Are you waking up to the sounds of persistent chirping? You could have a pest bird outbreak! Find out how to keep birds away from your house for good in this Hivemind blog.
Whether it’s noise, droppings or damage to your roof, this guide will cover practical DIY methods and professional bird control options in Adelaide.
What questions will this article answer?
Why are there so many birds at my house?
Birds are looking for places to roost, safe and warm nesting spots, as well as food and water, making your home an appealing target.
Make your yard less bird-friendly
Remove sources of food and water, conduct regular yard maintenance and manage waste properly.
Predator Decoys
You can install a life-size statue or replica of creatures such as cats, owls and even large birds such as hawks or vultures.
Visual bird deterrents
Use bright coloured, round or shiny objects displayed around your yard.
Electronic sound devices
These are useful at keeping birds away from your home by simply broadcasting pre-programmed threats and distress calls.
Bird repelling scents
You can use essential oils, vinegar, pepper, citrus scents, mint and cayenne pepper.
Seal off entry points around your roof
This is one of the most effective ways for homeowners searching for how to keep birds away from their roof, as blocking off these hidden gaps stops nesting before it starts.
How to keep birds away: professional bird management
At Allstate, we use bird spikes, netting, wire, traps and an electronic anti-roosting system to deter birds.
Solar panel bird proofing
Protect your solar panels and stop birds from nesting on your roof.
Choose Allstate for safe and humane bird control
Available 24/7 for emergency advice, our technicians are fully equipped with humane and safe bird treatments which can be tailored to your needs.
Why are there so many birds at my house?
Are you waking up to the sounds of persistent chirping? You could have a pest bird outbreak! Understanding what attracts them is the first step in learning how to keep birds away from your home.
While they are active all year round, the peak season for pest birds is typically spring. With breeding in full swing, they’ll be looking for places to roost, safe and warm nesting spots, as well as food and water, making your roof and yard a very appealing target.
Here’s other ways to tell if you’re experiencing a pest bird infestation at your home:
- You notice more of birds on your roof
- Bird droppings and bird nests
- You see more feathers and nesting material around
Make your yard less bird-friendly
Pest birds are always on the lookout for food, water and safe nesting sites. You’ll want to make your property as uninviting to them as possible by following some of these tips. If you’re looking for how to keep birds away from your house long term:
Grow plants which deter birds
Strongly scented leaves, fruits and flowers act as effective bird deterrents. This means that herbs such as mint, lavender and garlic are handy to keep around. Planting them in a dense pattern around the perimeter of your yard also creates an intimidating physical barrier against pest birds.
Remove sources of food and water
With an appetite for grains, seeds and plants, as well as the occasional small insect, pest birds are also notorious for enjoying food scraps. We recommend avoiding leaving food out, including bird feeders, and keeping other food covered. This includes pet food bowls and water.
Manage waste properly
Teeming with rotting food, garbage and compost are popular targets for hungry pest birds, so it’s important to manage waste appropriately to avoid attracting pest birds to your yard.
Keep compost heaps covered and rubbish secured in plastic bags inside tightly sealed bins with well-fitted lids. Empty your bins regularly to avoid overflowing.
Regular yard maintenance
Remove fallen fruit from your yard, as this will attract many different pests, including pest birds. Trimming back overhanging tree branches and shrubs will reduce the chances of pest birds getting easy access to your property.
Keep outdoor dining areas clean
Make sure that outdoor dining areas are free from crumbs, dropped food and scraps. Wipe away spills immediately, and ensure that dining tables, cooktops and food preparation areas are disinfected.
Predator Decoys
Scarecrows have long been used to frighten birds away from veggie patches, but there are other predators which can stimulate a bird’s sense of danger.
You can install a life-size statue or replica of creatures such as cats, owls and even large birds such as hawks or vultures to keep pest birds out of your garden. These simple decoys are a low-cost way to keep birds away from your yard.
Keep birds away for good, get expert advice today
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Visual bird deterrents: how to keep birds away with sight-based tricks
With better eyesight than humans, birds can see further and with more vivid detail. If you’ve been wondering how to keep birds away from your garden or roof without chemicals, visual deterrents are one of the easiest DIY methods.
