How to get rid of pigeons on roof? Pigeons and other birds often cause different kinds of devastation to the roof of your house:
- Dirty solar panels
- Clogged gutters
- Bed bugs and other pests
- Slippery pigeon feces and fall risk
And pigeons also carry diseases – zoonotic diseases at most(CDC 2017), and you really don’t want pigeon infestation in your house, right? Fixing the damage from roof pigeons is very expensive, so you should think about the ways of how to get rid of pigeons on your property.
I’m going to present you with some non-lethal methods of how to get rid of pigeons or just deter pigeons from your property.
Pigeon nests
But, at first, let’s talk about pigeon nests because this isn’t much more serious, but a different kind of pigeon problem. If you won’t get rid of pigeons’ nests – it will be almost impossible to deter pigeons in the future.
Where do the pigeons prefer to nest?
Buildings’ roofs are perfect nesting areas for pigeons, because of the warmth they provide. Roof pigeons aren’t that picky when they’re choosing their nest placement, as long as there are pet food and water nearby.
Also, about their nesting materials, pigeons usually pick up sticks, straws, and leaves from the surroundings to create their nests. This information will be useful when we will talk about how to get rid of pigeons’ nests.
So how to exclude pigeons’ nests from your property?
Your goal is to get rid of pigeons: to scare and prevent them from nesting, but not to kill them – this is illegal! It’s also illegal to move a pigeon’s nest in some countries – only licensed specialists can do that.
And the first topic is:
How to get rid of pigeons on roof?
At first – to get rid of pigeons, you should understand where you’ll place bird netting, anti roosting spikes, etc. There is no point in deploying bird netting in place, where is already something reflective, for example, so choose unprotected areas of your house.
The most attractive places for pigeons are rooftops, balcony railings, and vents. Bird feeders are also attractive for pigeons, nevertheless, pigeons tend to bully other species of birds, leaving the food only for themselves.
So, there are several tactics of how to discourage pigeons from your roof:
1 – Install anti roosting spikes
Anti roosting bird spikes are reliable and effective in getting rid of pigeons and their nests on the roof. Metal anti perching spikes are good for keeping pigeons out from flat surfaces but mention that these birds are pretty clever, and it is going to be pretty hard to protect such objects as solar panels and windows.
Pigeons can learn, where bird spikes are located, and they can find another place nearby your roof for nesting, and larger birds can follow their example. So I would recommend spending some time, looking for hidden warm places inside your house, to place pigeon spikes inside.
By the way, this is going to be the theme of our next paragraph.
2 – Seal off all of the entrances in your house
As I mentioned above, pigeons and other birds usually choose their future roosting area mostly by warmth, usually, they don’t care about the size of the nesting area – the main thing is to lay a nest in it.
If you have found one or more places in your house, you can use anything to seal the entrance, silicone caulk, for example, is perfect for filling small openings, if you want to cover a bigger space – use old clothes or place some bird spikes. Don’t forget to clean the area from pigeon waste!
3 – Wire mesh and bird netting
Install bird netting and wire mesh – and you’ll block the roof from pigeon roosting. Everything is simple: just place wire or net on your roof or any place, where you want to deter pigeons, and these discouraging pigeons won’t be able to land on your roof anymore.
For the best result – install them on flat surfaces, like caps, window sills, or on the edges of solar panels. But be careful – don’t place a wire or bird netting in places of people’s activity – it can be dangerous!
And I highly recommend you to hire a professional, to set a bird netting, because if you’ll deploy it wrong – it will be useless.
4 – Remove nesting materials and pigeon droppings
When it comes to birds nesting – birds need materials and someplace, where they’re going to lay their nest. So take care of your surroundings on your property: spray the roof with gel, install sticky tape, clean your garden from sticks, leaves e.t.c. But there is still one important thing to do before starting pigeon control – clear your roof from all pigeon nests and pigeon droppings!
Why pigeon feces are so harmful?
Pigeons droppings are highly acidic and infectious, they can damage your roof – and you! So, while cleaning your roof from pigeon feces – wear a mask, to not inhale hazardous components of pigeon droppings – it can cause lots of diseases because of different bacterias and viruses in them.
How to get rid of pigeons quickly and humanely
You’re now able to save your house from pigeons’ nests! But how to get rid of pigeons on roof? Because you can get rid of pigeons nesting inside your house, but they could give you a lot of troubles outside: garden in pigeon feces, or just lots of annoying pigeons everywhere!
