Pigeons on Your Property Pose Health Risks

Grackles, house sparrows, starlings, and pigeons are urban birds. The unfortunate reality is pretty pigeons are backyard feeder pests. They also pose hazards in many cities and can cause health risks when they are on your property.

Pigeons And Health Risks: How To Cope

Pigeons can do a lot of damage. This can include roof problems that can lead to leaks. Pigeon droppings often accumulate and clog rain gutters. When combined with the baking effect of our Arizona sun, pigeon droppings can stain and even ruin exterior surfaces.

Commercial Properties and Pigeon Problems

Urban commercial properties cannot take a chance with the health risks posed by pigeon populations. Pigeons carry over 60 diseases. If your urban property is a restaurant, health risks aren’t a problem. They’re a disaster.

Here are tips for safely trying to control city-dwelling pigeons:

1. Discourage patrons from “feeding the birds.”
2. Install spike-strips on ledges, especially ledges near pedestrian traffic.
3. Keep outdoor garbage areas clean.
4. Play loud music. (This is a catch-22. You might scare away patrons, too.)
5. Put plastic or plastic curtains over roof openings or loading bay dock doors.
6. Put reflective surfaces atop outdoor umbrellas or wherever possible.
7. Regularly tidy-up under trees; their organic “litter” is appealing to birds.
8. Sprinkle/spread pigeon deterrents:
   • Black pepper
   • Cayenne
   • Chili powder
   • Cinnamon
   • Cumin
   • Garlic/garlic powder
   • Onion powder
   • Mothballs

Once they are scared away, pigeons are slow to return. Unfortunately, none of these methods is sure to work. Small-hard-to-reach spaces exist on every property, so the most effective and humane problem-solver is professional pigeon removal.

Health Risks as Pigeons Are Classified as ‘Pests’

Residential property owners discover keeping pigeons out of the yard can be challenging at best. Speaking kindly, Pigeons are in the pest-control category of “nuisance birds.” Most people think of them more as flying rats. They spread diseases and seem to travel in packs.

Because pigeons cause health risks to you and your family, it’s important to discourage them from visiting your home:

Keep Your Yard Clean

This seems incredibly obvious. But some homeowners don’t know the basics beyond mowing the grass.

For example, do your outside trash cans have lids? Do the lids fit securely or sometimes loosely? Outdoor trash bins are pigeon magnets, especially trash cans that are seldom washed.

The debris from your tree seems very natural; organic. It is, but it also has seeds and pieces of litter pigeons enjoy. Keep your yard free from tree droppings.

Don’t Feed the Birds

This is difficult for many. There are so many attractive birds you would like to welcome to your yard! Unfortunately, pigeons dine at bird feeders too.

One happy homeowner loved watching his bug-zapper zap bugs at night. The dead bugs attracted pigeons. He was second-party-guilty of “feeding the birds” and had to get rid of his bug-zapper.

On some farms, pigeons are a bigger problem than crows. They can devastate crops. Pigeons see gardens as a favorite restaurant to be visited seasonally. Consider guarding your small crops with netting and be sure to clean the garden area in the fall. Pigeons also enjoy “leftovers.”

Pigeons can even be trained to eat crackers and fries out of your hands. If they are that trainable, they can be trained to stay away. Don’t feed them, because they pose health hazards and can damage your property.

Professional Pigeon Removal

Eliminating a pigeon problem isn’t a DIY (do-it-yourself) job. Many Maricopa County property owners have already tried several solutions before they contact Budget Brothers Pest & Termite Elimination.

Our professional pigeon removal includes egg and nest removal. Together, we can make a plan to humanely and effectively eliminate the health risks pigeons and other birds can cause.