Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests?

Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests?

Few people can resist the dangerous amount of cuteness of raccoons. The narrow, pointy muzzle, the large black eyes ringed with white, the front paw fingers resembling human hands, and the striped bushy tails make the little buggers hard to resist. Not to mention their extraordinary intelligence and ability to get into almost any place, pick locks, pull out drawers, and open door latches in search for food, rightfully earning their reputation as the “masked bandits.”Raccoon | National Geographic

 

But as awesome little animals as they may be (sometimes competing with dogs and cats for people’s affection), raccoons remain wild animals with a destructive nature. Due to the major property damage they cause to the house and garden, they are usually not welcomed on people’s property and considered pests. So Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests?

Damage to House

  • Stink up the place: During spring, females will start looking for a safe place to stay and give birth to their babies, and the warmth and comfort of your house can easily make it a perfect substitute for a natural den. And although they aren’t out to ruin your home or endanger your health, they can do both by moving into your attic, getting inside the chimney, or taking residence inside wall voids or under decks.

 

  • Destroy insulation: Since they are large mammals (weighing between 11 and 14 kg), raccoons can easily trample insulation just by walking on it. Pregnant females will compact large areas to sleep and nurse their babies, causing extensive damage and reducing the insulation’s effectiveness in keeping the house cool in summer and warm during winter.

 

  • Damage roofs: To gain access inside a structure, to obtain bedding material, or sometimes just for fun, raccoons will rip off shingles, break or chew fascia boards, chew holes into soffits, rip apart ducts, or break attic vents. A small opening (usually no larger than 4-6 inches) is enough for the rascals to get inside.

 

Damage to Garden

 

Toronto Racoon Removal

 

  • Damage crops: Raccoons are particularly fond of a sweet corn garden, which they will invade a couple of days before harvest. They rarely damage corn until mid-June, which marks the beginning of the corn reproductive stages (the milk stage of development). Depending on the size of the plant and the height of the animal, raccoons will either feed standing up or climb the stalk to get to the higher ears. For the affected crops, this type of damage often results in 90-100% yield losses.

 

  • Kill poultry: Raccoons can reach through the wire of cages and pens to get to the poultry kept inside, and many times they mutilate the birds by trying to pull them through the wire by their head or legs. Their MO involves biting off and tossing adult birds’ heads, chewing the contents of the crop and sometimes the chest, and throwing the rest away.

 

  • Dig up soil and damage lawns: Raccoons, as well as skunks, can turn out to be a real problem for homeowners, particularly in the spring and fall, when they start looking for earthworms, grubs, and other soil insects through the freshly laid turf. This is usually done by young raccoons that are learning to find food on their own or during periods when other food is scarce.

 

  • Use your woodpile as their latrine: Raccoons typically dump their feces in communal sites called latrines, and they usually prefer to leave their droppings at the base of a tree, on logs and stumps, or inside a woodpile. If you’re storing firewood outside, and your house is often visited by raccoons, chances are they either use the woodpile as a latrine, endangering the health of anyone who comes into contact with their contaminated urine and feces, or use it as a temporary den.

How Can You Stop Them?

Raccoons in many urban and suburban environments are learning that residential properties are safer, warmer, and more comfortable than the usual hollow trees they use as denning sites; moreover, they also provide a seemingly infinite supply of food and water. Convincing them to leave is, thus, a rather challenging task, especially considering their persistence and resourceful nature.

If you have been noticing raccoon damage around your house and outbuilding, the best thing to do is let professionals handle the difficult, and sometimes outright dangerous, task to deter the animals from your property. A combination of exclusion techniques, scare tactics, and trapping will likely be used to eliminate existing populations and limit raccoon nuisance on your property. Contact your local company to schedule an inspection and determine the size of your problem and the best course of action.

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeon / Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Patrol / Bird Control / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/  What to do about pigeons/ most common types of sparrows , Damages Caused by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away,  Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests?de-fence, Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior What Do I Do With a Bird Trapped in My Wall? Professional Bird Control Company Keep The Birds Away From Your Business Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests?