I’ve prepared some pigeon control methods for you too, these are some of them:
Deter pigeons
Detering pigeons is a long-term and effective way to scare them.
1 – Spices
If your house is full of such home remedies as spices, for example, chili powder, pepper, and cinnamon – you can try to use them as pigeon repellents. Read on for some tips on how to get rid of a chipmunk with cayenne pepper..Use a safe method to repel chipmunks in garage.
Pigeons hate strong smells and this place won’t be so attractive anymore.
I would recommend you to put spices into the water with vinegar, before covering the roof with this mixture. It’ll make your mixture absolutely distasteful for birds.
But this kind of repellent isn’t perfect– to get rid of pigeons for a long time, you’ll need to apply them thickly, time and again because they get washed away with rain and lose their potential. Going up to the roof every weekend to sprinkle more seasoning is not a perfect solution, to say the least, and you’ll pay through the nose for such a big amount of spices.
2 – Electronic devices
Ultrasonic bird deterrents are recommended by pest control experts. These devices are very helpful in not only getting rid of pigeons but from other birds too!
These are the simplest bird deterrents in use: all you have to do is insert it into a power socket, adjust it, and use it. The ultrasonic impulses can be heard by pigeons in a radius of one acre, so you’ll get rid of them, and even pigeon droppings in a radius of three miles!
Birds have a great sense of hearing, allowing them to hear sounds that we aren’t able to hear. Their hearing should be sharp, to hear other pigeons, and ultrasonic devices can cause deafening sounds for pigeons, forcing them to fly away. Pigeon’s problem is no more with this device!
3 – Reflective surfaces
Birds don’t like bright lights and objects, so, to remove pigeons from your roof – just look for anything that reflects sunlight. It’s a cheap and effective solution of the pigeon problem because you can use old CDs, foil balloons, foil strips, or even some kinds of solar panels.
It’s easy to perform and effective in excluding pigeons from your property, but if you live in such regions, where the sky is usually cloudy, like London, you should look for another way of pigeon control.
4 – Bird repellent gel
Another bird deterrent is repellent gel. This kind of gel is non-toxic, and durable, and makes the surface of your roof unattractive for birds, because when pigeons or other pest birds land on the roof – they are getting stuck in this gel, and it will drive pigeons nuts! (If you want to see an example, how does sticky gel works – look at the cat, stepping in something sticky)
But it’s not a good idea to put this gel on any kind of railings, window sills, or landings that people touch, because this gel is very moist and difficult to remove. And you should also avoid wide layers of this gel, as pigeons can stuck in it and hurt themselves.
5 – Get rid of bird feeders and bird baths
Bird feeders and bird baths are beautiful decorations for your garden, but if there are always lots of pigeons around your house – this might be the main reason for pigeon problems on your property.
This happens because pigeons are always looking for two things in their roosting areas: warmth and food sources. If you want to prevent birds from landing on your territory – eliminate free food sources and objects, that are attractive for birds in attic.
By the way, as I mentioned above, pigeons tend to bully everyone, who stands in their way. If a flock of pigeons has landed on your birdbath or – they’ll care about keeping birds away. So to settle effective bird control around your house – take care of keeping away all of the birds, not only pigeons.
Myth about rice
And one more thing: some of you are thinking: “Can I get rid of pigeons by putting in bird feeders uncooked rice?” This myth is false. Ornithologists confirm that every sort of rice is safe for every kind of bird. So don’t risk it, killing pigeons is illegal in any case!
6- Weatherproof string
You might be thinking: “How sting can save my property from these discouraging pigeons?” But it’s a very useful and elementary bird deterrent.
These invisible strings are stretched in pigeons’ future nests, and when some kind of bird or pigeon flies into your house – they find themselves uncomfortable hanging out inside! They can’t see strings below them, and they’re becoming discouraged and disoriented really fast.
Also, strings can withstand a pigeon, diving into the land, so don’t worry about its strength.
Too simple for a consequential problem, isn’t it?
7 – Cap your vent
A vent or chimney is the most attractive place for pigeons. Their nests usually clog gutters in the season of rains or pigeons by themselves bring bird infestation by pigeon droppings. And it’s a hard-to-reach placement for people, so you should take care of getting rid of pigeons as soon as possible
Important note!
