Call for Your Exclusive Wildlife Inspection Report.®
Bird Control
It might be surprising, but birds are some of the worst pests you can get near your home. Birds can spread all kinds of nasty diseases, and they also are known to cause many different damages to homes and building materials. Continue reading to learn more about birds and how you can remove them as soon as you can.
Why are birds attracted to my property?
Birds, much like other nuisance animals, often examine many different yards and areas before they pick one to stay at. There are two main factors that are likely to persuade birds to live in your yard, and these are food and shelter. If your yard offers an easy food supply for birds, they will likely make your yard and home their permanent residence. Many birds are very fond of insects, so if your yard hosts many bugs, you might have some risk for a bird problem. Birds also love to pick through any pet food they can find, as well as any garbage that has been left out in the open.
In addition to easy food supplies, birds also love yards for the shelter they offer. If your yard has many large trees that provide all kinds of shelter and nest-building materials, you may experience nuisance bird problems. Another common shelter place for birds is inside garages, homes, and chimneys. These can all provide excellent places for birds to stay safe, stay warm, and raise their young.
What problems do birds cause?
While birds seem like innocent flying creatures, they can present some serious problems to humans, in the form of deadly diseases, as well as property damage. Some of the worst, potentially fatal diseases birds can be found carrying are leptospirosis, encephalitis, salmonella, and other viral and bacterial infections. The aforementioned diseases can cause hospitalization, or even death, to humans and their pets. A worrisome aspect of bird diseases is that they are spread so that many humans may never know they came into contact with a disease. This is the most common through urine and fecal transmission. Coming into contact with bird droppings can cause the risk for infection, and these diseases can last for months after the droppings are gone or dried.
As if the health problems were not worrisome on their own, there is also a risk for property damage. Bird droppings are very corrosive and cause the weakening of metals, which can potentially cause them to collapse. This can cause the potential for serious injury or death to humans, as well as costly repair bills. Since most birds build nests in places that are warm and out of the way of danger, many birds will decide to create their nest in your HVAC components. This can potentially lead to the serious risk of fire since the nest-building materials are usually very flammable. These are just some of the reasons it is wise to remove birds as soon as possible.
How can I remove birds?
Removing nuisance birds from your home and property can be a difficult task to achieve. Many birds are protected by law, and self-removal could be illegal for certain species. An important point to remember is that birds will often invade your home and have their young inside. If this is the case, and you try to remove the birds on your own, you could cause the young birds to die from starvation, and they may stink up your whole house. Since birds can get into some crazy places, it is unlikely a homeowner could find the birds easily. On top of these other two issues, trying to remove birds on your own can expose you, your family, and your pets to the potentially deadly diseases birds carry, and this is why bird removal is often left to professional wildlife removal companies.
Why hire Wildlife X Team Nashville?
At Wildlife X Team Nashville, removing birds is our top priority. Our experts can remove virtually any nuisance bird species. We provide wildlife removal, animal damage repair, sanitation and odor removal, attic restoration, and many other services for Nashville and the surrounding areas. Contact Wildlife X Team Nashville today if you are having a bird problem of any kind, as we would love to help!
How to Remove Birds From The Attic?
As urban living areas continue to stretch out across the land, animals are left with less space to exist, which often makes them move in with humans. Now, while birds are usually quite harmless, even when living in your home, their presence can expose you to an array of serious illnesses. So it’s best to address the problem promptly and remove them from your attic.
But how?
Getting rid of birds in your attic can sometimes be as easy as opening the windows wide, and just waiting a while. Animals are naturally oriented towards the outside world, so the light and fresh air may entice them to leave your property on their own. Of course, this can be a little tricky, as it requires you to be on the lookout, and close the windows after they’ve gone, lest they re-enter.
But sometimes, birds will just take advantage of your open windows to come and go as they please. If the birds came in through a separate entry point (and not an open window), then closing these would be pointless.
- Search for an entry point.
The first step in removing unwanted wildlife from your property should be identifying the animal’s entry point, and sealing that promptly. Otherwise, you’re just inviting more trouble in. When sealing an animal’s entry point, be sure to use material that’s difficult to chew or claw through (like caulk, or iron mesh), otherwise other animals might spot the invitation.
It’s a good idea to seal the entry point before you begin your bird removal process, or else you’ll get stuck in a loop. However, do look for unhatched eggs before you seal the entry point or baby birds. It would be cruel and unnecessary to separate the bird (who may be outside, looking for food) from her babies, especially if they’re not old enough to be self-reliant.