Why Swallows Are Considered Pests

Why Swallows Are Considered Pests

Why Swallows Are Considered Pests

Mud, cliff or barn swallows flock to homes, buildings and structures, building their mud nests with a mix of sand, grasses, hair and feathers. The little nests can be very prolific, with colonies of several hundred nests lined up vertically. Female swallows can lay as many as six eggs at a time, beginning as early as March. The eggs will hatch in 12 to 17 days. Here’s how swallows have become such a pest bird.

Appearance Problem

Swallows’ bowl-shaped nests under the overhangs and ledges of a building can create a real distraction. Businesses, especially those that serve food, can lose customers when these nests are scattered overhead and bird droppings cover floors and walkways. Fail to remove these mud nests and they will stain virtually any surface. This defacement and damage can result in costly maintenance and repairs.

Health Problem

For businesses that store, process, display or serve food, swallow droppings can easily contaminate these areas, especially if food is served or displayed outdoors. The bacteria, fungal agents and parasites found in swallow droppings and nests can carry such serious diseases as histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis, toxoplasmosis and more. Health inspectors can shut down a business that suffers from too many bird droppings and nests.

Slip-and-Fall Problem

Another problem with swallows around any building is the dangerous slip-and-fall hazard their droppings create. Besides wet droppings, dried droppings freshened by rain, dew or sprinklers can result in a very slippery surface. Failure to address this issue can create serious legal problems should someone trip, fall and become injured.

Swallows and Bats: Different Species, Similar Challenges - Bird B Gone, Inc.Tree Swallow Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Gutter/Airflow Problem

Swallow droppings, nests and feathers can also interfere with the flow of rain in gutters, resulting in roof leaks. This debris can even block a chimney or air vent, creating a potential fire hazard and unsafe levels of carbon monoxide in the home.

Removal Issues

As many businesses have discovered, getting rid of migratory birds like swallows can get complicated. Swallows are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which makes it illegal to intentionally capture, kill or disrupt any migratory bird or the nests and eggs of such birds. The goal should always be proactive through humane and effective bird deterrent methods to keep these birds from nesting in the first place. Source

 

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeon / Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Patrol / Bird Control / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/  What to do about pigeons/ most common types of sparrows , Damages Caused by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, de-fence, Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior What Do I Do With a Bird Trapped in My Wall? Professional Bird Control Company Keep The Birds Away From Your Business Why Swallows Are Considered Pests

Keep The Birds Away From Your Business

Keep The Birds Away From Your Business

Keep The Birds Away From Your Business

Birds and businesses are two words that do not go well together unless of course, you own a pet store. Pest bird infestations can and often do lead to damages to facility, machinery and even product and also create serious safety hazards and health issues for companies.  Starlings, pigeons, and sparrows are just a few of the pest birds that roost on commercial facilities in Vancouver, BC

Because of the issues mentioned above as well as the negative impact birds can have on a company’s image, it is very important for all business owners and managers to know how to keep birds away from their facilities.

Not only are birds and unsightly addition to facilities but it is the threat of disease, injury, and contamination that is the biggest problem. There are over 40 confirmed diseases that can be carried by birds as well as their droppings and nesting materials. Clearly, these are not animals that you want to be anywhere near your place of business. Thankfully there are a few ways in which you can protect your business from the negative impact of pest birds.

  1. Limit their ability to find food, shelter, and water for nesting. This means avoid heavy gardening as some plants provide a great food source for birds. Also, steer away from the use of fountains or other water features which will inevitably become more like a bird bath.
  2. Keep the doors and windows of the facility closed at all times unless they have a secured screen. An open door is after all an open invitation for anything to fly or crawl in. Once inside, birds can severely contaminate surfaces and cause damage to machines.
  3. Be sure that birds do not have a chance to nest on your facility. They favor things such as close by trees and shrubs, corrugated roofing, entryways, and open beam structures. Once there is a nest in place, birds are likely to come back for generations. source

Along with precautionary measures listed above, it is a good idea for businesses to partner with a bird control provider to find a long-term solution to a pest bird problem. Bird Proofing: Keep Birds Out of Your Business | JP Pest Services

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeon / Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Patrol / Bird Control / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/  What to do about pigeons/ most common types of sparrows , Damages Caused by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, de-fence, Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior What Do I Do With a Bird Trapped in My Wall? Professional Bird Control Company Keep The Birds Away From Your Business

Why You Should Hire A Professional Bird Control Company

Why You Should Hire A Professional Bird Control Company

Pigeon Patrol is A Professional Bird Control Company Based In Vancouver thanks for tuning into our blog!

