Birds are beautiful, but when pigeons invade your property and excrete all over your paving and other areas, chances are you will lose your patience with them. Pigeon poop can also carry diseases and parasites.
There are various inhumane ways to discourage them, such as trapping or shooting them but using humane methods is often more effective. Here are some ways you may not have heard about yet for getting rid of pigeons.
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Use pigeon “birth control”
The availability of food and water in urban areas like Las Vegas contributes to the growth of pigeon populations. Nesting sites are also readily available in urban areas thanks to all the tall buildings, which are much like trees, and pigeons have few predators to contend with. For pigeon control in Las Vegas, the OvoControl pigeon control program is a humane and effective solution.
Using the OvoControl program can reduce the pigeon population by 50% on an annual basis. The females still lay eggs, but they don’t hatch because they aren’t fertilized. It is an easy program to introduce. All you need to do is get the pigeons used to feeding from an automated feeder by filling it with a suitable food like corn. The pigeons will soon develop the habit of feeding there if you trigger the feeder at a particular time. You then gradually substitute the bait with the OvoControl pellets that contain the active ingredient.
Make use of pigeons’ strong sense of smell
Pigeons have a strong sense of smell. You can use scents they dislike to try and repel them. One of the scents they dislike is cinnamon. Mixing cinnamon with water and putting it in a spray bottle that you use to spray over areas where you see pigeons can help to keep them away. Pigeons also detest chili, hot sauce or hot peppers. You will have to re-apply it frequently in the areas where pigeons are likely to perch. Another scent that can disturb pigeons is vinegar which has a pungent, harsh scent.
Modify their habitat
Pigeons are attracted to places where they can easily obtain food and water. When convenient sources aren’t available to them, they would rather nest in places where they are available. Pigeons enjoy picking food off the ground, so remove bird feeders altogether or make sure they exclude pigeons, and birds can’t dump seeds on the ground. Sunflower seeds and cracked corn are some pigeon favorites. You also need to make sure you keep your garbage cans tightly sealed and that you keep any pet food inside. Try to cover any sources of water like ponds and make sure taps aren’t dripping.
Install a motion-activated sprinkler
A spray of water when they’re least expecting it can make pigeons in your yard move away. You will not only keep your garden well-watered but keep away these unwanted pests. The combination of water, sound and movement provides a non-toxic way to get rid of them.
Use a scary predator effigy
Using a predator effigy can help to frighten pigeons away. Predator effigies only work on a temporary basis as pigeons quickly get used to them. This is why the most modern predator effigies are life-size and make erratic movements or emit predator sounds. No matter how realistic the effigy is and how it acts, pigeons eventually get used to it. You need to keep moving it from place to place if you want to keep tricking them into thinking it is real.
Buy an ultrasound repeller
Birds have a good sense of hearing, so an ultrasound repeller can work. Sounds alert birds to potential mating partners and to danger. A sonic bird repeller powered by a solar panel means no power cord is needed. A repeller that uses sound technology with a high frequency and a motion sensor function to detect movement is most effective. Movement activates the system to emit sound frequencies. Some bird repellers emit distress calls and the sounds predators make to scare pigeons away.
Install a weatherproof string
You can use a fine piece of weatherproof string and stretch it taught over areas where pigeons like to nest. The pigeons are caught off balance by the string when they try to perch because it is almost invisible. This may sound like a very simple solution, but it can actually be pretty effective. Just check the string every now and then to make sure it is still taut and an inch or so above the surface where you’re trying to discourage them from perching.
Some of the above methods of getting rid of pigeons may be more unconventional than others, but they will all work. Some only work for a temporary period, whereas others, such as pigeon birth control, will permanently deal with your pigeon problem.