Like many other metropolitan areas, Las Vegas has a pigeon overpopulation problem. Their population numbers keep rising, while other bird species are as pigeons overrun the area. Pigeons have become such a problem in urban areas that pest control companies have added these birds to the list of vermin they deal with in their business.
Various schools of thought about controlling pigeon populations exist, with some more effective and efficient than others. Here are the top five pigeon population control measures that urban building owners should consider:
Birth control
A growing trend in pigeon pest control in Las Vegas is using products that render the birds unable to breed. Pigeon birth control disrupts the relentless reproductive cycle these birds perpetuate and can reduce the pigeon population in an area by up to 50% within the first year when used consistently and correctly.
Left unchecked, pigeons breed continuously. No sooner have their young left the nest than they are preparing for the next arrival. This is a phenomenon occurring in urban areas, where pigeons have access to undisturbed nesting and ample food and water.
Pigeons are messy creatures and leave a wake of poop and destruction in their path. Contact with pigeons or their nests is potentially dangerous as these birds are well-known carriers of germs and other bacteria.
Pigeon birth control works by ensuring that the eggs females lay do not hatch. This immediately affects population numbers, starting to decrease them without delay.
Barriers
As mentioned before, pigeons are prolific breeders in urban areas because they have safe nesting areas. Building owners that make nesting difficult for pigeons have seen them move on, looking elsewhere for a place to live and breed.
Making nesting challenging for pigeons requires materials that exclude them from accessing nesting spots. For example, nets under a building’s eaves prevent these birds from accessing a cozy nesting spot. Pigeon netting also works as an effective barrier when placed across a flat roof as it prevents the birds from landing and seeking nesting areas.
Many building owners also use pigeon spikes to stop these birds from landing on their buildings and windowsills. The spikes come in strips attached to any surface where pigeons might be inclined to look for nesting space.
Barriers control pigeon populations in a building, but they do not resolve the pigeon overpopulation crisis. However, they do give building owners some relief from a pigeon infestation.
Deterrents
Another way to deal with pigeons is to scare them away. Like all animals in a food chain, pigeons have predators who seek to catch, kill and eat them. Taking advantage of this can help control the pigeon population in an area.
A pigeon’s natural predators include birds of prey like falcons and sparrowhawks, owls, ferrets, cats, dogs, rats, foxes, snakes, and ferrets. Large building owners have had success with keeping cats as they love stalking and hunting pigeons.
However, it is unnecessary to keep a live version of a pigeon predator to scare pigeons away. Replica owls are equally effective.
Before using a model animal deterrent, understand that pigeons are wily creatures, which has stood them in great stead and led to their expanding population. A static ornament will scare them for the first while, but pigeons will ignore it once they figure out it is not real. Therefore, Las Vegas building owners buy a battery-operated or wind-powered model that moves.
Repellants
Building owners typically buy pigeon repellant gel to prevent pigeons from landing and nesting. These gels make it hard for pigeons to land on surfaces and contain ingredients that do not appeal to the pigeon’s sense of smell.
Other products do an admirable job. For example, greasing the metal rafters and beams in factory roofs keeps pigeons away as they cannot get a grip on surfaces. However, this needs to be done regularly to keep pigeons at bay.
Another useful repellant is sonic and ultrasonic sound emitters. They work by releasing high-pitched noises inaudible to the human ear that pigeons cannot tolerate. Las Vegas building owners can order these products online or buy them from a pest control company.
Culling
Culling is not a safe or effective way to manage a pigeon population. No one likes talking about culling pigeons, but it is a move that many building owners resort to out of sheer desperation. They might do so by putting out poison for pigeons to feed on, although they risk killing other bird species in contravention of the law.
Other people physically kill the birds. However, it is a challenging task as pigeons fly away when faced with danger. To overcome this obstacle, building owners trap the pigeons and then destroy them.
Most animal welfare organizations deem culling an inhumane way to deal with pigeon populations. It is only a short-term solution as more pigeons will move in to replace those that died.
