This article about pigeon pest control has been supplied by Nigel Wraight, Wraight Property.
Pigeons – Don’t you just Love’ em
Are pigeons leaving unsightly droppings on your building and carpark pipes, ledges, and facades?
Have the pigeons damaged your property?
Is the property devalued or less inviting as a result?
What Are You Doing About Pigeon Pest Control?
As I am writing this, I hoping these questions have struck a note of concern, especially with executive committee members or commercial property managers. Do you see the same unsightly pigeon mess every day? To be frank, you should not be seeing this at all if your building management has an effective process in place for the management of pests. If you see the pigeon mess regularly, then there is nothing effective in place – the evidence is right there in front of you.
Easy Reach of Children
Just like most other animals, pigeons carry diseases and parasites which can be harmful to people; pigeon feces leave an unsightly and unhealthy mess, often within easy reach of children. It’s actually this “easy reach”, for those of us closer to the ground, that has prompted the writing of this article, especially when seeing this mess in an area occasionally accessed by children.
The Danger – both physically and financially!!
Pigeons can cause property damage, health risks, and slip and fall liabilities to property owners!
Pigeon droppings can be acidic, permanently stain buildings, carry a plethora of diseases, and can become extremely slippery when wet. How often have you seen the Pigeon Feces on the ground within easy reach or within a pathway or egress of people?
What is the Message to your Clients, Employees and Visitors?
Apart from the obvious health concerns, the presence of pigeons and their mess creates an environmental concern for the Work Health and Safety environment for all stakeholders. From a business perspective, the pigeons are a nuisance to employees and visitors alike. They present a negative first impression to your clients, your staff and your tenants. It also sends a message to the community, whom use the facility, of “We Are OK with This Mess” which includes the disregard for the safety hazard and wellbeing of children.
Does this sound a little harsh? What if your child put their hand on floor covered with pigeon feces?
Disease Potential (Via a google Search)
Some virulent diseases can be spread by pest birds. Some important fungal diseases are closely linked with bird droppings which serve as a disease reservoir. The better known diseases include cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, Newcastle disease, psittacosis, gastroenteritis, encephalitis, toxoplasmosis and aspergillosis. Australian Pest Control Association – Bird Pests
Environmentally Sensitive Pest Control Plan
I can hear the less tolerant of you screaming at the screen, “Rats with wings, just get rid of them!!!” That’s all well and good, but we need to consider the long term strategy and the people whom will be using the zones while the removal of the pigeons is taking place.
From a Pest control supplier:
“Pigeons are best treated with an integrated pest management plan, which optimizes prevention of any new birds visiting and delivers an environmentally sensitive approach for removal of the existing animals.”
The Building Manager
Building Managers can make prevention of pigeon nesting a priority with various cost effective strategies.
The first and easiest is to simply make visual inspections on a regular basis as part of a routine maintenance walk through of the site within the existing maintenance schedule. Being visually alert to what pigeons find attractive for nesting and rectify or eliminate those pigeon habitat opportunities in a timely manner reduces the likelihood of a pigeon making your building its home.
Building Management can implement targeted corrections, such as ensuring the cleaning crew pay particular attention to removing any favorite foods of pigeons and reporting any pigeons nesting on site.
The strategy is to simply remove feeding and nesting opportunities wherever possible from the pigeons.
The second is to engage an expert to install devices which will deter the pigeons from nesting. There are various devices and equipment which are cost effective for the long term; observation is really the key here. Every situation is different and prevention is better than cure.
We are not experts in pest control, but we are experts at looking after buildings, and pest control, along with safety, is high on the priority list to ensure the property maintains its value and is a pleasant place to live or work for all stakeholders.
So what are your thoughts? We would be interested in hearing from pest control experts on their views and their remedies.
Nigel Wraight
EMAIL: info@thomaswraight.com.au/
Wraight Property
For more information about out pigeon pest control or information about strata legislation particular to your state to territory, visit our FactSheet: Maintenance and Common Property or Strata FactSheets by State pages.
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