tackling trouble areas Bird Control By: Fran Prisco As An Investment? Outdoor pests are appearance and cost issues. W Why should we care about pest birds? It seems the latest issue concerning property management and building main-tenance companies is pest birds. Every year, millions of dollars are spent cleaning up after and repairing the damage caused by pest birds such as pigeons, seagulls, crows and other urban birds. Not only are these problems unsightly, but pest birds and their feces can spread 60 plus transmittable diseases. Safety, sanitation and health hazards caused by bird droppings can pose serious liability risks, and if left untreated, can lead to accidents and lawsuits. Bird feces, bird nests and debris can also create a bad public image with ten-ants and patrons. Pest birds, such as pigeons, gulls, star-lings, sparrows and swallows, can cause thousands of dollars in damage a year to buildings, industrial facilities, equipment and machinery. Besides being unsightly, this situation is simply dangerous. Protection Investments Building owners and managers are tired of spending thousands of dollars a year cleaning up bird feces or repairing the damage that is caused by the birds and their droppings. Bird droppings are acidic and can eat away at paint and erode building materials, making cleanup, painting and repairs nec-essary. Pest birds will roost and nest on building roofs, causing damage and possible health hazards. Pest pigeons like to build their nests on flat surfaces that are elevated, such as ledges, windowsills and under HVAC units. Left unchecked, pest pigeons will take over a rooftop, making it a potential health hazard. Integrated Solutions Finding a solution to a pest bird infestation can be a daunting task. There may not be one product that can solve the entire issue. In these cases, an Integrated Bird Control Solution may be required. Integrated Bird Control Solutions are being used to keep pest birds off of build-ings. An Integrated Bird Control Solution is one that may use several types of bird con-trol products to eliminate the problem birds and their messes. Keeping pest birds off of flat surfaces, such as parapet walls, ledges and win-dowsills, requires a physical bird deterrent such as bird spikes, electric track or a spring wire system. Keeping the pest birds from the HVAC systems on the roof may require bird net-ting over the units to exclude the birds from the area. It is sometimes necessary to use several products to keep a rooftop or building clear of unwanted pest birds. A Case Study A recent project at United Regional Health Care in Wichita Falls, Texas, used an 40 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • May 2009
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