Having loud pigeons in your garden can be really annoying, and many don’t realise their droppings are actually corrosive. But luckily pest control experts have shared how to banish them in a humane way
Pigeons are pretty harmless, but that doesn’t mean you want them hanging round your garden at all hours of the day.
Pigeons get a bad reputation. Their cooing sounds can get really loud, and they’re known for messing up gardens with their bird droppings and feathers. Their faeces are highly acidic, which means they can stain surfaces – making them deteriorate quicker.
They’re also known to attack crops, flowers and vegetables in your garden, as well as scaring off friendly wildlife – so they aren’t the ideal garden guests. But you should keep in mind it’s illegal in the UK, under the Wildlife & Countryside Act from 1981, to harm wild birds, their nests (while they’re occupied) or their eggs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t deter them from your home.
So how can you banish pigeons from your home? Fantastic Pest Control has shared four quick and humane ways to deter the birds from your home, so they “won’t bother nesting” and “wont come back”.
Firstly, experts recommend you try an old-school solution, which involves hanging old CDs you don’t want anymore or other objects with shiny surfaces around the garden, like tin foil, Express reports. These reflective surfaces create a prism effect, which can temporarily affect the birds’ eyesight.
There are a lot of things in your garden that might tempt a pigeon, but you should avoid making the temptation greater by leaving food for them. If pigeons are fed, they will return. But keep in mind, if you don’t leave bird feed out it won’t just be pigeons that go hungry. Spring and early summer is the most important time to feed birds, when food supplies are scarce.
Another deterrent is scattering strong spices that pigeons are said to dislike – such as cinnamon, black pepper or chilli spice. You can for example leave fabric bags hanging around which are filled with the spices, or simply scatter it in the soil or grass.
Keep in mind this is just a temporary solution, and you’ll need to keep these topped up – especially if it rains. Foxes and cats are also said to ‘hate’ these strong smells, so they should also be deterred from your garden.
Lastly, the experts say you could try spraying them with a hose, but this will only work if you catch them before they start building nests. You can use your garden hose for this, or buy an automatic water jet to protect parts of your garden. Once they’ve created nests, your impromptu spraying won’t stop them returning home.
Have you tried any of these hacks, and did they work? Let us know in the comment section below.
