For many different devices to get rid of pigeons please click  get rid of pigeons and also  pigeon deterrents Once on the sites navigate around the site to see the many different bird deterrents available

Getting Rid Of Pigeons Is Necessary For Healthy Living

Pigeons have lived together with human beings for thousands of years. Some pigeons carried posts to help our ancestors and most of them dropped diseases for us to suffer.

 Human diseases and health risks associated with pigeon droppings are Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcosis and Psittacosis.

Histoplasmosis, an infection caused by a fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum, may cause high fever, blood abnormality, pneumonia and even death in some cases. The disease primarily affects the lungs. People with weakened immune systems are generally more at risk of developing this disease. The fungus grows in pigeon droppings and soils throughout the world. It enters human bodies through air while breathing and a high in-take may cause infection. The symptoms of histoplasmosis may be fatigue, fever, minor influenza, blood abnormalities, dry coughs and chest pains though in many cases it does not show any. Central Illinois have experienced outbreaks of histoplasmosis.

Accumulated pigeon droppings are the most important source of Cryptococcosis, another fungal disease caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. Immune compromised persons, especially those with HIV infection run at high risk from this disease. Initial pulmonary infection is usually asymptomatic and most patients surrender to disseminated infection. It begins with a lung infection and spreads to other areas of the body, particularly in the CNS or the central nervous system. Skin eruptions and ulcers with lumps just under the skin are also characteristics of this disease. A high in-take of that airborne yeast cells in human bodies through air while breathing causes this infection. A cost-effective Cryptococcosis prevention strategy is yet to be developed.

Psittacosis is an infection caused by intracellular bacterium Chlamydia psittaci that affects parrots, pigeons and other birds. Dry and airborne droppings of affected birds infect human beings. Manifestations of this disease may range from asymptomatic infection to systemic illness with severe pneumonia. Fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a dry cough are some symptoms of this disease in human beings. Most Psittacosis in human beings results from exposure to pet infected birds. It spreads when a person inhales the organism, vaporized from respiratory secretions or dried feces of infected birds or bird bites, mouth-to-beak contact, and through handling of infected birds. Even brief exposures can lead to symptomatic infection. Man to man, transmission of this bacterium is rare, but not impossible.

In any case, the infected person should immediately consult a doctor.

As the age-old proverb goes ‘prevention is better than cure’, it is always advisable to get rid of pigeons. Killing is a common method, employed for pigeon control. However, scientific research has shown that in most cases the number increase beyond the pre-cull figure within weeks. If the food supply remains constant, pigeons will breed four-six times a year on an average. On the other hand, reduction in food supply may drop the number accordingly. It may work to some effect if the city council and general people work hand in hand as a pigeon deterrent by keeping the food sources far away from them. It is now high time to act for Pigeon Removal.

Check out the  pigeon deterrents that are available.

By: DavidJones

For many different devices to get rid of pigeons please click  get rid of pigeons 

Pigeon lung

What is pigeon lung? It is an allergy to the pigeon dust that affects about 20% of the pigeon fanciers, with different degrees of severity. Exposed to the pigeon dust, you get shortness of breath, cough, feverish illness and other symptoms like these.

Get Rid Of Pigeons

Dry and airborne droppings of affected birds infect human beings. Manifestations of this disease may range from asymptomatic infection to systemic  with severe pneumonia.

Avian Flu Can Spread Among Cats

It was an unusual treat of a pigeon that had died. Five days later a cat began to show a discharge from his nose, run a temperature, panting, and appeared to be depressed. This quickly worsened to convulsions and ataxia and died two days after.

Technorati Tags: pigeon droppings, pigeon nuisance, pigeon problem, pigeon problems, pigeon proofing, pigeon removal

To see the different types of deterrents click  bird deterrents and also click  pest control Once there navigate around the sites and find the different deterrents that are available.

Two Types Of Woodpecker Control And Woodpecker Deterrents

As a review, homeowners who already have existing damage to their home should begin by employing at least one exclusionary deterrent. Examples of this type of woodpecker deterrent include bird control netting and metal flashing.

Tactile woodpecker deterrents are a topical solution that is applied to your siding or roof. While this type of woodpecker deterrent can work, it can cause great harm to the woodpecker and can also cause discoloration and other damage to your home.

If you decide that a tactile woodpecker deterrent is the best option for you, do your research carefully and test the product in a area of your home that isn’t highly visible.

Visual Woodpecker Deterrents

The most effective types of woodpecker deterrents in this category not only provide a good visual deterrent but also include some type of motion as part of their design.