Many people don’t think about hiring a company to take care of bird problems, but with the help of bird control companies, variety of businesses can reap the rewards. Birds can be nice to look at, but over time, they can become a nuisance and potentially even affect the success of your business appearance. Here are five benefits of hiring a bird control service:

Why You Should Hire A Professional Bird Control Company

Humane Bird Control

You might be wondering if hiring a bird control service brings harm to the birds, but it certainly does not have to. A new technology called electronic bird repellent uses sonic and ultrasonic frequencies to deter birds without causing them any harm. The birds will simply hear these frequencies in the form of predatory calls or bird distress signals, and they will instinctively avoid the area. Plus, the frequencies used are out of the range of what humans can hear, so you do not have to worry about the deterrent itself being a nuisance! We also have the option of capturing the birds in a cage (with food and water) and bring them into the wild for them to live a new life

Cleaner Appearance

With a bird control service in place, you do not have to worry about bird droppings piling up on your company mailbox or awning (or even falling on an unsuspecting person’s head!). These droppings can drastically affect the aesthetic appeal of your building, which can turn customers off from doing business with you. Particularly if your building has any historical value, that value can become diminished by the abundance of droppings. We will clean your property with the right equipment

Less Health Risks

Birds carry all kinds of diseases, including salmonella, E. coli, and meningitis, and many of those diseases can be transferred to humans through the birds’ droppings. Humans do not have to come into contact with the droppings to contract these illnesses; the pathogens can be inhaled if a human is even in close vicinity to the droppings. It is best to not even take the risk of sickening any of your employees or customers when affordable bird control is an option. source

Preventing Damage

If you choose to not hire a professional bird control service, you will save some money in the short-term, but it could cost you in the long-term as the acid in bird droppings starts to erode any stonework or metal on your building. Of course, if you clean the droppings regularly, you likely will not have issues, but cleaning the droppings requires dedication, time, and money on a regular basis. With a bird control service, you can have preventative measures put in place once and never worry about it again.

Peace of Mind

In addition to eliminating the unsightly droppings, physical damage, and health issues that birds can cause, hiring a bird control service can also make your building simply more pleasant to be around. No longer will you have to worry about any unpleasant smells or distracting noises when you want to open a window or eat your lunch outside. The only thing you might miss is the birds chirping in the morning, but there’s an app for that!

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today. source

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeon / Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Patrol / Bird Control / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/  What to do about pigeons/ most common types of sparrows , Damages Caused by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, de-fence, Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior What Do I Do With a Bird Trapped in My Wall? Professional Bird Control Company

What Do I Do With a Bird Trapped in My Wall?

What Do I Do With a Bird Trapped in My Wall?

It starts as a slight scratching. You suspect mice or rats at first until you hear the faint tweeting that means only one thing: A bird has become trapped behind your wall. Unfortunately, getting the bird out is a lot harder for you than it was for it to get in. Accept that it will probably mean cutting a hole in your wall. You also need to figure out where the bird got in and cover the hole with a metal screen to prevent it from happening again.

Lure It Out

Luring a bird out of a wall sounds logical. The bird got itself in, therefore it should be able to get itself out. This can work in some cases, but usually the bird becomes trapped between two walls and doesn’t have enough room to fly. If it sounds like the bird is moving up and down in the walls and you know where it entered, you can try luring it out. Place a bright light near the entrance to the wall since birds often fly toward light. Open any windows in the room and close it off to other areas of your house. Playing recorded birdsong near the entrance can help assure the bird that it is safe to come out; otherwise keep it very quiet in that room. Placing birdseed near the hole won’t work because birds have a poor sense of smell. If the bird is not out within a few hours, it probably can’t get out on its own.

