units that can cover areas up to one square mile. These environmentally friendly systems won’t harm birds and won’t affect electrical equipment.

Finally, there’s the family of motorized products that work quite effectively to discourage pest birds from landing. These bird repellers utilize rotating arms to scare birds away. Ideal for parapet walls, roofs, signs, billboards, or any flat surface, some are battery powered, others use a plug-in power source. And some are even solar powered.

by Bryan Donoho

With the lazy days of summer coming to a close, the fall and winter months are quickly approaching.  This means people are hanging up the swimming trunks, putting the beach wear away, and storing the boats for the long winter ahead.  Unfortunately, we are not the only ones preparing for the fall and winter months.  Resident pest bird populations prepare for the cold weather by finding a place to roost and what better place than inside the warm confines of a boat in storage.  Not only do these birds cause a potentially expensive mess, they also leave behind disease carrying bacteria that can land an unsuspecting boater in the hospital or worse.  With the economy in the trenches, Americans are doing everything possible to stretch every dollar, and with the amount of money damage pest birds can cause a boater, it seems irresponsible not to bird proof your boats or watercraft.

In order to properly bird proof your boat for winter storage one has to understand the habits and tendencies of nuisance birds both on and off the water.  Birds, like any other organism, require three basic elements for survival; food, shelter, and water.  Since birds are able to travel quite easily, close proximity to food and water are not as important as a safe haven for roosting.  This is where the problems arise with boats in storage.  Once a pest bird has begun nest construction it is very difficult to get rid of them, this is why it is best to solve the problem before it even begins.

One of the most common places to store boats and small watercraft is inside of a storage warehouse or boathouse.  Unfortunately, birds love to nest inside these shelters and their feces and nesting material can destroy the paint jobs on boats, stain the canvas covers, lock up engines, and leave behind disease carrying bacteria.  A common resident to storage warehouses is the barn swallow.  The barn swallow possesses the capability to cause catastrophic damage because of its nesting habits.  Inside of a warehouse it will build a mud nest just about anywhere, including over boats and once in place, it will drop fecal matter and nesting material all around its nesting site because they are just naturally messy nesters.  To prevent this one would want to install bird netting on the ceiling to take away their nesting structure.  Bird netting is a safe, humane, cost efficient and extremely effective way to rid a warehouse of pest birds.  It generally comes in rolls and can easily be attached to most any kind of structure.  However if the hanging net proves too difficult for the average boat owner, one could always call their local pest control company.

When it comes to bird proofing in an outdoor setting the approach is a little bit different.  Since the birds could potentially land directly on the boat, a physical bird deterrent is the best solution.  A product called the bird spider is an excellent choice for the bow, stern, and railing of the boat.  The spider is a centralized plastic base with long wire “arms” that umbrella out from the center 360 degrees around.  This provides 360 degrees of coverage and prevents any pest birds from landing.  They generally come in four different sizes to suit different size needs.  The spider can also be placed on top of canvas covers with the addition of a sandbag base.  This enables the boater to easily remove the spider when the boat is in use.  Another product that acts in a similar fashion is called the Bird Repeller.  With this product, instead of having a number of different stationary arms, it has two adjustable antenna arms that rotate in a circular motion resembling the action of helicopter blades.  This machine runs off of a solar power with two rechargeable batteries included for use during dark times.  Just set it down and let it spin. Bird spikes can also be used on boats to deter pest birds.  More specifically, on the railing, masts, or radar towers.  Bird spikes come in both stainless steel and plastic and an assortment of sizes to suit every different situation.

Visual bird deterrents also work well in bird proofing your boat.  Products such as the Scare Balloons, Flash Tape and Diverters are both easy to use and extremely effective.  The concept behind these products is to create a lot of flash to cause visual discomfort for the birds.  These products can be attached just about anywhere on a boat and with the coast having constant wind; these products give off maximum action making them that much more effective.   Simple, low cost and effective; visual bird deterrents make a great addition to any boat or watercraft bird proofing system.

It is time to stop procrastinating and putting off opportunities to save money and hassle with pest bird damage to your boat.  Bird Proofing your boat or watercraft is easy to do.  Whether it be netting a storage unit, installing a physical deterrent or using a visual deterrent, bird proofing is a simple and cost efficient solution to potentially costly problems.  For further information on how to bird proof your boat contact your local pest control company.

It’s a situation that happens all too often: a boat owner plans to take their vessel out for a day of enjoyment, only to find it covered in bird droppings.

Bruce Donoho, owner of Bird Control Supply Company, Bird-B-Gone, says “Left unattended, bird droppings can stain surfaces, and eventually erode materials, not to mention the health risk: bacteria and parasites can also be found in bird droppings.” A high concentration of uric acid, found to be even higher in sea birds, can be to blame for the erosion. The acidity can erode materials like steel, discolor paint, and stain canvases. Taking steps to “bird proof” your boat is an investment that will save you time and money.

There are a few steps that boat owners may already be taking to help protect their investment. For example, the wax coating used on the exterior of a boat can buy an owner time before bird droppings reach the boats surface, prolonging the possibility of erosion.  But how do you keep birds off of a boat in the first place? Birds prefer the highpoints on a vessel, but will also land on a protective canvas. Treating these areas with visual or physical deterrents will help encourage the birds to move on to a more suitable location. Birds rely heavily on visual clues in their environment helping with flight, the detection of predators, food sources, ect. In fact, birds have the largest eye to body ratio in the animal kingdom.

Using items on a boat which move or sway in the wind, such as the Bird Spider from Bird-B-Gone can be big help. The bird spider looks sort of like an umbrella with no vinyl… the arms move in the wind, discouraging birds from landing on the boat. Usually one or two units on a boat will be enough to keep the birds at bay, and Bird-B-Gone offers three different boat attachments: a rail mount, a boat base, and a sandbag base.

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