Bird pest control is a continual challenge that many gardeners experience. If you are not a regular green thumb, it might have come as a surprise that birds can do so much damage to your garden. They can eat your lawn seed, fruit, be noisy and leave unwelcome messes.

 

Birds over other pests are especially menacing because:

1. They are big enough to do damage
2. They will eat your plants
3. They can fly and perch pretty much where they please, meaning it’s hard to cut off access to them
4. They have time to watch your garden and plan their attack
5. They are noisy and can smell

 

The good news is there are plenty of options to deal with different situations. Here are 10 ideas that you can use for your bird pest control that will keep the birds at bay.

Plastic Owl/Falcon

Imitation plastic owls get used to scare away birds and don’t look out-of-place in most gardens. They are relatively cheap, they are easy to install and there is little to no maintenance.

These plastic models now come with wind or solar activated moving parts to keep the birds guessing longer, however it's recommended that you move them around every few days to keep the birds guessing.

 

 

Plastic Snake

Plastic snakes are inexpensive, easy to use and there is also little maintenance involved in having one in your garden. They need placing in an area that birds will see from a distance, deterring them from coming to close and sensing that the snake is plastic. Great for keeping birds off decks, porch’s and balconies when hung on hand rails and around posts.

 

Bird Kite

Bird kites are a popular form of bird pest control. They appear as a predator in flight to unsuspecting birds, hunting its prey. This gives them an edge over other plastic replica predators. When  in the air they are also much more visible to pest birds.

Although that edge in effectiveness, is at the cost of maintenance. Bird kites typically take a little longer to set up, and don’t last as long, especially in harsh weather. 

Bird Spikes

Bird spikes are a great way to keep birds from perching on particular areas. When installed, they physically stop birds from landing, which in small areas will stop the birds coming in. They make no noise and last a long time, which is great for a small space where you can cover all the offending areas.

 

Netting

Bird netting is used in bird pest control for a long time by farmers to keep birds from fruit and other trees. Netting can look ugly but good netting is a barrier that birds can’t get past. Just like the spikes it physically removes birds so you need enough of it to cover the entire area you want to protect.

 

Reflective Tape

Reflective tape was originally popular on farms, where it's tied to stakes in the field. When the tape catches the sunlight it flashes, having many of them creates a sea of flashing light. This deters birds because they do not like movement, especially if it is unusual to them, which the random flashing is. Flashing tape is easy to install and inexpensive.

Cd’s Tied On A String

Cd’s tied on a string is one of the oldest forms of bird pest control. The CD’s create the same illusion that the reflective tape does, which irritates birds and they leave. CD’s tied on a string is typically made from material around the house, which makes them cheap if not free to make.

 

 

Motion Activated Sprinkler

Out of all the ways to scare away birds, this is the most fun. If a bird has created a nuisance, putting one of these in can give you some satisfaction as the next time the bird lands in your yard, it will get sprayed with water.

 

 

Ultrasonic Bird Repeller

Noise bird scarers are popular for industrial purposes on farms and places with a lot of land. They are motion activated which means movement sets them off, even in the early hours of the morning if left on. The sound is audible to human ears and can also be quite loud, and because birds can’t see the repeller, they can keep coming back for a while before they stay away for good.

Wind Chimes

Wind chimes aren’t often though of when scaring birds, but they do create unusual and unpredictable sounds that birds do not like. This randomness does unsettle them, although wind chimes are best used along with another bird scaring device.

 

Thanks for reading. 

If you know any bird pest control methods, why not leave a comment?