Protect Your Building And Business: Essential Bird Control Services For Houston Business Owners
Birds are animals that live on every continent. There are over 10,000 species of birds in the world, from the tiny bee hummingbird that is barely larger than an actual bee and only found in Cuba to the giant ostrich that can grow up to nine feet tall and weigh nearly 300 pounds. Birds are truly a wonder, which makes it easy to understand why so many people find them fascinating to watch. Even if you can’t see rare birds without traveling somewhere, many of the birds in your own backyard are interesting enough on their own.
Unfortunately, not all birds are animals you want inhabiting your property. If you own a business in Houston, the last thing you want to deal with is a bird infestation on your property or in your commercial facility. Knowing how to protect your business from birds that become pests is essential for the safety of your workers and customers and for the health of your structure. Bird prevention and bird control in Houston starts with knowing what birds are pests in our area and what to do to get and keep them off your property. Modern Pest Control offers the information you need about pest birds in Houston.
Recognizing The Signs: How To Tell if You Have A Pest Bird Problem
No matter where you live or work, you become accustomed to seeing and hearing birds whenever you’re outdoors. While the specific species may vary depending on how urban or rural an area is, birds are everywhere, and we often get so used to their presence that we’re more likely to notice when they’re absent than when they’re where they always are.
However, paying attention to what birds are common around your Houston business is something you should start to do on a routine basis. The best way to recognize the signs of pest birds in Houston is to be familiar with what birds are around your property, how many birds are around your property, and where all of those birds are spending their time. When you become familiar with the habits of the birds that are common in the area, you can more quickly recognize when those birds start to become a problem.
First, it helps to know which birds are likely to become pests. Although any type of bird could theoretically become an issue or mistakenly end up in your commercial facility, there are certain species of birds that usually make themselves a nuisance and are known for infesting structures.
Pigeons are the most common nuisance birds in Houston. Although their appearance can vary based on the particular pigeon species, most of these birds have primarily gray bodies with black stripes across their wings. They often have necks with slightly iridescent green and purple plumage. Pigeons have small heads, pointy beaks, and beady, reddish-orange eyes.
You are likely to find pigeons along any city street, even in the downtown areas of smaller cities and towns. They are also common around farms in more rural areas. Pigeons are social birds that live in flocks. Once they choose a place to nest, they tend to stay in that place for the rest of their lives. That’s part of the reason it’s so important to pay attention to where pigeons are hanging out around your property. If they decide to nest there, they won’t leave on their own, and they can live for over 15 years.
Starlings are another pest bird in the Houston area. These birds often look black from a distance, but as you get closer, you can see that they have dark greenish, iridescent feathers. Starlings that haven’t reached maturity or are non-breeding are spotted. Starlings have long, pointy beaks and brown eyes.
Starlings are known for the large groups they travel in. If you’ve ever seen a huge group of them flying in the air, like a shape-shifting black cloud, it’s a sight you’ve likely never forgotten. These birds can live in almost any location but prefer to be near people. They often roost in buildings and wall voids.
The final nuisance bird that is common in Houston is the swallow. Swallows are small birds with long wings. They vary greatly in color depending on the species, but one of the more common species in our area is the barn swallow. Barn swallows have bluish-black heads and backs with a tannish-brown underside. They have black eyes and small, pointed beaks.
As their name indicates, barn swallows are often found nesting in barns. However, they are able to nest in a variety of locations and are happy to build their nests anywhere they can find a sheltered area with a small ledge.
Seeing pigeons, starlings, or swallows around your Houston business means you need to be aware of a potential problem. Even if you don’t see them in or on your building, just seeing them flying or walking around your property could be a sign that they have chosen your property as a nesting or roosting site. It’s wise to be on alert when you see any of these nuisance birds around your property.
Finding a lot of bird droppings is another sign to look out for when trying to identify a pest bird problem. Bird droppings could be in or on your structure or on the ground around your facility. Finally, if you see nests in or on your commercial facility, it’s likely that you have a pest bird problem that needs to be addressed.
Property Damage And Health Risks: Consequences Of A Bird Infestation
A lot of people like birds. They’re interesting to watch, and many of them are beautiful. However, if they move onto your property, pest birds can cause a lot of issues. A bird infestation is the last thing you want to deal with as a business owner. It will cost you money, and it could cost you customers. What problems do pest birds cause?
