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.