When you think about pest solutions, you tend to think about animals like bed bugs, cockroaches, wasps, rats, fleas, and mice. It’s not often that you summon up images of swifts, sparrows, and house swallows. But if you’ve come across issues with birds nesting in your roof spaces, perhaps it’s easier for you than others.
It can be difficult to figure out how to deal with nesting birds on your own in a humane and legal fashion – that’s why we’re here to help!
What month do birds nest?
In the UK, the ‘Bird Nesting Season’ is officially from February – August. Of course, it must be said that there are some bird species which nest earlier than spring time – or in the case of the wood pigeon, all year round.
The signs of a bird infestation
A bird infestation can have some pretty serious repercussions, like damage to your property which can result in major repair costs. Far better to keep an eye out for the signs of bird problems before things escalate (and get expensive to deal with)!
Here are 4 telltale signs of birds making themselves at home:
- It’s gotten noisy: The noise of birds landing and settling on roofs or generally crying out can be deafening.
- Droppings everywhere. We’re talking about a build up of bird droppings in concentrated areas, on a regular basis.
- Property damage: Check for signs of loosened roof tiles or damage to solar panels.
- The mess: Look for scattered nesting materials and feathers, which can also block your guttering and drains – so that’s the place to check if you’ve noticed this kind of debris around your property.
The problems associated with birds
It’s not just that birds can be noisy creatures or that you’ll face a great of cleaning up to do in order to manage the inordinate amount of droppings associated with nesting birds. There are a number of serious problems that come hand-in-hand with an infestation, including property damages, operational interference, health and sanitation risks, and mental stress.
- Property Damage: Apart from the damage they cause when seeking shelter in your roof spaces by shifting loosened tiles, bird droppings can be also be quite toxic. A sufficient load can damage wood varnish, strip paint, and even compromise the structural integrity of your roof. Not to mention the weight of the droppings, which can put pressure on your gutters and vents.
- Operational Interference: While property damage can be expensive to repair, there’s also the interference to those using the property. For example, nests and droppings clogging up vents can contaminate the air of your business or home. These blockages to vents and gutters can also cause electrical issues if they occur near electrical installations, like short circuits or even fires.
- Health and sanitation: Of course, it makes sense that there are also health risks, given that many birds spread diseases, ticks, fleas, and mites. Additionally, bird droppings also carry health risks, infecting surfaces or water around your property.
- Psychological distress: It might seem silly, but actually, birds can be annoying and you shouldn’t underestimate the toll that these kinds of inconveniences could take on a person’s mental wellbeing. So things that stress you out in your own home should be considered a problem that very much needs to be dealt with.
There’s a legal side to things
The reason why you can’t willy-nilly toss nests out and clear the birds yourself is because all birds, their nests, and eggs are protected by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. It’s illegal to damage or destroy an active nest or prevent parent birds access to their nests.
What you can do, however, is entrust the humane removal of nesting birds to those who have a general licence issued by the government and specialise in these services.
Leave it to the professionals
At Combat Pest Solutions, we offer a range of legally compliant and humane options that allow us to deal effectively with all manner of avian species.
Call on us to combat your pest problem!