A common example of a visual woodpecker deterrent that is not effective is a stationary owl decoy.

Woodpeckers are not dumb animals. They might be deterred from the site initially because something new has been introduced to their environment but they will quickly realize that the owl is not a threat to them because it is stationary.

Other stationary visual deterrents include hawks, snakes and even owl or cat silhouettes.

Following is a start list of visual woodpecker deterrents that would be worth giving a try and provide some type of motion include:

Aluminum foil or reflective tape
Rubber balloons with owl-like eyes
Toy twirlers or windmills fastened to the eaves
A hanging CD to scare bird

One trait these solutions have in common is that they require a breeze to have motion.

There are some products on the market that are battery operated and are activated by the sounds of woodpecker pecking.

Audio Woodpecker Deterrent

Loud noises such as hand clapping or banging on the lid of a garbage can will certainly scare away your woodpecker. And in my case, it became a regular routine to wake up, get out of bed and bang on our exterior wall to get rid of our early morning visitor.

BUT these methods won’t produce long lasting results. Like the stationary owl I discussed in my last post, these are short term tactics.

You may also come across expensive high-frequency deterrents that claim to be very effective. As with dog whistles, these products produce a very high frequency that is beyond the hearing range of humans.

Sounds like it should work, right?

Not really, it turns out that many of these products produce frequencies that are even outside of the hearing range of most birds.

My preference is to go for those audio deterrents that are activated by a motion detector and produce a sound that is audible to woodpeckers.

By Michael Kosmala

To see the different deterrents please click  bird deterrents and also  pest control Once there navigate around the sites to find the different deterrents available.

how to get rid of woodpeckers in my house

Woodpeckers - Keeping Them Off Your Home! Woodpeckers can cause hundreds of dollars of damage each year to homeowners. They can also be a nuisance.

Woodpecker Damage

Geting rid of woodpeckers is not easy, woodpecker pecking can be very annoying. If you plan to get rid of woodpeckers, you will need to plan carefully.   

Ice Storm Tree Damage Offers Chance to Detect Emerald Ash Borer

"When cleaning up debris, people should look closely for woodpecker damage or D-shaped exit holes in the bark. If these signs are found, the debris should be inspected for overwintering larval-stage.

Technorati Tags: how to get rid of woodpeckers, woodpecker holes, woodpecker repellant, woodpecker repellents

To see the different types of deterrents please click  bird deterrents and also click  pest control Once there navigate around the site to see the different bird deterrents available.

The 10 Most Common Types Of Woodpeckers That Damage Homes

Let’s face it, woodpecker problems will continue to increase as human populations continue to encroach on their natural habitat. This unfortunate reality causes these beautiful and powerful birds to quickly be seen as a nuisance in the eyes of many frustrated homeowners. One of the first key steps to developing a successful woodpecker removal plan is to identify what type of woodpecker is causing damage to you home. Following is a list of the 10 most common types of woodpeckers that cause damage to homes or other wooden, man-made structures in North America:

Red-headed Woodpecker

Just seven to nine inches in length, the adult red-headed woodpecker is still an exciting bird to see. Adults have a black back with white wing tips and underbelly. As the name suggests the head is a deep red nearly down to the shoulder. Unusual for woodpeckers, the females are identical to the males. The inexperienced birdwatcher will sometimes mistake the Red-bellied woodpecker for the red-headed. That species has some red on the head, but nothing like the red-headed woodpecker’s fully dark red head.

Acorn Woodpecker

The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a small to medium sized woodpecker, averaging about 9 inches (23 cm) in length. The adults have black heads, back wings and tails, white chest and facial markings and large white eyes. The adult male has a red cap starting at the forehead; females have a black area or stripe between the forehead and the cap. The combination of the white eyes and facial markings against a black background make this species particularly striking, and a little crazy looking.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

The Golden-fronted woodpecker is a medium-sized to large woodpecker, averaging 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 inches. The name comes from a golden stripe across the face and around the back of the neck but there may also be a small patch of yellow, orange or red in the center of their belly. The breast is pale tan to light brown with with black and white "zebra-striping" or checkerboard pattern across the back and wings. Adult males may also have a red cap on their heads. Occasionally a Golden-fronted woodpecker is seen sporting a purple face, but this is due to its fondness for cactus pears, not due to any hybridization or regional color variations.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

The Red-bellied woodpecker is often confused with the Red-headed woodpecker as the top of its head is pale red back to the nape of its neck. The color on the belly is actually more of a pale pinkish to orange and on the female quite small and often unnoticeable.
The male also has a longer and wider bill than the female. The rest of this medium-sized woodpecker is the typical black and white barred pattern, with white to pale grey across the breast and along the sides.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

This type of woodpecker is a smaller species (6.25-7 inches or 16-18 cm in length), black and white striped on its back and wings with a pale underbelly with darker spots on the sides. Males have a red head spot, flecked with black or black and white. Females are usually substantially smaller and without red markings. There are numerous recognized regional variations in coloring and size resulting in eight accepted subspecies.

