Why solve bird problems?

Most people fail to realize that bird droppings and nests are not only an annoyance; they also pose serious health risks, liabilities and cause major damage.

Pest birds cause tens of millions of dollars of damage every year to buildings, machinery, automobiles, roofs, ventilation systems and much more. Bird droppings and nesting materials which are allowed to accumulate pose a host of problems which can become very serious if they are not corrected immediately.

DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH PEST BIRDS

Bacterial

• Paratyphoid
• Vibriosis
• Salmonella
• Listeriosis
• Pasteurellosis

Fungal

• Histoplasmosis
• Candidiasis
• Sarcosporidiosias
• Blastomycosis

Viral

• Encephalitis
• Meningitis
• Newcastle Disease
• St. Louis Encephalitis

Protozoal

• Toxoplasmosis
• Trichomoniasis
• American Trypansomiasis

Rickettsial

• Rickets

HELATH RISKS AND DISEASE TRANSMISSION

The general public’s affection toward birds translates into a serious underestimation of the health risks associated with pest birds. People who would never tolerate a colony of rats living in their attic will turn a blind eye towards pigeons entrenched in the rafters of their roof. Yet, in terms of disease and damage, the two pests are quite similar. In order to better understand how nuisance birds (or winged rats for that matter) spread disease we need to understand the basics of disease and transmission.

When normal body functions become disrupted due to a foreign invader or an internal malfunction, we call the disruption a disease. Diseases caused by foreign invaders are called infectious diseases. For our purposes, it is important to understand how these diseases spread and how we can protect ourselves from them. Diseases need to be transported from place to place in order to spread. Birds are a perfect mechanism for spreading disease because they travel great distances, harbor over forty types of parasites and can host internally over sixty types of infectious diseases.

Having said that, bird infestations are to be taken seriously but not irrationally. When evaluating a health risk potential look for the following: droppings or nesting materials inside air vents, birds around food or beverage production facilities, or large amounts of droppings in enclosed areas. These are the types of situations where disease can be spread.

Fortunately, human interaction with most bird species is minimal, thus drastically reducing any health threat from most birds. However a few bird species have successfully adapted to our urban environment.

PUBLIC ENEMIES ONE, TWO AND THREE…

The pigeon, starling and house sparrow have learned to thrive, living in our buildings and eating our food. Their adaptation to our communities has brought them into close proximity to humans. These three non-native birds have become a major nuisance in our cities and they pose a serious health risk.

The pigeon is by far, the number one urban pest bird. Large numbers exist in every city across the country. Several traits have allowed them to dominate the urban landscape. Because of their history, pigeons are not afraid of people; they roost and nest readily in man made structures and they have a diverse diet. They are non-migratory and their natural instinct to stay near their birth site is very strong. This trait gives the pigeon a very determined personality when it comes to roosting at a particular site. However, the trait that gives them their public enemy number one status is their “dropping” ability. On average, each pigeon poops 25 pounds per year. That the weight of half a bag of concrete with the density of five bags… Have a large flock of a couple hundred pigeons living in your facility? Do the math!

DAMAGE CAUSED BY PEST BIRDS

Roof
Bird droppings are very acidic in nature. They actually eat away at many substrates, especially tar-based roofing materials. Droppings which are allowed to accumulate on roofs will eat into the material and eventually cause leaks. The life expectancy of a warehouse roof can be cut in half by just a light, but continuous, application of bird droppings.

Pigeon, starling and sparrow nests are often built in rain gutters, drains and corners of roofs where drains are located. Every year, several warehouses experience great damage, even collapsed roofs, when drainage systems are blocked and standing water is allowed to rise just six inches. A collapsed roof that resulted in death or great physical damage could put a company out of business. In fact, the accumulation of pigeon droppings caused a gas station canopy to collapse in Arizona in 2008.

Machinery
Acidic bird droppings can do great damage to air conditioning equipment, industrial machinery, siding, insulation etc. Not only is the equipment being damaged, but workers are exposed to a dangerous health-risk any time they work on or around the machinery.

Fires Started
Nesting materials are usually very flammable due to their construction of straw, twigs and dried droppings. When birds build their nests inside electric signs or other machinery there is a great risk of fire. Electric sign companies blame bird nests for most of their sign fires.

Ventilation Systems
Blocked 
Bird nests built in chimneys and ventilation systems can not only spread diseases through the system, but can actually block air-flow which can have horrible consequences. A family of five in Cleveland was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning just before Christmas 1995 because the exhaust system of their fireplace was blocked by bird nests.

Automobile Finishes
Damaged 
Most bird droppings, but especially pigeon and gull, will fade paint finishes by actually eating into the protective coating and the paint itself. The longer the droppings are allowed to sit on the paint, the more damage it will do.

Food and Other Products
Birds flying around the insides of warehouses, airplane hangars, factories and convention centers can wreak havoc. Bird droppings can ruin plastics when they are being molded, they can destroy any number of different chemicals and liquids which are being manufactured, they will ruin new and old paint jobs on aircraft, and they can contaminate food which is being made or packaged. These types of ruined products often cost millions of dollars in waste.

Company Image
Droppings and nesting materials on or around a building send a message to the public that this building is not properly maintained. One is forced to wonder how clean a restaurant’s kitchen could be if they don’t even care about bird droppings dripping down the sign.

Collapsed Ceilings
Pigeons have been know to enter attics of houses, apartments, restaurants and other buildings through openings that have been either broken or never sealed off in the first place. In most cases the pigeons set up homes in these protected areas, build nests and discard their bodily waste. Often the weight of the droppings becomes so great that the actual ceiling collapses. One would guess that this type of occurrence would be extremely random but it happens with alarming frequency.

HOW TO HANDLE PEST BIRD PROBLEMS FROM A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE

Using our understanding of how nuisance birds play a role in disease transmission, we can develop a few guidelines when dealing with bird infestations.

First and foremost, bird infestations are to be taken seriously but not irrationally. Remember, pigeons walking around your park bench is not cause for panic, while twenty birds living in the roof-top air ducts of a restaurant is a serious health concern requiring action.
Second, you must take the proper precautions when tackling bird control projects. Respirators, goggles and protective clothing must be used when cleaning up bird sites, particularly enclosed areas out of the sun with large amounts of droppings and nesting material.

Finally, it is not enough to remove the birds, it is crucial to exterminate all the ectoparasites and thoroughly disinfect the site.

CONCLUSION

Bird sites can contain dangerous bacteria and cause countless dollars in damages. Bird and Bee Removal uses a family of humane and effective products for proofing and cleanup from Bird Barrier America which served as a resource for the information in this editorial.

For the health and safety of building occupants, it is imperative that birds creating a problem in your facility be dealt with sooner rather than later. From a liability standpoint, action will cost less than inaction.

To receive a free assessment and solution analysis of your particular situation, please call to schedule an appointment with one of our specially trained consultants. Miami Dade 305.829.9911 or Broward 954.920.1911.

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