Time for Bird Proof Spikes
by Alex A. Kecskes
It doesn't take long for birds to gather in huge numbers and become destructive pests. Pigeons, sparrows, starlings, and gulls can drop an awful lot of poop and create quite a lot of noise. After they've decided that yours is a nice, safe place to nest, it's almost impossible to get them to leave on their own. Luckily, some clever people have studied and analyzed how birds land, and they now offer a way to prevent them from doing just that. What they've come up with is the Bird Proof Spike, get a simple device that prevents birds from landing.
The goal here is to convince them to move on, not harm them. For if allowed to gather and nest, pest birds can pose a serious health problem. It's common knowledge that birds can carry a wide range of some very serious diseases. These include a potentially fatal lung disease called histoplasmosis; a lower or upper respiratory disease called ornithosis; and pseudotuberculosism, resulting in abdominal pain and fever—up to 60 diseases in all, including salmonella. In fact, birds have even been known to carry the lethal West Nile Virus by way of the fleas and mites they carry. It's no wonder the Bird Proof Spike has become so popular.
Bird spikes are the ideal solution for keeping pest birds from landing and roosting on column tops, ledges, parapets, signs, beams, chimneys, cutouts, security cameras, lights, and more. The spikes on these devices are blunted, which makes them safe for birds and maintenance/installation crews.
The bird proof spike is effective because birds simply can't maneuver their wings or feet to land on the menacing looking angled spikes. These spikes are so well regarded that they have earned the recommendation of building contractors, architects, and municipalities.
There are a number of different bird spikes currently available. They all basically use the same principle--spike strips covered with densely nested rows of durable stainless steel spikes. Some manufacturers also offer bird spike strips with rigid U.V.-resistant unbreakable polycarbonate spikes. These cost less than their steel spike counterparts and are suggested for use in areas where conductivity or radio interference can be a problem.
What most property managers, homeowners and boat owners like about Bird Proof Spikes is that they deter a wide range of bird species. They also like the fact that they are low maintenance in that they won't trap most debris. For those who like the idea of a humane pest bird deterrent, bird proof spikes have been approved by virtually every humane group in the world, including The Humane Society of the United States and PICAS.
Bird proof spikes can be purchased in a number of different materials and configurations.
