Absolute Bird Control

Woodpecker Damage

Woodpeckers Cause Millions in Damage Each Year
by Fran Prisco

Woodpeckers are costing homeowners thousands of dollars every year due to the damage they cause. They will hammer on the sides of our houses and other building to attract mates, establish or defend a territory, excavate a nesting or roosting site, and to search for insects.  Drumming sites can include wooden shingles, cedar siding, metal or plastic gutters, antennas and light posts.  Woodpeckers love the loud sounds they produce.  They frequently damage cedar, rough pine redwood siding and some synthetic stucco finishes; causing thousands of dollars in damage each year.

 

Woodpeckers drill holes for a variety of reasons. One of the most obvious is to excavate a cavity for nesting or roosting and another is to search for food. In the spring, woodpeckers also use a rhythmic pecking called "drumming" to establish a territory and attract a mate.  Complaints of woodpeckers on houses during this period indicate that the birds are using the house as a "singing" post.  Woodpecker damage typically consists of holes drilled into wood siding or trees.  A woodpecker will select a tree or home for no particular reason.  They will usually choose a few favorite areas and attack them repeatedly over the course of a mating season.  It seems they prefer softer woods like cedar and redwood siding.

Woodpeckers are migratory birds and are thus protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treat Act.  This makes it difficult to get rid of the birds and keep them from damaging our homes.  We must use a humane, non-lethal form of woodpecker control.  There are several non-lethal techniques that can be used to control pest woodpeckers, including visual repellents, loud noises, and exclusion.  It is very important to take immediate action to reduce the damage, as woodpeckers are not easily driven from their territories or pecking sites once they have become established. Once you begin using a control, continue for at least 3 days before changing to another control. There is no "standard" approach to dealing with woodpecker damage. Evaluate each individual situation separately to determine the most effective control measures. Often more than one technique (for example, using both visual and sound repellents) may provide the best control.

Use the following steps to determine what control measures to use:

1)    Check for insects. If they are present, ask your local Extension agent for assistance.
2)    Can I prevent the bird from getting to or using the problem area?
3)    Can I repel the bird with visual, sound or chemical repellents?
4)    As a last resort, can I remove the offending animals safely? Always contact your local conservation officer before you kill or remove any birds.

Methods of Deterring Woodpeckers:

Exclusion

Netting is one of the most effective methods of excluding woodpeckers from damaging wood siding beneath the eaves is to place lightweight plastic bird-type netting over the area. A mesh of 3/4 inch is generally recommended. At least 3 inches of space should be left between the netting and the damaged building so that birds cannot cause damage through the mesh. The netting can also be attached to the overhanging eaves and angled back to the siding below the damaged area and secured taut but not overly tight. Be sure to secure the netting so that the birds have no way to get behind it. If installed properly, the netting is barely visible from a distance and will offer a long-term solution to the damage problem. If the birds move to another area of the dwelling, that too will need to be netted. Netting becomes increasingly popular as a solution to woodpecker problems because it consistently gives desired results.  You can find a good U.V. Protected Polypropylene Netting at www.absolutebirdcontrol.com.  Absolute Bird Control specializes in bird control products that are humane and do not harm the animals.

Repellents

Visual Repellents. The best way to keep pesky little woodpeckers from destroying valuable trees and wood sidings is to discourage them from pecking using a visual repellent. You can use Mylar FlashTape, BirdBGone Scare Balloons, or Bird Diverters, all available at Absolute Bird Control.  These devises cause a visual distraction that bother the birds and they will move on to an area that is more “pleasant” to them.
Noise Repellents. Using loud noises like rock music or bird distress calls are also an effective way to discourage the birds. Absolute Bird Control sells a Bird Chase Supersonic device that plays Woodpecker Distress calls and predator calls that scare the birds from your home.  Remember to use these techniques as soon as damage begins and continue them for at least 3 days. Understand that when the birds leave one site they simply move to another one. Just hope that the new site is on something other than the house.

In most cases you can get control quickly and effectively if you use an integrated approach: put up visual repellents, use a chemical repellent and harass the birds with noise.
Homeowners spend thousands of dollars replacing the siding on their homes as well as patching up the holes and damage done by woodpeckers. The Leading distributor in Woodpecker deterrents Absolute Bird Control offers a large variety of products to rid your home of woodpeckers.  One Product is the Scare Eye Diverter manufactured by Bird-B-Gone, Inc. It has a Mylar backing with a predator eye on it.  When it is hung across the eaves of your home at different lengths the movement of the Scare Eye Diverter and the reflection scare off the Woodpecker.

Lori Kitts of Flora Vista, NM says “The woodpeckers were driving us crazy we would hear them outside pecking away at our home.  I did a search online for woodpeckers and how to get rid of them and Absolute Bird Control was on the top of the list.  We purchased the Scare Eye Diverters they worked so well and I haven’t seen them since putting them up.”  Kitts says the woodpeckers moved on, but they moved next door to her mother-in-laws house!  “We purchased diverters for her home as well, and now they are gone from her house”, says Kitts.   “All of our neighbors have asked where we got the diverters.  Woodpeckers have been a big issue in this neighborhood for years.  We are so happy to finally find an effective, economical product to move the birds along and away from our homes!”
For more information on how to control Woodpeckers and products to deter them, visit www.absolutebirdcontrol.com.

