Gutters, being the major component of the buildings are essential for the timely removal of water from buildings. Various factors such as birds’ nesting can block the gutters making them unable to remove water and interrupt their functioning. Consequently, the gutter’s blockage can result in the accumulation of water, moisture damage, and significant health risks. Thus, it is vital to prevent your building’s gutters from being blocked from bird nestings.
Gutters blockage can be successfully prevented by executing the methods outlined below.
● Remove the nest and nesting material from the gutters.
● Install a nestbox or bird’s house near your building.
● Install gutter guards over the gutters.
● Deter birds with ultrasonic bird repellents.
● Remove the food source near the gutters.
● Make use of non-toxic bird repellents.
● Install bird spikes near the gutters.
● Hang foil tapes to distract the birds.
● Scare the birds by placing bird decoys
Keeping the birds away from the gutters is a challenging task. However, the above-discussed methods will prevent the birds from nesting in the gutters without causing any harm to them. Here are the detailed installation processes of these methods to diminish problems related to blocked gutters because of birds.
Remove the nests and nesting material from the gutters:
Removing the bird’s nest from the gutters is a must thing to prevent water blockage. Water fails to move forward at the nesting site and causes the accumulation of water in the building. If you are facing a problem with water accumulation, you must check the gutters. If you saw a nest, immediately remove it to overcome this problem.
Some essential materials are required for safe nest removal from gutters. These materials include ladders, precautionary gear, a scooper, or a bag or container. After preparations, follow these steps for efficient nest removal.
1. Put on your gloves and glasses for additional safety.
2. Place the ladder at a point where you can easily reach the nest. Climb the ladder until you reach the targeted height.
3. After climbing, check the nest in the gutter. Use a stick to check whether it is active or inactive. Never try to remove an active nest because the birds can harm you.
4. Remove the nesting material of an inactive nest through hands or by using a scooper and carefully put it into the bag or a container.
5. If the nest is present in the downspout, then remove the nest by flushing it with high-pressure water. After removing the nesting material, carefully cover the gutter to prevent further nest formation.
Install a nestbox or bird’s house near your building:
When the birds fail to find any place for nest formation, they often made nests in gutters. In this case, installing the nestboxes or birdhouses near your buildings can encourage the birds to live in these birdhouses instead of gutters. A variety of birds houses or nest boxes are available in the market. They vary according to the types and the size of the birds.
Take a birdhouse and place it or mount it in a safer place near your building. When the birds find a place for their nesting, they will not come toward the gutters. In this way, the gutter effectively removes the water by allowing the regular and smooth flow of water.
Install gutter covers over the gutters:
Installing the gutter covers over the gutters is the most recommended way to stop the birds from nesting. Covering the gutters with waterproof gutter guards directly blocks the bird’s entrance into the gutters. You can use the following gutter guards to cover the gutters.
● Raptor stainless steel gutter guards
● GutterStuff foam
● Brush gutter guards
● Mesh gutter guards
Raptor stainless steel gutter guards:
These gutter guards are made of stainless steel. They are easy to install and protect the gutters from birds and leaves etc. One side of this gutter guard is attached to the gutter by using the self-taping screws. While you can check the flowing water in the gutter by lifting the other side of the guard.
GutterStuff foam:
These inexpensive gutter guards resemble foam. You can simply put and pinch them according to requirements. They are designed in such a way that they block the entrance of birds and debris material in the gutter while allowing the flow of water.
Brush gutter guards:
The brush gutter guards look exactly like the large pipe cleaners. Simply put them in the gutters. The water flows through the brush while the debris material is stuck in the bristle of the brush. You can clean the gutter brush to remove the debris particles.
Mesh gutter guards:
Mesh gutter guards are porous and are made of plastic or metals. They are much more expensive and difficult to install than other gutter guards. To install them put one end of the guard under the shingle of your roof while the other end remains on the other side of the gutter, thus it completely covers the gutter. Water flows from the gutter restricting the entrance of birds and leaves.
Deter the birds with ultrasonic bird repellents:
Ultrasonic bird repellents are devices that repel the birds by producing the sounds of their predators. They scare the birds with distress calls and the predator’s sounds. You can buy these repellent devices from departmental stores and online websites. They are easy to install and work magically to keep all types of birds away from your buildings.
