How to control birds in Chicago
Birds are one of nature’s delights, and many of us also enjoy bird watching. Their chirping sound and vibrant colors add beauty to the landscape, and you are likely to be fascinated by them. But bird infestations in and around your property can be a nuisance too. Once they intrude on your property, it becomes quite difficult for you to get rid of them. Like other pests, they can get into your house or attic and damage your property. However, the most common problems that they cause are the spread of parasites, fecal deposits, and noise. Birds are small in size, and they can find many entry points into your home, attics, and vents. If you are also facing problems caused by birds, you should know how to control birds in Chicago.
Before we move forward, let’s understand what problems these nuisance birds can cause.
Problems caused by the birds –
Each type of bird causes specific types of problems, such as a woodpecker pecking the woods away or a chimney swift nesting in a chimney and will live there. They can get stuck in the chimney or vent, causing heating or cooling problems.
Some common problems caused by birds include:
- Birds destroy your garden and fields completely. You might lose your harvest too.
- Insects such as lice, fleas, and ticks may live inside birds’ feathers.
- Birds also carry transmittable diseases such as salmonella, toxoplasmosis, encephalitis, cryptococcosis, West Nile virus, histoplasmosis, and encephalitis.
- They cause the spread of parasites and fecal deposits that make your property filthy. They also make a lot of weird noises by living in the attic.
These are some reasons why property owners want to make the birds go away. If you are also looking for a solution, we will discuss some methods that you can use to keep the birds away from your home and yard.
So let’s see how you can get rid of these pesky birds!
How to control birds in Chicago – There are numerous ways to prevent the infestation of birds. Keeping them away from your house is better than killing or poisoning them.
You can follow the below-given suggestions to control the birds in Chicago:
Remove the causes of bird infestation – Do a little research on your own and identify the causes of bird infestation. Is it food, water, or shelter? The easiest way to keep those nuisance birds away from your property is to remove the resources your yard offers to them.
- Water resources – Cut their access to water. If you have open water resources in your yard, this is an invitation to the birds like geese. Drain the stagnant water or cover the water feature to keep the birds away.
- Food that birds eat – If you want to keep the birds away from your house or garden, stop feeding them. Avoid planting berries, or you can cover them using fine metal netting. Look for the type of seeds they do not eat.
- Places they can roost – Prune the trees and bushes where birds settle. There is no need to cut all the branches of the trees, but you can at least trim the dead ones. If any branches of trees are attached to your home, get rid of them immediately. Don’t let them infest your vents or attic. Try to remove the pipe, ledges, and anything else where the birds nestle. If it is not possible, you can use various devices such as sticky glue and spikes to make their dwelling inconvenient.
Once you remove their living resources, they will not be able to infest your property.
Scare the birds away – You can also deter the birds by frightening them. These are some of the potential solutions to scare the bird away:
- Use predator statues – One of the most effective ways to keep birds away is by making them believe that your property is not a safe place for them to stay. If they feel that there is a predator in your home, they can be scared off. To frighten them, you can use predator statues such as lifelike scarecrows, owls, coyotes, snakes, or cats. Make sure that the predator statues that you are buying look real. It is best to purchase one that looks original like a 3D predator that is colored realistically.
- Intimidate birds with reflection – A sudden and unexpected thing can frighten the birds easily, be it a light or sound. To scare off birds, you can use reflective surfaces or shiny objects such as old CDs, foil pans, or silver reflective tape. Use this shiny object outdoors where it can catch and reflect the sunlight. This will make the birds frightened when they move in the wind.
- Ultrasonic bird repellent devices – Apart from using bird-frightening visual cues, you can also use ultrasonic bird repellent devices that take advantage of the birds’ avian sense of hearing sensitivity. Birds can hear higher frequencies as compared to human ears. These devices emit ultrasonic sounds, and birds find this sound harsh and unpleasant. You can easily install this device in your passive garden or in areas where you are battling bird infestations.
- Scare birds away with lasers – If you wonder what can keep the birds away, you can use something that moves peculiarly and seems unnatural. Birds don’t like to be puzzled by things they cannot make head or tail of. Many items fall into that category. One of the best devices that you can use is bird repellent lasers. This device makes the bird flee because of the unpredictable movement of light that doesn’t exist in nature. Birds will find it dangerous and fly off somewhere else.
There are also some other devices that you can use to deter birds from your surroundings, such as bird repelling flying kites, bird roosting spikes, motion-activated sprinklers, and many more.
How to get rid of birds naturally – Detering the birds naturally is easy and cost-effective. Here are some of the natural ways to deter birds from your property:
- Use baking soda – Sprinkle baking soda wherever you notice flocks of birds in your yard. They do not like to feel it, especially under their toes.
- Chili pepper mixture – Mix the chili powder, vinegar, and water. Warm the mixture and let it cool. Fill the mixture into a sprayer and spray the mixture in the areas where the birds like to perch. Respread it after a few days or after it rains.
- Bird netting – You can also place the bird netting over the areas you want to be bird free.
Call a professional – The easiest and most effective way to keep the birds away is by calling a professional. They have the proper equipment, experience, and expertise built up over the years. Professionals have the knowledge of birds’ species and their specific feeding habits, nesting tendencies, and general behavior. They can customize their bird control strategy according to that. You can save your time and effort by hiring a professional for this job.
These are some ways you can control bird infestations on your property. Whatever method you use to deter, it must not be harmful to birds. Avoid using strong and toxic chemicals that are harmful to birds.