First of all, they can cause a surprising amount of damage to your property. Bird droppings are often highly acidic. In fact, their droppings are so acidic that they can burn the paint off your car. If it can do that to your car, you can imagine that it can do even more damage to your structure. If birds are nesting inside your structure, the droppings will quickly build up, causing damage to your paint and the materials under the paint.
The nests that birds build can also end up causing damage to your building. When birds build nests along your roof line or eaves, these nests often end up blocking up gutters. Over time, rainwater will get backed up, causing moisture issues and damage to your roof.
Pest birds are also a problem for your business because of the health and safety issues they introduce to your property. Bird droppings aren’t only harmful to your structure; they’re also harmful to your health. They can be contaminated with a variety of harmful pathogens that cause illnesses such as histoplasmosis, toxoplasmosis, and salmonellosis. Furthermore, bird droppings can become a slip-and-fall hazard if they are left in walkways or entrances.
If birds are roosting near an entrance to your building, they can become quite aggressive, especially if they have nestling or fledgling babies. You do not want your employees or customers to get dive-bombed by a protective mother or father bird every time they try to enter or leave your facility.
In addition to the health problems birds cause on their own, they also often bring other harmful pests onto your property with them. Parasites, such as lice, fleas, and ticks, often live on birds. Once on your property, these parasites can transfer onto employees or customers.
As you can see, bird control for pigeons on your property, as well as starlings, swallows, and other pest birds, is essential if you want to avoid the damage and disease that pest birds spread. Knowing how to prevent pest birds is the first step in keeping them off your property.
Proactive Measures: Preventing Pest Bird Infestations
Preventing pest bird infestations requires you to try to make your commercial property as uninviting to birds as possible. There are several ways you can do this.
First, don’t invite them! Many people think it’s a fun activity to feed birds, but this is the best way to end up with a bird problem. If pest birds know they can find a steady food supply on your property, they will decide to stick around. If you feed birds, either by putting out old food for them or by keeping your bird feeder well-stocked, it’s time to stop. Find a different use for your unused food and remove your bird feeders.
Similarly, make sure you’re not accidentally feeding the birds with your trash. Make sure that outdoor garbage bins are not stored right next to your facility, and equip them with tightly fitting lids. The same goes for dumpsters. Keep them away from your facility and tightly closed so birds can’t get into them. When garbage bins and dumpsters start to get full, make sure that they are emptied before they start to overflow.
You’ll also want to make sure that there isn’t a steady water source for birds. Any areas around your property that allow water to collect or steadily drip can attract birds. Inspect your property for standing water and eliminate those areas. Check around your facility for leaking pipes and spigots and improper drainage, then fix any issues you find.
Once you make sure that you’re not attracting pest birds to your property, you can also make sure that you’re not providing them with easy areas to nest. Seal up entry points into your facility that they might exploit to get into attic spaces or wall voids. Reduce the number of areas on your building that offer flat spaces for birds to build nests or roost.
If you’ve done everything you can to prevent nuisance birds, but you’re still having problems with them, you may need additional bird control methods. Modern Pest Control can help.
Benefits Of Professional Bird Control Services: Tailored Solutions
Whether you have an active bird infestation or want to install some additional preventative measures around your facility, there are many benefits of a professional bird control service. Working with Modern Pest Control provides you with over 70 years of bird control experience to make sure that your property is fully protected from birds. We not only have the experience you need but also the skills and equipment you may not have access to.
Our bird control services are humane and are designed to both exclude and deter birds from choosing your structure as their nesting or roosting site. Whether birds are ruining your facility, your entry area, your business sign, or any other area of your property, our local experts will design a bird control plan that is tailored to your needs.
We use a variety of methods to stop birds from hanging around your property. These include:
- Bird netting
- Gel
- Bird spikes
- Shock strips
- Bird slopes
- Scare devices
- Physical changes to the property
After inspecting your property and identifying the main areas of concern, we’ll determine which methods will yield the best results for your situation.
Bird pest control is something every Houston business owner should consider. Even if pest birds are not a current problem around your facility, it’s wise to assess your risk and make necessary changes before birds move in. Modern Pest Control can help you determine if there are any areas around your commercial property that might attract birds, and we can help you implement changes that will keep pest birds off your property. Our experienced technicians are ready to help you protect your business. Contact us today to get started.