Don’t forget to check the chimney for pigeons, that could be trapped inside, and if there are pigeons trapped inside – the best decision would be to call an expert, but if you want to do it yourself – there is a solution.
How to lure out a pigeon?
Put inside a middle-sized box, that the bird could fit in, face its opening upwards the fireplace, and turn on a flashlight, to attract pigeons’ attention, and shine on the bottom of the box. Make sure, that you’ve capped the cap of your chimney, ensure that the pigeon won’t have any other way out.
It will take some time, but if your attempts aren’t successful, as I mentioned above – call an expert.
8 – Reduce reproduction
It’s a unique and relatively new method of pigeon control. It’s not baiting the birds, but reducing their population by 50, 60, or even 80 percent! It’s a long-term deterrent, and it takes some time, to see the result, so if you want a quick solution to your problem – this method is not for you.
How to use it?
It would be perfect if you have got an automatic feeder because this deterrent is feed for pigeons.
You should estimate the number of pigeons in your area, to have a conception, of how many deterrents you will need. Larger population – more food.
If you got information about the pigeons’ population – everything further is easy. Just set the feeder, put in the food deterrent, adjust – that’s it!
But be careful – this deterrent must be used with accurate calculations! It’s effective, but not easy to use.
Scare pigeons
Scaring pigeons is a temporary, but sufficient solution of pigeon problems, especially if you want to get rid of pigeons quickly and easily.
1 – Water spraying pigeons
If you want an easy and reliable bird deterrent- just spray pigeons from the hose! But it won’t get rid of pigeons for long, and these pesky birds will return to your roof very soon.
But, at least, you will clean your roof and, maybe, solar panels from pigeon waste on it because, as I mentioned above, pigeon feces are highly acidic and infective. For getting rid of pigeon feces, I would recommend a power washer, like Worx or Karcher.
You can also use a motion-activated sprinkler, it costs more, but there are plenty of advantages to this device. Attach, adjust, and you’re good to go! You won’t need to keep an eye on it, and as a bonus – your garden will be watered too!
2 – Windchimes
The easiest way to scare pigeons, in my opinion, is to place a couple of wind chimes next to your door and outside, on your house. It’s not only a bird control device but also an accessory for your door. You will get rid of pigeons, and know, who has come to you. Two in one!
In upsurge to noises, that wind chimes produce, they can also reflect light, which scares pigeons too. However, a bird can get used to the noise of the chime, the racket will no longer scare the bird and deter it, or maybe even attract it.
3 – Bird shock tape
Setting a shocking tape on the edge of the balcony or window sill will leave no pigeon issues on your property. The main cons of this type are that it’s quite cheap and easy to use. All you have to do is just peel it off the package, place it in the place of bird control, and you’ll get rid of pigeons in these places!
Shock tape provides a small amount of electricity, that won’t kill a pigeon, but prevents pigeons from flying close to your house, because, as mentioned above, birds are capable of learning, and birds will learn to avoid your home.
If you want to try a more frugal variant – you can try putting sticky tape on the edge of your balcony or on the edge of your roof. Put a tape’s sticky side up and this is a good replacement to repellent gel.
4 – Scarecrows
The most ancient way of getting rid of pigeons – scare pigeons with scarecrows. Pigeons will feel uncomfortable with scary objects nearby, so they’ll just continue looking for a comfortable place.
For example, you can make a hawk, an owl, or a classic scarecrow at home with handy tools: CDs, old clothes, ropes – everything is useful!
But don’t forget, that pigeons and different birds can learn from the environment, and an old scarecrow won’t scare them anymore. So I would recommend you to move it, and change it from time to time.
Call a professional!
But, nevertheless, the easiest and most reliable way of getting rid of pigeons is by calling a specialist from the bird control service. Though, there are a few tips for you, while setting another bird netting or other deterrents:
- Use fall-safe
- Don’t set bird traps in rainy or windy weather
- Call your friend or any family member to be your assistant
But if you’re not sure about the quality of placing bird deterrents by yourself – don’t risk – people usually fall off from roofs and get serious injuries!
Yes, calling a professional will cost you some money, but you’ll enjoy the result and save health for a very long time after the visit of a bird controller.
And don’t forget – miser pays twice.
