|
|
|
|
Pigeon Prevention Tips
Pigeons are wonderful creatures. They fly fast and high—as high as 6,000 feet. Although most pigeons that we
see in cities have grayish feathers, some of the sub species of Florida pigeons are actually colorful. If you look
closely, when light reaches their neck, there seems to be some glossy rainbow there. They are also smart and
loyal. Pigeons are one of the few species that passed the mirror test or the self-recognition test. They are
monogamous and a couple of pigeons take care of their squabs together. They are also excellent navigators and
can remember landmarks. They are also capable of adapting to different environments and are able to live side
by side with humans. However, as wonderful as these birds are they can become nuisances sometimes. Their guano,
a prized fertilizer especially in the olden times is now but unnecessary waste in the streets and windows of
residents. Also, since they are herbivores, they tend to consume intentionally planted crops thereby destroying
a farmer’s or a gardener’s hard work. As it is cruel to kill them all, we just compiled the following list on how
to keep pigeons away:
Close points of entry
Pigeons are smart birds so they do not just roost anywhere. They roost in places where they think it is comfortable and
can find enough food. So to start, close off point of entries that they might consider for roosting like vented windows
and ceilings. You can put a screen so that the room will not be really suffocating.
Set up shields
- Use slinky, rods, and other physically obstructing objects in order to prevent pigeons from perching on your roof. They can
recognize the danger of the most obvious threat which is an unsafe landing spot. This way, they will avoid their relentless
perching on your roof and you can finally get rid of the bird’s waste. The rods are a direct harmful threat especially if you
make it pointed. They can also be purchased in the local hardware. Slinkies are children’s toys and are less harmful for the
birds but are definitely uncomfortable to perch on.
- Use gooey substances, Gooey and sticky substances to make their perching places uncomfortable therefore have the same effect as
the rods and slinkies. These can be found as Florida pest control products in your hardware stores.
- Use spices, Pigeons hate spices like cinnamon and pepper. This is one of the best ways to keep them from lurking around your house
but the downside is you have to renew the application every time it would rain.
Cut off food supply
When thoroughly fed, a couple of Florida pigeons can have up to 8 broods of squabs within a year. So to avoid this you must never feed pigeons
because they can remember you and keep on coming back. Also, always close the trash can and do not leave any food behind and in their
plain sight. This way you could lessen their population and possibly their lifespan. This can also discourage them from coming back to
a foodless abode..
Scare them away
As they are very friendly towards humans normal scarecrows might not work. Real bird predators would really scare the wits out of the pigeons,
but since most of us do not or cannot have one [because PETA or some other animal rights groups will obviously object and it is also against
government laws] you would have to content yourself with statues. These are common garden decorations so it would not be so out of place.
However, as we emphasized, Florida pigeons are smart birds, they would soon realize that the statues do not move and then go back to what they were
doing. Loud sounds or noises also scare away pigeons so it would be helpful if you have security alarms installed; the kind that is sensitive
to movements of beings as small as the pigeons. They have very sharp audio reception abilities so they would be highly sensitive and wary of
loud noises.
A very simple method of scaring them away is by hosing them down. When you see pigeons loitering around you can just spray them with water and they
would definitely think twice about coming back. These tips are not guaranteed to work every time. There are many sub species of Florida pigeons; some are
bigger and wiser than the others and so the application of these tips might vary.
We service the following areas:
Boca Raton,
Bradenton,
Cape Coral,
Fort Myers,
Fort Lauderdale,
Gainesville,
Jacksonville,
Lakeland,
Melbourne,
Miami,
Naples,
Ocala,
Port Saint Lucie,
Saint Augustine,
Sarasota,
Tampa, and
West Palm Beach
|
| © 2001-2018 floridawildlifecontrol.com - site content, photos, & maintenance by Florida Wildlife Control, all rights reserved. |
| | |