Installing the ultrasonic bird repellent device working on the direct electrical connection may be difficult. So, to overcome this issue, you can use a device working on an electrically charged battery or solar panels. Keep the device near the gutter and turn it on. It starts producing the sounds of the different predators of birds and distress calls.
You can change the frequency of sounds by using a volume button on the device. The sounds reach many acres so the birds can get scared from far areas. The birds might think that the predators may harm them so they do not come near the gutter area.
Remove the food source near the gutters:
The food source is the main attracting material for all types of birds. We know that the main reason behind the flying of birds is finding food. The birds continue to fly until they found feeders or food sources. They instantly inhabit and make a nest in a place where they regularly find food.
If you keep feeders near the gutters then you must instantly relocate them. It is better to keep these feeders away from the gutters area. Moreover, the birds may throw dropping during flying which also attracts other birds. You must also clean them regularly.
In addition to food, the running water in the gutter may also attract the birds as a water source. For this purpose, the best solution is to cover them with cover guards. In this way, the birds will find no reason to make nests in the gutters and stay away from them.
Make use of non-toxic bird repellents:
The non-toxic bird repellents repel the birds with their strong smell and irritating sensation. Baking soda act as an excellent bird repellent to prevent the birds. Take a required amount of baking soda and sprinkle it near and in the gutter area. The birds dislike the presence of baking soda under their toes because of its irritating sensation.
Moreover, you can also use taste repellents to prevent birds from nesting in gutters. The most effective taste repellent is the “Avian Control Bird Repellent”. Take a bottle of this repellent and spray it in the gutter area. It repels the birds because of its taste. You can use any of these repellents to protect your building’s gutters from the birds nesting.
Install bird spikes near the gutters:
Installing bird spikes act as a permanent solution to prevent bird’s nesting in the gutters. It requires proper installation and maintenance of these spikes. The spikes act as a physical barrier between the gutters and birds blocking their entrance.
Before installing the spikes, clean the area with a disinfectant. For this purpose, you can use a mixture of ammonia and 10% bleach as a disinfecting agent. After cleaning, install the bird spikes on this surface. If you are installing spikes on a wood surface, then you can use the self-taping screws and nails for the proper binding of spikes. The base of the spikes possesses patented fixing holes. Fix the bird’s spikes to the wood surface by passing the nails or screws through these holes.
On the other hand, if you are securing the spikes on a stone or concrete surface, you can use outdoor construction adhesives. Avoid using silicon adhesive to get desirable results. Apply the beads of adhesive using an adhesive gun along the base of the spike. After applying adhesive, place it in the target area and press it firmly. They prevent birds from landing without causing any harm to them.
Hang foil tapes to distract the birds:
The foil tapes distract the attention of the birds with the reflective surface. Take the foil tapes and hang them with available solid support or branches of trees near the gutters. When the light hits the foil tapes, they produce reflection because of their reflective surfaces.
Moreover, the tapes also produce frightening sounds when the wind hit them. Both the reflection and the frightening sounds distract the bird’s attention and make them scared. As a result, the birds fly away from the gutter area. You can also use cassette tapes instead of foil tapes.
Scare the birds by placing the bird’s decoy:
Scaring the birds with bird decoys is the most effective way to protect the gutters from nesting. The shape of the decoys resembles the predators of the birds such as falcon, owls, snakes, etc. You can say that they are the perfect mimics of the bird’s predators.
Take an artificial decoy such as an owl. It may make of plastic or rubber and may show movement. Installing them is easy. Fill the owl with stones by removing the base of the owl. You can also place the owl on a fixed vertical rod near the gutters.
When the wind hit the decoy, its head may show movement in different directions. When the flying birds look at the fake moving owl, they may feel the presence of a real owl. They just leave this gutter area in no time to save themselves from any damage caused by the owl.
Similarly, you can use fake falcons and snakes to protect the gutters from the nesting of birds. It is an inexpensive method to get rid of birds but the birds may get habitual because of the continuous presence of these predators. So, in order to get permanent results, you must change the fake predators after a short interval of time.
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