Birds messing the garage

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We are having a problem with birds nesting in our garage, and relieving themselves, all over everything. We have tried clearing the nests (they just rebuild), using plastic owls and snakes, and a product called "Bat Off or Bird off", can't remember exactly, but all it did was stink up the garage. We need to leave the door open, in good weather for ventilation, and keeping it shut doesn't help.

I'd like to panel the walls (pegboard) and floor-in the rafters, but don't want the birds messing where I can't get to it, and stinking us out even worse. I've been using a tarp stapled up over the vehicles, to help, and that I remove periodically to clean. Sure would like to do something more asthetic, though.

Any ideas here? Thanks in advance. Jody

-- Jody (ruready@cin.net), March 05, 2002

Answers

A small controled fire discourages birds when they are building their nests, say charcole in a coffee can maybe.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), March 05, 2002.

You didn't say what kind of birds?, is hard for me to give you advise of this nature, been a bird lover, and a bird watcher, but I am also a human "lover". 1. We need to know what kind of birds,different birds will behave different. Some birds hate nosy areas others love it, and others are completly indiferent. 2. Trap and release, is very successful when you are consistent doing it. 3. Moving a cat to the garage, and feed the cat only in the morning the rest of the day the cat will be hungry and the details, well I don't have to go there. 4.Some birds hate other birds, like an ex. is Canadian geese are very scare of swans. So to get a couple of swans in a lake, resolve the canadian geese problem, you tried this one already, with your plastic owl, and I don't want to insult you but, but birds are smart, after two or three days they realize that the owl is not from the forest, is from Walmart's shelves, and they don't care about it anymore a living rival in a cage for a while scare them more. 5. You need to check if around the garage you have any berry bushes if you do. Bingo remove them, you are providing "room and board". 6. Remove the eggs from the nest but not the nest. When you do this they think that a predator are stilling their eggs, and with time they will leave the area, when you remove the nest, they think that just the weather did this, and built another one. They are smart but they are birds, after all. I hate this one. 7. Smoke, I hate this one also, because they are very sensitive to it.Smoke out the garage, please don't kill them. 8. You have a blessing in disguise, birds are a sign of our enviorment a lot of birds in a comunity usually goes with lower cancer rate. Believe me this is true. Don't kill my friends, and good luck to you. Ralph.

-- Ralph Roces (rroces1@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.

Try a motion detector hooked to a light/noise source.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 05, 2002.

Would it be possible to install a window in your garage, with a screen on it?

Then you could just open the window for ventilation, and the birds could not come in through the screen.

-- HarleyinFL (cruisindog@juno.com), March 05, 2002.


A fellow told me had a problem with birds in his barn. He tried everything, and eventually the only thing he found that worked was a recording of birds in distress. I don't know where he got the tape - I believe it must have been purchased thought because it was a continuous looping tape. Berry Hill in Canada is what I believe is the equivalent to your Lehman's in the states. They should have a sparrow trap that works well. I think a company called NIC (Natural Insect Control) carries them as well.

Also, any possibility to provide other nesting places for them that are 'outside' the garage? Then you could take advantage of all the benefits birds provide, without the mess of having them inside.

-- Bernie from Northern Ontario (bernadette_kerr@hotmail.com), March 05, 2002.



I am just guessing you are speaking of Barn Swallows? Learn all you can about the species you are having trouble with. Call your County Extension Service, that's what we pay them for and educate yourself. Once you know what species of bird it is, to can approach how to deal with it. The first thing I would go for it, as mentioned above, screen windows and/or doors. I would think you'd want to do this anyway just to keep out insects and what not, especially if you are going to "panel" things. Anything that will keep out bugs will keep out birds. Let us know what you learn, I am curious about this. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), March 05, 2002.

I got those pesky swallows out of my garage when I put a plastic owl in the garage. Worked real well!!!!!!!!!

-- woodsbilly N.C. Pa. (coleenl@penn.com), March 05, 2002.

When growing up on the farm, the summer rule was to always leave one end of the barn open to allow the barn swallows to come in. Long before I had come on the scene, my ancestors knew the importance of having those birds gobbling insects on the farm. When uncle retired and built a house on another part of the farm, swallows moved into his attached double garage. If the swallows built over one bay, that meant that the car got the clean side while the pickup truck sat outside. And when 3 pairs moved in one year, my aunt and uncle, then in their 80s, kept a pair of old sheets handy to throw over the hood and roof of the Chrysler. Rather have the swallows than the flies and mosquitoes.

-- Martin Longseth (paquebot@merr.com), March 06, 2002.

Thanks for all the tips. They are barn swallows, and persistent as any mule! No berry bushes around, tons of trees for nesting, besides in the garage. Guess they feel too safe to move to a tree. Could get a garage cat, I suppose, but I have chicks ordered and don't really want to have to worry about them.

Jody

-- Jody (ruready@cin.net), March 06, 2002.


Jody, barn swallows do not nest in trees. Their nests are made from mud which would be gone after one rainfall. Their very name is due to the fact that they quickly adapted to man and his buildings as a substitute for cliff overhangs. After many generations of living with man's buildings, they have probably lost the original will nesting instinct much like the bluebirds are now nearly 100% reliant on birdhouses. Farms offered food for the swallows since cattle and horses equalled flies and other insects. And the barns became a substitute for cliffs for nesting. Sadly, they are on the decline due to destruction of habitat in their wintering areas and decreasing numbers of small dairy farms in the north.

-- Martin Longseth (paquebot@merr.com), March 06, 2002.


You are bless with these birds, be also careful, I think the swallows are protected in some states, and you could get into trouble, I will protect my cars, and keep the swallow, each of them eats up to a 1,000 mosquitoes a minute!!!! during the top mosquitoes season. Do you believe it? ... Ralph

-- Ralph (rroces1@yahoo.com), March 07, 2002.

Well, dh corrected me on what kind of birds they are...sparrows. At least it isn't as hopeless as swallows.

Jody

-- Jody (ruready@cin.net), March 09, 2002.


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