Don’t Let Birds Make Their Mark in Your Covered Parking Structure

 

 

Don’t Let Birds Make Their Mark in Your Covered Parking Structure

 

 

Covered parking structures offer a lot of protected areas for birds to roost and nest.  This creates problems as it is often in areas that overhang parking so bird droppings and/or nesting materials end up making a mess on client’s cars.  Another popular place the birds like to hang out is the lights because of the warmth they offer and if birds nest there their nesting materials can cause mechanical issues and even start fires occasionally.

So how do you solve this problem?

If you are looking at a bird problem on a ledge in the parking garage, there are a couple effective bird control products you can use even if the birds are nesting.  First is Bird-Shock Flex Track.  This low-profile, flexible electrified track product creates a ‘static electric’ like shock whenever the birds come in contact with the wires in the track. This sharp zing is unpleasant and they find another location to roost that is easier and less unpleasant to hang out on. 

If the birds are larger like pigeons, crows or seagulls and they are not nesting there, Bird Spikes are also an option to protect ledges.  Bird Spikes can be glued or screwed to a ledge and come in a variety of widths to provide protection for narrow to wide ledges.  Keep in mind that Bird Spikes do not work for smaller birds like sparrows or starlings and do not work when birds are nesting in the area as they will be very determined to remain and will find a way to overwhelm the product.

 

Another product that completely blocks birds from landing on ledges is Bird Slide.  The Bird Slide bird repeller is designed to blend into the building structure.  There are several different colors to choose from and it can even be painted to ‘disappear’ into the background.  The Bird Slide creates a 45-degree angle between the wall and the edge of the ledge that does not allow birds to access the ledge at all.  They try to land on it and ‘slide’ right off as there is nothing for them to grab onto and the angle is not one where they can sit still.  This product can also be installed upside down to protect eaves and angles where swallows may build their mud nests.  Please note that swallows are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and as such you cannot remove their nests once they have laid their eggs (you will have to wait until after the birds leave the nest to remove it and install the Bird Slide).

For bird problems on the lights, you can use Bird-Shock, but sometimes the better choice is to use Bird Net.  Made of U.V. resistant polyethylene, highly durable and long lasting, Bird Net can completely deny all access to an area for all bird species when installed correctly.  To deter all bird species, you will want to use ¾ inch Bird Net.  Bird Net comes in different colors and blends into the structure much more than people expect.  Special Bird Net Zippers can be installed at strategic points to allow for maintenance access of equipment or lights.

One more product that is proving effective to deter non-nesting birds or all species is the Bird Free Optical Gel. This gel is different from other bird gels which can create a real mess that require more cleanup than the bird droppings themselves. The Bird Free Optical Repellent Gel comes in low profile, pre-loaded 8 mm high dishes of a special biologic gel that hit multiple senses of the birds. A special combination of smells that birds dislike is loaded into the gel as well as an optical sensory element that appears like a wall of flames to the birds with their ability to see in the ultraviolet space. The Bird Free gel dishes provide up to two years of

protection and the gel is oil based so it resists rain and snow and is not affected by extreme

temperatures. Space the dishes about a foot apart along the ledge to create a full “wall

of fire” effect for the problem birds, driving them away to a safer location.

 

With these bird products you will be able to effectively deter the problem birds from any area in the parking garage. If you have pest bird problems in your parking garage and are unsure which would be the best bird deterrent to use, feel free to call us at 855-741-3222 or email us at mark@birdsgottago.com. We can assist you with determining the right product(s) to order and/or recommend an expert local installer if your maintenance team needs on site guidance.