Cut It Out

If you have the right tools and some construction experience, you can try to free the bird yourself by cutting a large hole in the wall above the bird. Cut shallowly into the drywall to avoid cutting into the electrical wires. Make the cut neat to make patching the wall easier. Once the piece of the wall is removed, the bird may fly out suddenly. Open any windows and doors to the outside to allow it to escape. If it doesn’t fly out, reach in with a gloved hand and carefully pick it up. Don’t release it until you are outside.

Call In an Expert

The safest, simplest method of dealing with a trapped bird is to call in a professional wildlife control expert. Look in the phone book under “pest control” or “animal removal services” to find one. Although they will charge a fee, they will get the animal out with the least amount of damage to your wall and home. In some cases, the cost of paying for animal control is less than paying a contractor to repair the damage done to your home.

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today. source

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeon / Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Patrol / Bird Control / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/  What to do about pigeons/ most common types of sparrows , Damages Caused by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, de-fence, Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior What Do I Do With a Bird Trapped in My Wall?

There's a bird nesting near my house. What should I do? | All About Birds  All About Birds
Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior

Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior

Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior

Software error grounds pigeon-smarts paper – Retraction Watch

Pigeon Nesting

Nest building is very simple and often consists of a few stiff twigs. The male will pick the site. They prefer small flat areas away from the ground. Look for nests along building ledges, bridge supports, air conditioning units, window sills, and the like. In crowded flocks, pigeons will even forgo nest building and lay eggs directly on a protected ledge. The young are fed pigeon milk, a liquid/solid substance secreted in the crop of the adult (both male and female) which is regurgitated. More eggs are laid before the first clutch leaves the nest. Breeding may occur at all seasons, but peak reproduction occurs in the spring and fall.

Pigeon Breeding

Pigeon are monogamous and a mating pair will typically have three or four broods a year. The female will usually lay two or sometimes three eggs at a time. The eggs are a solid bright white color. The eggs take roughly 18 days to hatch and then another 35 days before the fledglings leave the nest. Breeding may occur at all seasons, but peak reproduction occurs in the spring and fall. A population of pigeons usually consists of equal numbers of males and females.

Pigeon Cycles

Pigeons are not migratory. Their natural instinct is to stay near their birth site. This trait gives the pigeon a very determined personality when it comes to roosting at a particular site, much to the dismay of the inexperienced pest control technician. The daily cycle of a pigeon is to roost at night, feed in the morning, and loaf in the afternoon. The seasonal cycle begins with courtship in the early winter, then nest building in late winter and breeding in the spring. However, in warm climates, breeding will occur year round. Pigeons molt once a year in late summer.

Life Expectancy: Varies greatly from 3-5 years through to 15 years dependent on many factors, including natural predation and human interference. Predation: The wild pigeon is predated upon, almost exclusively, by the peregrine falcon, a bird that is also found living and breeding in coastal regions.

 Behaviour

As gregarious animals, feral pigeons tend to nest in flocks. Once they settle, they tend to nest at the same place for the rest of their lives. Pigeons are extraordinarily intelligent. Even when removed from the nest, they will return back to it. The distance doesn’t play a role—pigeons have “built-in” compasses in their bodies which provide tremendous help with orientation. No matter how far away from their home they are released, they will still find their way back.

Feral pigeons breed rapidly. They lay two eggs, up to six times a year—depending on the food available. If a local population is decreased, pigeons from other areas flock to take advantage of the abundance of food. Thus, poison often causes population boom rather than decrease. source

 What Attracts Pigeons

Basically there are two things that attract pigeons to your house or garden:

  • Food: Pigeons are not very pretentious when it comes to food. They could eat various scraps, leftovers, seeds, your dog/cats food, anything left behind. So don’t leave anything food-worthy in your garden.
  • Living space: the attic or the air space between last floor and roof is the perfect place for a pigeon to live. Close all entrances if you don’t want to have pigeon droppings and insects feeding with them.

Domestic pigeon - WikipediaAbout Pigeon Patrol:

Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.

Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca

Pigeon / Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Patrol / Bird Control / Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/  What to do about pigeons/ most common types of sparrows , Damages Caused by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, de-fence, Pigeon Nesting and Breeding Patterns and Behavior