If you’ve lately noticed a lot of dead leaves in your yard, as well as small white cones that have randomly appeared on your driveway – chances are you have a roosting bird family. But what if the birds chose to take up residence in places where it should be illegal for them to be?
In such cases, most people usually take the help of professional bird control services, while others prefer to do it by themselves. Bird’s nests are great for many reasons but can quickly become unsightly and even dangerous when left unchecked. Let’s take a look at how to safely remove unwanted bird nests.
How to Remove the Bird’s Nest Safely?
1. You Must Wear Protective Clothing, Mask, & Gloves
Wearing protective clothing is the most important part of handling bird’s nests. Gloves should be long-sleeved cotton ones that protect from the bird’s spines and bloodsucking insects. A mask will also help protect you from the bird’s droppings and feathers.
Bird nests contain toxins that can cause severe health problems if ingested or inhaled by humans. To prevent this from happening, wear protective clothing when removing any type of bird’s nest from your property.
2. Waiting Until after the Nesting Season is a Must!
It is vital to wait until after the nesting season before removing a bird’s nest. This is because birds need to be protected from predators and rain, so they will not move their eggs or young. If you remove a nest before the breeding season, there is a risk that the birds will abandon their eggs or be young.
It is also important to remove bird nests in a way that does not harm other wildlife or pets. Bird nests can contain several species of insects, snakes, and other animals that may be poisonous or harmful to humans or pets. It’s best to remove these nests by hand with gloves on, as this will minimize any potential harm caused by pesticides on your skin.
3. Cleaning the area
If you’ve removed a nest from your house, make sure to clean the area thoroughly. Feces, parasites and diseases may still be on the surface where the nest once was. Mix nine parts of water with one part of bleach and give it a good soaking and scrub.
4. Check for Eggs
Before you begin removing any nests, make sure that there are no eggs in them. If there are eggs in them, they may be attached to the mother bird and will hatch if disturbed. You do not want to crush these eggs or hurt any birds that are nesting nearby.
What if the nest is active but must be removed?
If you spot an active bird’s nest in your home, do not remove it yourself unless you have the proper training and equipment. Exterminators are trained to safely remove, relocate and destroy nests without harming the birds or their eggs. Also, scheduling regular pest inspections will help to prevent pest infestations in you house.
When It’s Okay to Move a Nest
Is it possible for someone to remove a nest without using any professional equipment or learning how to do it? Well, the answer is yes, but it is only possible in two situations:
1. The nest is no longer in use.
You can never be too sure that a nest is being used. Young fledglings often return to the nest several days after leaving, and it’s also possible that more than one brood uses the nest. To be on the safe side, wait until the breeding season is over.
2. When the nest was built in a birdhouse
Wait until the breeding season is over before cleaning out a birdhouse. Birds will be looking for places to roost when it gets cold in the winter, or they might raise chicks if you are planning on keeping them again.
How can I stop birds from nesting in unwanted places?
1. Catch a Nest before it’s Fully Built
The ideal time to remove a nest is when it is still incomplete, since the bird will probably find another location for its nest. If you find that both birds and eggs are in the nest, you must wait until they leave before removing it. During this process, you might have to deal with birds for a short time but removing an inactive nest is easier and safer than taking care of an active one.
2. Use Bird Spikes
Bird spikes are a great way to deter birds from nesting in unwanted places. The spikes are made of steel and can be used indoors or outdoors. The spikes are usually sold in bundles of four, which include everything you need for each spike installation.
Bird spikes are ideal for use around windows and doors, balconies, porches, and decks. They’re also great for keeping pigeons off your car or garage. Bird spikes will help keep unwanted birds away from your home while also protecting your property from being damaged by the birds themselves.
3. Netting/Meshes
A strong and reliable netting is easy to install, and can cover the entire area, which prevents birds from landing. It’s cheap and reliable, so it will likely solve problems in some areas that are popular nesting spots.
An alternative to that would be mesh. Both solutions are effective, and they do not affect the aesthetics of your house at all. The only downside is that mesh doesn’t last as long as netting—so you’ll need to check it often and replace it when necessary.
4. Use Decoys
The owl decoy is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to keep birds from nesting. The only problem is that birds will think it’s dead if you leave it in one place too long. So, you’ll have to move it around, which may not be all that practical.
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Author Bio:
When people find their homes and offices infested with pests, it is not uncommon for them to panic. Raymond Web has taken the task to educate people on pest prevention and control strategies, helping them keep their surroundings healthy, safe, and pest-free. Being the digital marketing manager for taking Care Termite and Pest Control, a top-rated pest control service in Tracy, CA, he has an in-depth understanding of people and their pain points due to pests, which he uses in his content to educate people.