Here are some ways to make your property less appealing for pest birds to come and visit:
- Many birds perceive colours such as orange, red and silver to be threatening
- Hang spherical garden balls off tree branches, scatter them over the garden beds and lawns
- Shiny objects can cause distracting reflections within pest bird eyes and can be suspended in trees and popular nesting sites. These include foil sheets, aluminium cans and mirrors
Electronic sound devices
Pre-programmed to broadcast pre-recorded predator calls, combined with distress calls from different species of pest birds, electronic sound devices are useful at keeping birds away from your home by simply just mimicking a threat. They’re especially useful if you want to know how to keep birds away from your roof or solar panels without physical barriers.
You can program these devices to operate at different times and intervals to minimise the distraction of these sounds during your day-to-day activities.
Bird-repelling scents to keep birds away
Although they mainly use their sharp vision to hunt for food, pest birds have special olfactory organs located on their beaks which help them to also detect smells from a distance.
Strong smelling household items can be mixed with water and poured into a spray bottle and applied liberally along popular roosting sites. These include:
- Essential oils
- Vinegar
- Pepper
- Citrus scents
- Mint
- Cayenne pepper
Seal off entry points around your roof
We recommend regularly inspecting your roof for all potential access sites and then covering them or filling them completely. Ensure that mesh covers are strong enough to resist pecking, with fine openings that can’t be easily damaged and widened.
This step is essential if you’re focused on how to keep birds away from your roof in Adelaide homes.
Have birds chirping around your roof? Speak to an expert today
or
How to keep birds away: professional bird management
At Allstate, we emphasise a safe and humane approach to handling pest birds. Your pest technician will choose one or more of the following techniques to stop birds from roosting on your property.
Professional treatments are the most reliable way to keep birds away for good:
Bird spikes
By creating an uneven landing area, bird spikes are designed to discourage pest birds from roosting on leading edges along your roof. They’re best used on exposed ledges, beams, windowsills, railings, gutters, girders, chimneys and signs. They come in a range of types, sizes, shapes and materials including polycarbonate and steel.
Bird netting
Useful for enclosed areas, bird netting physically prevents birds and other pests from entering key areas, while still allowing air flow and light to pass through. Available in a range of flexible and durable materials and colours, they can be customised to fit problem areas.
Bird wire
An alternative to spikes, bird wire is a more discreet bird deterrent suitable for new buildings. Thin, UV protected stainless steel wire is secured between posts to destabilise the landing area and reduce roosting.
Bird Jolt Flat Track System
As a barely noticeable bird deterrent for roofs, the Bird Jolt Flat Track system is an electrically powered, near-flat surface that delivers a very mild electric shock whenever birds try to land on it. Standing at only ¼ of an inch tall, it can be installed on any surface.
Bird traps
For severe outbreaks, you may need to bait pest birds and capture them in a large cage to physically remove them.
Solar panel bird proofing
FAs more and more South Australians are reaping the benefits of solar energy, so are pest birds. Solar panels not only provide a safe place to shelter underneath, they also make for popular breeding and nesting sites. That’s why many homeowners ask how to keep birds away from solar panels in Adelaide.
Unfortunately, over a long period of time, their presence can create issues for even the most robust of solar panels, causing them to work less efficiently. However, you won’t have to worry about these types of problems with solar panel proofing.
At Allstate, our pest technicians will carefully begin by cleaning your solar panels and their surroundings, including roof spaces, to clear every trace of feathers, droppings or nesting material present.
They’ll then install a durable, UV-coated mesh, that does not interfere with the functionality with your solar panels, around the perimeter of each panel. This is specially fitted to prevent pest birds from venturing underneath, and can be removed or reinstalled at any time.
With a 1-year warranty on this service, protecting your solar panels from irreversible damage is just a phone call to Allstate away.
Choose Allstate for safe and humane bird control
Since 1986, we’ve offered reliable quality pest control services to clients in commercial, residential and industrial settings across all suburbs of Adelaide. Our highly trained and fully equipped pest control technicians can deliver a tailored, humane management plan to ensure that you, your family and employees won’t have to worry about nuisance pest birds for years to come.
While all our services emphasise the safety and wellbeing of the pest birds, we also have competitive warranties and payment plans available. So if you’re needing urgent advice on a pest bird outbreak, Allstate is here for you 24/7.