Bird Proof Your Store with Bird Spikes

by Alex A. Kecskes

One small storeowner in New York complained that a ledge that runs 20 feet along the top of his storefront is typically covered with pigeons every day. The ledge extends out over the sidewalk and entrance to the store, giving pigeons a perfect place to drop their “daily loads.” Customers entering the store have to walk through or jump over this “gauntlet of guano” to reach the front door.

If you’ve had your store for any length of time, you’ve no doubt had to deal with the nuisance and expense of bird damage/defacement. These winged pests often build nests on your signage, rooftops, parapet walls, A.C. units, and rooftop vents. They can also create quite a problem in rain gutters and downspouts, filling these water runoffs with nesting materials, feathers and other debris. When that happens, water overflows and seeps under roofing tiles, causing leaks and, ultimately, very expensive roof repairs.
Pest birds can also literally drive away customers, swooping down on them from the elevated perches of your store. No one likes to visit a store where birds are dive bombing them as they try to enter or leave. There’s also the nuisance of bird droppings, which can cover everything from windows, awnings and canopies to signage, doorknobs and walkways.

The solution, of course, is to employ some sort of bird control. And one of the best bird control measures available today is the Bird Spike.

Recommended for pigeons and other large birds, bird spikes have been used by thousands of storeowners nationwide. They are easy to install and, in some cases, blend in with their surroundings to make them practically invisible.

Bird spikes remain an effective pest bird deterrent because they prevent pest birds from landing.  No bird wants to get its wings tangled in a splay of nasty looking spikes. Better to simply find another, more bird-friendly landing area. Rest assured, the blunted spikes are safe and won’t harm our fine-feathered friends--they have been approved by a number of humane groups worldwide, including the U.S. Humane Society and PICAS (Pigeon Control Advisory Service).

Bird spikes come in strong, rigid unbreakable polycarbonate or flexible stainless steel. Steel spikes are available in 3-, 5- and 8-inch widths to cover areas up to 8 inches wide; plastic spikes come in 3-, 5- and 7-inch widths to protect areas up to 7 inches wide. The best spikes will provide many years of dependable deterrence, for they are made of marine-grade stainless steel and feature a U.V.-protected polycarbonate base. Some bird spikes come with a non-reflective metal finish, which means they won’t stand out on your roofline or parapet wall. You can even get spikes in a variety of colors to match your store’s signage, awnings or fixed canopies. Available colors include white, tan, gray, black, brown, brick red and crystal clear.

Knowing that pest birds often gather in rain gutters, one bird control manufacturer now offers a Gutter Spike. These specially designed bird spikes will keep pest birds out of your rain gutters. The best gutter bird spikes feature adjustable clamps at the base, which makes it easy to install them to the lip of a gutter. If you’re being plagued by really big pest birds like cormorants, turkey vultures or raptors, you’ll want to look into the Mega Spike, which features long, 7-inch spikes no bird would ever want to approach.

No matter which type of bird spike you get, better designed spikes are easy to install. They require no assembly and some have a flexible base that readily adapts to most flat or curved surfaces. Look for spike strips that feature pre-drilled holes and glue troughs along the base. These can be quickly nailed, screwed or glued onto any surface.

Related articles

• How to Install Plastic bird spikes Keeping your Home Pigeon Free! (bird-spike.com)
• How Bird Spikes Can Protect Your Home from Pest Birds (how-to-install-bird-spikes.com)
• How to Install Plastic bird spikes Keeping your Home Pigeon Free! (birdcontrolspike.com)

How to Install Plastic bird spikes Keeping your Home Pigeon Free!

by Fran Prisco

Each year homeowners spend hundreds of dollars cleaning up after and repairing the damage created by pest pigeons.  The domestic pigeon has become quite a nuisance in urban areas. Pigeons build relatively flimsy nests from sticks and other debris, which may be placed in trees, on ledges, or on the ground, depending on species. They lay one or two eggs, and both parents care for the young, which leave the nest after 7 to 28 days. Pigeons build relatively flimsy nests from sticks and other debris, which may be placed in trees, on ledges, or on the ground, depending on species. They lay one or two eggs, and both parents care for the young, which leave the nest after 7 to 28 days.  Pigeons have adapted to most of the habitats available on the planet. 

How to Install Plastic bird spikes

There are many products out there that can help to get rid of pest pigeons from your property.  By far the easiest to use and one of the most effective are plastic bird spikes.  Bird spikes are made of plastic or stainless steel.  Some have a plastic base with stainless steel spikes.  They usually come in either one foot or two-foot sections.  Plastic bird spikes come in different widths some as wide as 7” to be sure to cover the entire surface where pest pigeons are landing.  They are used on flat as well as curved surfaces such as window ledges, roof edges, patio covers, arched entryways and other areas that pest pigeons like to roost and nest.

Installation of plastic bird spikes is relatively easy.  You can glue or screw them down.  Make sure that all debris left behind by the birds is cleaned up first.  Use a mixture of bleach or ammonia with water to wet down the area and rinse it clean.  Do not clean bird droppings dry as they can be inhaled in dry form and cause illness.  When cleaning bird droppings use a mask and gloves.  Use enough plastic bird spikes to cover the entire area that the pigeons are landing or roosting on.  If they are in an area that is hard to get to it might be wise to call an expert.  There are many companies that install bird control products like plastic bird spikes.

How Plastic bird spikes Work

Once properly installed plastic bird spikes make it difficult for pigeons to land.  The plastic bird spikes are usually 4.25” to 4.50” high so that pigeons and larger birds can not straddle the spikes.  Be sure to look for a spike that has a “center” spike running down the middle.  This will keep the birds from building nests in the spikes themselves.  Covering all of the surface of a ledge or widow sill, will keep the pigeons form landing as birds land feet first, they will sense that something is there and move on.  When first installing plastic bird spikes, you may want to watch and see if the birds find another area of your home or building to land on.  That area too will need to have plastic bird spikes installed.

If you are unsure if you can put in the plastic bird spikes yourself to call a local bird control installer.  Most pest control companies can help, or call the pigeon spike manufacturer for an installer near you.  Getting ride of pest pigeons can be as easy as “gluing and screwing”!