Plastic Bird Spikes Keep Pest Birds from Food Handling Facilities

Your food handling facility can’t afford to have a pest bird problem. Without effective bird repellents or bird deterrents, bird droppings can contaminate stored food—even heavily packaged food. The most common pest birds drawn to food handing facilities are pigeons, sparrows, starlings, seagulls, crows and swallows. Pigeons, sparrows and starlings create most of the pest bird problems at food establishments. The acid in bird droppings can eat into cardboard, plastic wrap, even metal cans. Bird droppings can also carry any of 60 known diseases, including encephalitis, Newcastle disease, histoplasmosis, cryptocococcosis, toxoplasmosis, pseudo-tuberculosis, pigeon coccidiosis and salmonellosis.   

Pest Birds Have Adapted 

Bird pests have successfully acclimated to man-made environments and are very resourceful in finding ways to get at food. The presence of birds in food facilities should be treated with the same level of concern and urgency as rodent infestations. When checking for the presence of birds at your food facility, inspect the roof for nesting pigeons. They can often be found nesting, roosting and loitering around heating, ventilation and AC units. Bird droppings can enter AC systems, and disease-carrying contaminants can be easily distributed throughout your facility.  

Plastic Bird Spikes Will Deter Pest Birds 

More economical than steel spikes, plastic (polycarbonate) bird spikes are the anti-perching, anti-roosting bird deterrent that will prevent larger birds from gathering around your facility. Approved by a number of humane groups—including the U.S. Humane Society—plastic spikes are blunted at the tips so they won’t harm birds or installers. The plastic bird spikes offered by Bird-B-Gone come in two-foot sections and three different widths—3-, 5- and 7-inch—to provide wider and wider areas of bird deterrence. The base of each spiked strip is just 1.5 inches wide, so it can be installed on narrow ledges, windowsills, beams and pipes. A built-in glue tough and pre-drilled mounting holes simplify installation using common glues, screws or tie downs. The spiked strip’s flexible base easily “follows” curved surfaces, such pipes and rooftop structures.  

The Bird Spike That’s Built to Last 

 Bird-B-Gone plastic bird spikes are GSA approved and made of unbreakable UV-protected polycarbonate plastic to deter pest birds for years in harsh outdoor weather. The spikes are non-conductive and won’t interfere with your rooftop antennas or transmission equipment. Each bird spike is manufactured in the USA and comes with a 5-year guarantee. 

 Final Thoughts on Deterring Pest Birds 

To help eliminate your pest bird problem, there are some steps you can take to augment plastic bird spikes. For one, don’t allow employees to feed birds around your food facilities. You should also minimize any unnecessary use of water outside your facility. Repair any leaking faucets and adjust landscape irrigation systems to prevent puddles. Fix or repair low spots in landscapes and hardscapes that could catch and retain water. Repair gutters and downspouts to prevent water pooling and ensure drainage. Remove any unwanted food, food debris, food wrappers and food containers from around your facility.

Plastic Bird Spikes for Bird Control—Even if You Don’t Have Giant Condors

Homeowners in Bear Valley Springs, California are at wits end. Seems thousands of endangered California condors have come to roost in their quiet little neighborhood. The big birds, which boast an imposing nine-foot wingspan, have been ripping off roof shingles, biting electrical wiring, destroying screens, and leaving gobs of condor droppings in their wake. The big birds even pried open a can of white paint and coated an apartment deck. Residents feel powerless against the condor onslaught since the California State Fish and Game Commission recently prohibited the use of lead ammunition in areas in which condors nest.

You may not have giant condors attacking your home, but if pest birds are ripping up your roof shingles and pooping all over your property, there is a way you can discourage them from perching and roosting on your property. It’s called a Plastic Bird Spike, and there is simply no way a bird can land on or near these bird deterrents.

More economical than steel spikes, plastic bird spikes look like they would impale a bird, but the blunted tips are quite safe and won't harm birds, pets or people installing them.  And unlike steel bird spikes, plastic spikes can be installed near your dish TV antenna without interfering with your reception.

Insist on Quality Bird Spikes

The best plastic bird spikes are made of unbreakable UV-protected polycarbonate to last for years outdoors. These have a flexible base, which allows them to conform to curved surfaces. The spikes come in two-foot sections and 3-, 5- and 7-inch widths to provide increasingly wider areas of bird deterrence. The base of each spiked strip is only 1.5 inches wide, so they’re easy to install and can be glued down, nailed or screwed into any surface. Once installed, they're almost invisible from the ground. That’s because they come in a variety of colors--including crystal clear, brick red, light grey, brown, black and tan--which allows them to blend in with your home’s color scheme.

Get Mega Spikes for Cormorants, Turkey Vultures, Raptors

By the way, if you are unlucky enough to have giant condors tearing up your roof, biting your wiring and unloading pounds of poop on your roof, you should look into getting some Mega Spikes. These provide an effective physical bird deterrent that will keep large birds like condors, cormorants, turkey vultures, raptors, and more from landing or roosting on your property. Mega Spikes feature stainless steel pins that are virtually invisible. They also come with a 10-year guarantee.

Clean Surfaces Before Installing

Before installing any bird spikes, make sure the surface is clean and dry. Be sure to remove any loose rust, peeling paint, bird droppings, feathers and nesting materials. Use commercial disinfecting cleaning agents to prevent exposure to any of the 60 known airborne diseases carried by birds. If the area is heavily contaminated with bird droppings (wet or dry), use proper eye and respiratory protection.

For additional advice on how to properly install bird spikes around your home, consult an expert like the folks at Absolute Bird Control.

Bird Jolt Flat Track Installation Part II

Bird Jolt Flat Track Installation Part I

Controlling Pest Birds with Bird Spikes

By: Fran Prisco

The name bird spikes conjures up notions of barbarians with studded weapons used against defenseless little birds, but that is just not true.  Bird control spikes, also known as needle spikes or anti-roosting spikes are devices consisting of long, needle-like spikes used to control pest birds.  The needles or spikes are usually all plastic or a plastic base with stainless steel spikes.  They are harmless to pest birds, the spikes are not sharp, but create an unsuitable landing area for the birds so they move on to a more hospitable site.  Bird spikes are designed to keep pest pigeons and larger birds off of building ledges, signs, parapet walls and other flat surfaces that pest birds like to roost and nest on.

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.

Plastic Bird Spikes for Big Pest Birds

by Alex A. Kecskes

Today's plastic bird spikes are a highly effective method of bird proofing your property against most large pest birds. The reason is simple: no matter how they try, birds just can't seem to get their wings or feet around the imposing-looking spikes to land. After a few unsuccessful attempts, birds just give up and move on. It's no wonder that plastic bird spikes have been widely recommended by building contractors, architects, and municipalities. They have also earned the approval of practically every humane group around the world--including the U.S. Humane Society and PICAS (Pigeon Control Advisory Service).

Because they are a humane bird proofing method, plastic bird spikes can be used to safely deter a wide range of birds. The spikes come in 3, 5 and 7-inch widths to discourage four of the most troublesome large pest birds.