First Signs of Spring…Here Come the Swallows!

By Fran Prisco

Here come the Swallows, it must be spring.  Each year these beautiful birds begin to build their mud nests on our buildings, barns, homes and other areas like bridges.  Swallows typically build mud nests close to overhead shelter in locations that are protected from both the weather and predators. Many cave and cliff dwelling species of swallow nest in large colonies.  These large colonies have been known to take over the sides of bridges, railroad trusses and even buildings.

Swallows are excellent fliers, and use these skills to attract a mate and to defend territory. In general, the males select a nest site, and then attract a female using song and flight, and guard their territory. The size of the territory varies depending on the species of swallow; in colonial-nesting species it tends to be small, but it may be much larger for solitary nesters.

Pairs of mated swallows are monogamous, and pairs of non-migratory species often stay near their breeding area all year, though the nest site is defended most vigorously during the breeding season. Migratory species often return to the same breeding area each year, and may select same nest site if they were previously successful in that location. First-year breeders generally select a nesting site close to where they were born and raised.

Most species hunt over open country or near water.

In the United States, all swallows are classified as migratory insectivorous birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.  Swallows are also protected by state regulations.  It is illegal for any person to take, possess, transport, sell, or purchase swallows or their parts, such as feathers, nets, or eggs, without a permit.  As a result, certain activities affecting swallows are subject to legal restrictions, such as removing nests, capture and release or destroying the birds.

Nesting Sites

It is not yet fully understood what creates an ideal nesting site for swallows, it seems that architectural design does influence site suitability.  Buildings with overhanging eaves at right angles with the wall are usually chosen sites.  Sites where the overhang and wall meet at an odd angle or are rounded or concave are rarely used as nesting sites.  The width of the overhang can also be important, few nests have been observed with a overhang of less than 6 to 8 inches.

The texture of the wall is also a factor; wood, stucco, masonry and concrete surface are preferred sites for attaching nests than say to metal.  Swallows are known to move to nearby structures when control methods are applies at an existing nesting site.

Damage

Swallows such as Cliff Swallows nest in colonies and are often found where humans live.  Swallow colonies on buildings and other structures can become a major nuisance, causing thousands of dollars of damage from their droppings and nesting residue.  Besides the unsightly mess that swallow droppings leave, they can also carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.  Their mud nests eventually will fall to the ground and can cause similar problems.  Parasites can also be found in swallow nests, including swallow bugs, fleas, ticks, and mites; these may bite human and domestic animals such as dogs and cats. 
Control Methods

Exclusion:

Exclusion refers to any method that denies the bird physical access to a nesting site.  It is a permanent solution that should be done before nesting begins.  Plastic netting such as Ultra Netting available at Absolute Bird Control, is a good barrier between swallows and a nesting site.  You should use a ¾ inch mesh size.  The netting should be pulled taut to reduce flapping in the wind.  Install net before the swallows arrive.  It may be left up all year or taken down after the nesting season.  It is best to secure the Ultra Netting using the Ultra Netting Poly Clips.  Attach the netting to the outer edge of the eave of the home down to the side to the wall creating an 45 degree angel.  This will keep the bird from getting into the sheltered space under the eaves of homes and buildings.

There are four methods that can be used to deter pest swallows from building their nests under the eaves of your home.

1.    Netting attached from the outer edge of the eave down to the side of the building.
2.    A curtain of netting attached to the eave, hanging about 4 inches out from the side of your home.
3.    Projections, such as plastic or stainless steel bird spikes, along the junction of the wall and eave of your home.
4.    A slippery panel, such as Bird-B-Gone, Inc. Bird Slope, to form a smooth surface under the eave of your home

Substrate Modification:

Swallows like to build their nests on surfaces that will provide a good foothold for attaching the nesting materials.  This would include rough surfaces like stucco.  Creating a slick surface on the nesting walls will discourage the birds and they will look elsewhere to find a good nesting spot.  You can use the Bird Slope product available at Absolute Bird Control to keep the swallows from building nest under the eaves of your home.  It is easy to install and can be left up all year and painted to match the sides of the building.  The bird slope creates a “slippery” surface for the birds, so they cannot build their nests under the eaves of your home or commercial building.

The best advise to keep swallows off of your home or commercial building is to do something before the swallows arrive.  Put up netting, bird spikes, bird slope or other means of deterring nest building before the building begins.  Once the birds arrive and start building, it is nearly impossible to get rid of them.  There is a myth that hosing down the nests as they build will keep them from finishing.  Not true.  They are tenacious birds and will keep on building until the job is done.  You must also be aware of the laws that protect these birds, you do not want to be fined!  If you feel that you cannot do the work yourself, contact Absolute Bird Control, Inc. at www.absolutebirdcontrol.com, they have a network of Certified Installers that can help you get the job done.

References:
W. Paul Gorenzel, Terrell P. Salmon. “Swallows”, from Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage – 1994. United States Department of Agriculture.