- Try to scare them off with loud noises.
One of the things that birds (and many animals, for that matter) do not like is loud noise. So turning up the radio, or bringing your speakers into the attic may sometimes be enough to convince your winged intruders to leave on their own.
Before you attempt this method, however, make sure the windows are open, so that it’s easy for the birds to fly out.
- Also try using shiny things to scare them off.
Birds are repelled by shiny, reflective surfaces, such as the back of a CD or aluminum foil. So decorating your attic using such reflective objects will create an unstable, and unsafe (in their perception, at least) habitat for the birds, which will encourage them to look for a home elsewhere.
You could also try additional deterrents, like cat urine, or a scarecrow in your attic, to trick them into thinking there’s a predator nearby, and they need to move. Beware, however, that things like cat urine may leave behind a harsh scent.
- Use live traps.
If scaring methods fail, it’s time to bring out the big guns. In this case, we’re looking at live bird traps. These are essentially cages that will trap the bird in place, without harming it. Make sure you check on your trap regularly, remove and release the bird into the wild when trapped.
While it’s tempting for some homeowners to attempt using kill traps or poison gas to kill off the winged intruders, we would not recommend this course of action. First off, the use of toxic gasses is inadvisable inside your own home for obvious safety reasons.
Secondly, many states have laws protecting certain types of birds. Thus, killing a bird (even if it’s a nuisance on your property) might land you in legal hot waters. So it’s best to avoid such practices and look for humane removal methods instead.
Lastly, killing an animal for the simple offense of entering your property is cruel, inhumane, and unnecessary.
- Call a pro.
Last but certainly not least, we encourage you to contact a wildlife removal professional. If you don’t feel confident in your own removal skills, or just don’t want to waste precious time and energy (not to mention money) on removal methods that may or may not work, go the safe route, and call a bird removal professional.
How to Remove Birds from the Chimney?
When a bird gets into your chimney, it can present many problems. These critters can reach almost any area in a home, and they will build nests, cause obstructions, and are around your property spreading disease. Once you notice you have a bird problem, it is vital to take action as soon as possible. Continue reading to learn how you can remove birds from your chimney.
Why are birds in my chimney?
Chimneys are commonly one of the most accessed parts of a home for a wide variety of nuisance animals. Chimneys provide animals with a source of shelter for both temporary solution and long-term solutions. These are great structures that provide warmth and security out of the elements, which is very important during the colder months, especially in places like Nashville and Clarksville, TN. Birds love to build nests in chimneys, as a lot of the work of protecting them is already done by the chimney walls. In addition to shelter, birds also love to live in chimneys because they can be closer to home and eventually possibly gain access to your home.
Can birds in my chimney cause problems?
If a bird is in your chimney, there are a couple of problems to be aware of. The most serious problem is that having birds in your chimney puts them very close to your home. This means that they will keep trying to find access to your home. This can lead to a variety of problems. Since birds build nests in your chimney, it can cause your chimney to catch on fire. This can also occur when a bird dies or the feathers begin to build up. Since all of these materials are flammable, they can quickly turn a random spark from your fireplace into a dangerous house fire.
Beyond the risk of fire damage, birds are also one of the most disease-spreading nuisance wildlife species. Even if a bird is in your chimney, it can still spread all kinds of nasty diseases all around your property, especially if they make their way inside your home. These diseases are generally spread through a bird’s droppings and can include diseases such as leptospirosis, salmonella, and avian tuberculosis, to name a few.
How can I prevent birds?
Preventing birds from making their way into your chimney can be done in a fairly simple way. The most apparent way to do this is to purchase and install a chimney cap on your chimney’s opening. Chimney caps generally consist of a wire mesh for smoke to escape from while maintaining strength throughout to keep animals out. If you buy the right chimney cap that is built sturdy, they generally come with very long-term warranties, with some being lifetime.
How can birds be removed from my chimney?
It is very common for homeowners to attempt the removal of birds in their chimney on their own. This can present some problems. One of the biggest problems is that it is very hard for someone without specialized tools to get down into the chimney to remove not only the birds, but the nest as well. This is why it is recommended to hire a professional wildlife removal company.
Hiring a professional wildlife removal company is a great idea, as their removal methods will keep you and your family safe from diseases and the risk of having a house fire from the nest. Beyond the removal methods that these companies use, these experts are also able to provide prevention services that will keep any future animal infestations out of your home and chimney.
Get Quote for Your Exclusive Wildlife Inspection Report.®
Our Wildlife Control Services
