Bird Control and Bird Proofing

Protecting your Property from Pest Birds

Birds can be more than just a nuisance, they can pose serious health risks, cause property damage, and disrupt business operations. Effective bird control is essential for maintaining a safe and hygienic environment. Rentokil offers comprehensive bird control and bird proofing solutions to protect your property from pest birds.

Pest birds such as pigeons, starlings and gulls, can cause a variety of problems, including:

• Health Hazards: Bird droppings can transmit diseases like histoplasmosis, salmonellosis, and other infections.
• Property Damage: Bird guano can deface buildings and structures, and their nesting materials can block gutters and drainage systems.
• Noise Pollution: Large flocks of birds can create significant noise pollution, disrupting business operations and affecting the quality of life for residents.
• Crop Damage: Birds can cause substantial damage to crops, impacting agricultural businesses.

Rentokil offers a wide range of bird control solutions to address specific bird problems and property types. By proactively approaching bird control issues, we can address problem areas before they become a much bigger headache for property and business owners. Bird Proofing involves modifying buildings and structures to prevent birds from landing, roosting or nesting, this can include: 

• Sealing entry points: Closing gaps and holes in buildings securely to prevent birds from entering.
• Bird netting: Creates a physical barrier to prevent birds landing or nesting on buildings and structures. This is effective in covering open areas such as balconies and loading bays.
• Bird spikes: Discreet and effective at deterring birds from landing on ledges and other surfaces.
• Bird wire systems: Uses Larus tensioned bird wires to prevent larger birds such as gulls landing on ledges and other flat rooftop surfaces.
• Bird scaring devices: Employs visual and bioacustic auditory deterrents to discourage birds from frequentling, roosting and the risks of habituation in specific locations.
• Hawking: Uses trained hawks (like harris hawks) to deter pest birds from an area naturally.

Bird proofing is a long-term solution that can effectively prevent bird problems and protect your property from damage.

Rentokil is dedicated to offering bird control soultions that are both effective and compliant with local wildlife protection regulations. Our practices focus on the safe and responsible management of bird populations, highlighting our commitment to environmental stewardship and effective pest management.

Rentokil has over 100 years of experience in providing effective bird control solutions. Our BPCA (British Pest Control Association) certified technicians have the expertise and knowledge to identify the bird species causing problems and recommend the most appropriate control measures.

Our detailed site survey will assess your specific bird control needs and recommend a tailored solution. Our bird control services are discreet, effective, sustainable and comply with all relevant legislation.

MyRentokil is an online portal that allows you to manage your Bird Control programme online 24/7. You can use MyRentokil to:

• Access real-time information about the bird activity on your premises.
• Track the progress of your bird control treatments.
• Request service calls and follow-up visits.
• View and download reports about your bird control management.

It's important to be be aware of the legal considerations surrounding bird control. In the UK, all wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This means it is illegal to kill, injure, or take any wild bird, or to damage or destroy their nests or eggs.

However, there are certain circumstances where it is legal to control pest birds, such as to prevent serious damage to property or to protect public health and safety. Rentokil's bird control solutions are designed to comply with all relevant legislation.

Rentokil's bird control services prioritise ethical and compliant practices. We are committed to using bird control methods that are safe, humane, and environmentally responsible. Our technicians are trained to implement solutions that minimise harm to birds while effectively managing their populations.

All "resonable endeavours" should be taken to make your premises less attractive to nuisance birds, such as:

• Limit food sources and access to any materials that can be used to build nests.
• Wherever practical, potential entry points should be proofed to deny birds access.
• Where doors 'must' remain open for extended periods, they should contain strip curtains (or similar fittings) to limit bird entry.

Certain bird species in the UK can quickly become unwelcome pests, especially in urban and commercial environments. Birds like pigeons and gulls are notorious for causing property damage and posing health risks with their droppings (or guano). Understand which bird species are causing problems is the first step towards successful bird control.

• Pigeons: Feral pigeons are common in towns and cities, often congregating in large flocks. Their bird droppings can deface buildings and create slip hazards.
• Gulls: Coastal towns and urban areas often experience issue with gulls, which can be aggresive and noisy (especially when protecting their young). They are also known to scavenge food and damage property.
• Starlings: These birds often gather in large flocks, creating noise and hygiene issues with their guano. They can also cause damage to agricultural crops.
• Crows: These intelligent creatures can cause substantical damage to crops, and sometimes property. They are also knowjn to carry diseases.

Identifying the specific bird species causing issues on your property allows for targeted and effective bird control solutions.

Birds are known to carry a range of diseases, and are also hosts to other insect pests, such as ticks, fleas and bird mites. Infections can be spread to people by their bird droppings (guano) and nests. Disease carried by pigeons and seagulls can make humans seriously ill. Avoiding a bird infestation is the first step in preventing theese diseases. It is important to act fast to reduce health hazards.

Some of the diseases and pests that birds carry:

• Salmonella: Bacteria disposed by gulls and pigeons, can lead to Salmonellosis and Paratyphoid fever.
• Psittacosis: Ornithosis, also known as pigeon Fancier's lung, is an infection transmitted by inhaling bacteria from dried droppings or handling feathers.
• Fowl: Transmitted to people exposed to the faeces or other excretions from an infected pigeon.
• Escherichia coli (E.coli): This virus is mostly spread by seagulls, and can lead to gastroenteritis and septicaemia.
• Fungal infection:  Histoplasmosis and Cryptococcosis are fungal infections carried in bird droppings.
• Bird mites: These tiny mites feed on bird blood, but will bite humans. They are found within bird roosting and nesting sites.