As a pest control specialist, you provide valuable preventative services to every customer you visit. Often when homeowners or business owners contact your business, it's because they've seen signs that indicate they have a pest control issue that needs to be remedied. As a specialist in the field, you likely provide valuable advice that helps customers avoid or eliminate pest infestations. This behavior should also extend to the bird control portion of your services. Many business owners and homeowners know little about the damage birds can cause to homes and buildings. In areas heavily populated with certain bird species, these residents may not even realize they have a bird control problem.
Whether you're a seasoned professional or you've recently added bird control to your line of services, you know the signs of pest birds and when your clients have bird control issues. When you spot these signs at your typical job sites, you're providing your customers with a valuable service by alerting them to the problem. Watch for these warning signs of bird control issues around the homes and businesses of your existing clients.
1. Congregating Birds
This seems obvious, but the most common sign of a bird infestation is large gatherings of birds. However, you may begin to notice birds before they form large groups. Like many animals, birds investigate potential nesting and living areas before they make their homes. If you see a lot of birds gathering on a property, then alert the owner to watch for their daily return or increasing numbers.
2. Bird Droppings
One well-fed pigeon leaves approximately 25 pounds of droppings each year. This means that even a small flock of 100 pigeons could quickly deface a public building or home. These large amounts of droppings are unsightly and also produce an unpleasant odor. Even worse, they can cause serious damage to buildings and violate local health codes (especially in commercial settings). Large amounts of bird droppings are a sure sign of bird control issues and a problem your customer should be alerted to right away.
3. Noise
Birds chirping outside your window in the morning or during your visit to the park can be pleasant. A bird infestation is just loud. Bird cries, shrieks, young bird chirps, bird calls, caws, and whistles become a din of noise that can't be ignored. Outside, the noise is noticeable. Sometimes birds also congregate indoors (often in attics), creating disturbing amounts of noise inside homes and commercial buildings.
4. Property Damage
Nesting birds are determined creatures. If your property or building isn't a satisfactory nesting spot, a mother bird might decide to make some alterations. Birds seek out-of-the-way areas like roof corners and eaves to build their nests. When conditions are less than ideal, birds may widen cracks, damage gutters, and damage rooftop HVAC equipment.
Grain-eating birds often find access to silos and warehouses. When they're there, they damage stored products intended for sale. Bird droppings, damaged product packaging, and equipment clogged by feathers and nesting materials are a sign of bird control issues. Sagging ceilings and blocked ventilation systems in commercial properties also indicate a problem. These types of damage cost business owners thousands of dollars to repair. However, without learning about bird control issues and the methods to solve the underlying problems, the damage will continue to occur.
5. Additional Pests
Bird infestations can also lead to other types of pest infestation. Bird activity and droppings attract a variety of pests that can make your property unpleasant. Birds often carry fleas and mites, which can be dropped along with molting feathers. Bird droppings attract flies, and generous amounts can lead to swarms of flies in the area. Messy bird behavior, like accessing food from trash cans or dropping food particles in flight, can attract rats and mice to the area, as well.
Conversely, areas that attract insects can lead to bird control issues. Birds feed on insects. If your customers have an abundance of insects, then birds are likely to follow. Advise clients on insect control methods and the benefits of early bird prevention.
6. Foul Odor
If you see a lot of droppings around the property, then it's likely you can also smell them. Even worse, when birds manage to get indoors, they often hide. When birds go unnoticed for long periods of time in parking structures, warehouses, or attics, they can leave a considerable amount of droppings. If a lingering odor exists that can't be blamed on garbage or rotting materials, then birds could be to blame.
7. Damaged Plants and Gardens
Birds have long been known as pests in the agricultural world. Birds are pollinators, so the fruits, vegetables, and seeds produced in practically any type of garden provide birds with a natural food source. Residential and commercial gardens provide birds with an opportunity to access food quickly and escape as needed, leaving the owners mystified about the source of the damage. Birds may leave large holes in produce or leave half-eaten vegetables behind. They can also cause damage to plant structure and disturb the garden soil. Watch for tell-tale droppings that indicate birds are causing garden damage,
8. Nesting Materials and Feathers
Nesting birds are messy creatures. Where birds create nests, they drop materials in the surrounding areas. In areas with bird control issues, it's common to see twigs, straw, leaves, and feathers. These scattered materials tend to end up in gutters and drainage systems. Over time, the scattered remains create clogs that can cause damage to homes and buildings.
Alerting your customers to signs of bird control issues isn't simply a way to gain additional business. It provides business owners and homeowners with a way to get ahead of the problem before it becomes a full-scale infestation. Business owners and residential property owners with bird control issues benefit from proper bird control services to avoid the costs of continued damage and expensive repairs. Bird control is possible under a variety of circumstances. Spotting the signs early provides you, as a bird control specialist, with an opportunity to remedy the problem. Learn more about the signs of a bird infestation and the tools to help deter birds from Bird Barrier.
About Bird Barrier
Bird Barrier is a leader in innovative technology designed to prevent birds from landing, roosting or nesting. We specialize in urban bird control to remove birds humanely and effectively. Our website, birdbarrier.com, hosts a wealth of content to help people understand and identify bird control solutions for various problems with pest birds. Please contact us if you need help with a bird related problem. You may also benefit from our free guide, Bird Deterrents: The Complete Guide.