Downy Woodpecker

This little guy is North America’s smallest woodpecker at only 6-7 inches (15-17 cm). Besides his size, the downy can be identified by a proportionately short beak (less than the length of its head), a white stripe down his back and a white underbelly. All adults will have black markings like stripes across their backs and wing tops, and adult males have a small red patch at the nape of their necks.

Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpeckers can be anywhere from 6.5 to 10 inches in length. Like the downy woodpecker mentioned previously, colder climates tend to result in larger birds. As it happens, there are over a dozen subcategories of Hairy Woodpecker across the North American continent, down the Central American isthmus and across the Caribbean islands, although even scientists and bird enthusiasts can’t agree on exactly how many; 14, 17 or 21. Each is differentiated by its size, wingspan and subtle color and pattern variations. In general, the Hairy Woodpecker can be identified by its by its white, off-white, pale grey or tan underbelly, black and white patterned back and wings and the white or pale stripe down the back. They look superficially similar to the Downy Woodpecker but are larger with a bill much longer in proportion to its head than a Downy has. Males may have two little red spots or a red nape patch, females will have no red at all.

Red-cockaded Woodpecker

The Red-cockaded woodpecker is medium-sized, (20-23 cm), black with white striping and large white patches on either side of the head. The underside is white with black speckles. This type of woodpecker is named for the small patched of red the adult males have back behind the eyes on either side. These patches are tiny and frequently aren’t even visible under the black crown feathers on the head, and so males and females are difficult to distinguish from even short distances. The exception is during territorial or breeding displays, where the crest feathers are raised and the "cockades" are more easily seen.

Northern flicker

At only half the size of the Pileated woodpecker, the Northern Flicker is still the second largest of the common woodpeckers of North America at 11-12 inches in length. In the eastern and northern part of North America, the golden-shaften variety is common while the red-shafted variety is more common in the west. The rest of the flicker is gray and brown with black striped markings across the back. The underside is light grey or pale tan with darker speckles. The common Northern Flicker has a black or red mustache and in birds with a black mustache, a red patch at the back of the neck.

Pileated Woodpecker

The Pileated woodpecker is a large bird, 16-20 inches long, nearly as large as the common crow. They are named for the bright red crested cap on the top of their heads. The adult males also have a red mustache, or strip on either side of the bill. They are very dark brown, so dark that they often appear black, with contrasting white marks on the face, above and below the mustache. They appear entirely black or brown until they fly, then a prominent white patch on the underside of the wings is visible from below.

Once you understand what type of woodpecker is damaging your home you will be well on your way to getting rid of the woodpecker.

By Michael Kosmala

To see all the available bird deterrents please click  pest control and also  bird deterrents Once there navigate around the site to see the available deterrents.

Technorati Tags: detering woodpeckers, how to get rid of woodpeckers, woodpecker bird, woodpecker damage, woodpecker problems

To see the best deterrents please click  bird deterrents and also pest control Once you’re on the sites, navigate around and find the different available deterrents.

 Deterring Birds From Your Home

Bird watching is a growing phenomenon. It’s great unless you have birds ‘raining’ down on your home. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of bird deterrents available now.

If you’re reading this article, you have concerns for the environment and try to take steps not to destroy it. This is extremely commendable, but even the heartiest environmentalist hates the things birds can do. Sometimes they are just letting nature take its course after eating while other times they seemed to have picked your space as home. A couple birds can be great. A flock can drive you insane.

The traditional method of dealing with excessive attention from birds is the use of scarecrows. In theory, scarecrows present birds with the illusion of a person being present and supposedly get the birds to move along to another neighborhood. As with many traditional beliefs, this one is partially true. Birds don’t care for humans, but traditional scarecrows really aren’t particularly persuasive. Something that moves, however, definitely does the trick.

 Modern scarecrows come in a variety of forms. None of them look like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. Instead, they tend to come in two primary forms.

The first is in the form of a predatory bird that is motion activated. A particular favorite is the owl, a known predator of most birds.