Pigeons can be a source of immense discomfort and can cause huge problems in residential areas in towns as well as country side farms. Though considered to be meek and simple birds, pigeons carry various pests and diseases and are can cause a potential threat to health of humans. Since pigeon droppings are very common, chances of spread of infection are very high and proper pigeon pest control methods should be employed.
The major diseases carried by pigeons are Chiamdiosis, caused by influenza like virus, and Psittacosis, similar to pneumonia. Though these diseases produce a mild attack on people with normal immunity, with symptoms like ordinary flu and cold, people with low immunity can be seriously affected. These diseases are spread by the spores emerging from dried pigeon droppings. Canker, a protozoan infection is another common pigeon disease which can spread in adult humans. Besides, these diseases are communicable and are also transferred to the healthy birds by the infected ones. Pigeons can act as pests themselves and destroy crops. Feral pigeons are known to destroy and eat up to 60 ounces of food in a year, leading to a loss of a lot of agricultural produce wrecking havoc for farmers. However, pigeons also carry various other fests in their wings and feathers. Pigeon flies are the most common ones whose larvae look like tiny lead shots. Red mites and lice also breed in the pigeon’s feathers and if transferred to the crops, they can be very difficult to eliminate due to their small size. In view of all these problems, pigeon pest control is a difficult process.
Considering pigeons are widely considered harmless and gentle, culling or shooting pigeons is generally frowned upon. However, pigeon predators have been used by farmers, besides use of professional help to shoot down the birds. The most popular method for pigeon pest control in the past was contraceptives to control their population. However, problems like migration of the birds limited the success of this method. Pigeon repellants like Bird-X bird repellant are chemicals that help eliminate pigeons from a specific location. Use of repellants has proved fairly successful although proper care needs to be exercised during their use, as an overdose may kill the pigeons. Fake repellants like audio devices producing scary, screechy sounds and alarms are also popular among farmers. A stainless steel wired mesh can help keep pigeons away in the residential areas, helping in pigeon pest control. In places where an extremely large colonies of birds roosts, pigeon spikes can be used which create a physical barrier, thus driving birds away from windows of apartments and homes.
Urban areas also suffer from the pigeon menace and residents have been known to use live traps to capture the birds and release them in deserted areas or nearby forests. Pigeon pest control is indeed an uphill task and it is extremely necessary to prevent the medical and economic damage caused by these birds.
A note from Clark Pest Control:
Remember to us humane methods when controlling birds and pigeons. If you are dealing with these types of pests, Clark offers humane bird control.