It is important to know how to prevent birds from completing nests and laying eggs at your home or work site. Prevention is always the best medicine when it comes to a bird’s nest.
Why Are Bird Nests a Problem?
You may be wondering why you should try to prevent birds from building nests on your buildings and property. Baby birds are adorable and what harm could the nest actually cause?
The truth is that a bird nest can cause several issues.
- Nests can contain mites, parasites, and other pests. These pests will likely remain in the nest even after the bird has moved on.
- Bird nests contain bird droppings which can carry disease. The bird droppings make handling the nest risky.
- The area around the nest will likely be covered in bird droppings. Birds will be flying to and fro around the nest leaving droppings around the area. This is unsightly, may smell poorly, and is unsanitary.
- Nests can clog gutters, drains, and damage the building. Bird droppings are extremely acidic and damage structures over time.
- Birds may come back to the same location and build a nest year after year.
- Some bird species are protected by federal laws and their nests cannot be removed if there are eggs or juveniles in the nest.
How to Prevent Birds From Completing Nests and Laying Eggs
It is clear that nests are detrimental to your home or business. The first task is to prevent birds from completing nests and laying eggs. How do you do that? By eliminating the things that draw birds to your site:
- Food. Sweep up crumbs and loose food in and around the building. Make sure trash receptacles are sealed.
- Nest materials. Clear out loose sticks, branches, and brush, if possible. If the trash is sealed up, birds can’t get to discarded packaging or materials they might use for their nests.
- Standing water. This is the rainy season, so check for spots where water doesn’t drain.
- Warmth. Birds sometimes seek out exhaust vents to keep warm. You may have to screen these areas or otherwise make them unattractive to birds.
- Roosting spaces. Any ledge or alcove is a welcome sight for a nesting bird. Again, you may have to secure these areas with netting or other anti-perching devices.
- Safety from predators. Most of the spots described above have the added benefit of protecting the birds from predators. Eliminate them as possibilities, and the birds will have to look elsewhere.
Eliminating these attractions is something you can and should do yourself. These simple steps can easily prevent birds from nesting on your property. By sending birds to nest elsewhere, you can save yourself hassles down the road.
If you do discover a nest on your property, do not panic. We have some easy-to-follow instructions for what to do if you discover a bird’s nest. If the problem is bigger or more complicated than you expect, give Meridian Bird Removal a call and we can help.
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