As bird activity increases around commercial facilities, many managers look for high-tech solutions. One that’s gained popularity in recent years is the use of laser deterrents. These devices promise to scare birds away with sweeping beams of colored light—without noise or chemicals.
But do lasers actually work to keep birds away long term? In most commercial environments, the answer is no. Here’s why laser bird deterrents often fail, and what your facility should do instead.
READ: The True Cost of Bird Deterrents
How Laser Bird Deterrents Are Supposed to Work
Laser deterrents project beams of red, green, or blue light across open areas. The movement and brightness are meant to startle birds, making the area feel unsafe. These systems are sometimes automated and marketed as a silent, maintenance-free way to eliminate bird activity.
They’re often used in large spaces like warehouses, airport hangars, and distribution centers—especially in early morning or evening hours when lighting is low.
Why Lasers Lose Their Effectiveness
In controlled environments, such as empty hangars or isolated greenhouses, lasers may temporarily discourage birds. But in active commercial facilities, their performance is unreliable.
Here’s why:
- Birds get used to them. Just like with other scare tactics, birds quickly realize that the moving lights pose no real danger. Once they recognize there’s no predator, they ignore the beams completely.
- They don’t work well in daylight. Most commercial facilities operate during the day—when lasers are nearly invisible. Sunlight significantly reduces the effectiveness of laser beams, making them useless in many high-traffic or open-air environments.
- Coverage is limited. Lasers only target the area within their range and angle. Birds can simply move to an adjacent rafter, ledge, or ceiling panel to avoid them.
Customer and Employee Concerns
While birds may ignore the beams, people don’t. Laser devices can be distracting to employees and alarming to customers. Some systems emit subtle humming or flickering lights that disrupt the working environment.
Worse, safety risks may arise if lasers are installed incorrectly or pointed at eye level. These risks—combined with the limited effectiveness—make lasers a poor fit for most professional facilities.
What Lasers Don’t Solve: Why Birds Are There
Lasers may startle birds momentarily, but they don’t address the root cause. Birds choose your facility for specific reasons—such as food debris, nesting materials, warmth, and safe overhead structures. A light show won’t stop that behavior if the environment remains unchanged.
The Right Approach Starts with Removal
At Meridian, we’ve worked with facilities that installed laser systems hoping for a low-maintenance solution. Instead, they found birds returning within days, leading to complaints, droppings, and damaged equipment.
Our process begins with physical removal—eliminating birds from your facility quickly and discreetly. Then, we design customized exclusion solutions to prevent their return, without relying on gimmicks or ineffective tools.
READ NEXT: Removal vs. Deterrence—what are they and which one works?
Conclusion
Do lasers keep birds away? Briefly. But birds are too smart—and too motivated—to stay gone for long. Lasers often provide a false sense of security while the real problem grows behind the scenes.
Don’t risk your operations, brand, or budget on flashy tech that fades fast. Remove the birds, then prevent their return with proven, long-term strategies.