by Pigeon Patrol | Nov 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeons in the News
Pigeon fanciers in eastern China are caging, cleaning and vaccinating tens of thousands of the birds in an attempt to contain the spread of avian flu as the death toll from the disease continues to mount.
“We’ve been cleaning a lot of cages,” said a man from the Beijing Fengtai District Carrier Pigeon Association who gave his name as Mr Wang. He added that the Beijing government had required the association to cancel upcoming long-distance races and instruct members to keep their birds caged for at least a month.
State media reported four new cases of H7N9 avian influenza on Monday, including one death. Since last month, the virus has infected 24 people and killed seven of them; cases have been reported in Shanghai and throughout three eastern provinces. The World Health Organisation said it had not yet found evidence that the virus could be transmitted from person to person.
In Shanghai, authorities ordered the slaughter of at least 100,000 chickens, ducks and geese after a national laboratory found traces of the virus in two pigeons near one of the city’s live poultry markets.

Now the country’s pigeons have become a focus for concerns over the spread of the disease. The Hangzhou Carrier Pigeon Association said it planned to suspend races and vaccinate up to 90,000 pigeons, according to state media. “Right now, pigeons in [Shanghai’s] squares and public parks have all been caged,” reported the China Sports Daily website.
Pigeon racing is a popular pastime in China dating back to the Ming Dynasty, which ended in 1644. Almost 300,000 people across the country participate in the sport.
According to the news portal Zhejiang Online, a complaints hotline in the metropolis Hangzhou received a flurry of pigeon-related calls on Sunday, when local media reported that samples of pigeon feathers found at a local market had tested positive for the virus.
Chinese researchers have identified the H7N9 virus as a “genetic mix from South Korean migratory birds and ducks from Zhejiang province”, the independent magazine Caixin reported on Tuesday.
Chinese health authorities have not detected any flu-like symptoms in 621 people who have had close contact with infected patients, the director of China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission, said Liang Wannian.
The outbreak has had an effect on China’s capital markets: shares of mainland poultry-meat producers have slumped since reports of the disease surfaced last week. Chinese airline and hotel stocks have also taken a hit, suggesting fears that the outbreak could affect the country’s tourism industry.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Nov 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
Physical control
Controlling pigeons permanently is hard because these birds have adapted to stress, and there are many sources of food available in urban areas.
- Never leave food out where pigeons can get it.
- Keep garbage containers closed. Dispose of garbage on a regular basis.
- On flat roofs or ledges, use bristling wires, also known as porcupine wires, or sticky pastes that will discourage pigeons from landing and gathering.
Bird scaring devices
Bird scaring devices can also be bought to frighten birds away from a given area. Loud noises, flashing lights, windmills, and recordings of bird distress calls can be effective ways of controlling pigeons, but may not all be practical in urban settings.

Ultra-sonic bird repellers are mostly used for personal balconies, backyards, or commercial rooftops
Products
Bird spikes, also known as an anti-roosting spike, is an effective device consisting of long, needle-like rods used for bird control. They can be attached to building ledges, street lighting, and commercial signage to prevent wild or feral birds from perching or roosting, in a humane way.

Pigeon Patrol spikes are an effective way to keep the birds away
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Nov 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
Pigeons of the city are feral bird of an invasive species. The biggest problem are pigeon droppings which are not only unsightly but pose a health hazard to the general public. There are more than 60 transmissible diseases from pigeon to humans.
Some examples include:
Histoplasmosis is a respiratory disease that may be fatal. It results from a fungus growing in dried bird droppings. Candidiasis is a yeast or fungus infection spread by pigeons. The disease affects the skin, the mouth, the respiratory system, the intestines and the urogenital tract, especially the vagina. It is a growing problem for women, causing itching, pain and discharge. Cryptococcosis is caused by yeast found in the intestinal tract of pigeons and starlings. The illness often begins as a pulmonary disease and may later affect the central nervous system. Since attics, cupolas, ledges, schools, offices, warehouses, mills, barns, park buildings, signs, etc. are typical roosting and nesting sites, the fungus is apt to found in these areas.
St. Louis Encephalitis, an inflammation of the nervous system, usually causes drowsiness, headache and fever. It may even result in paralysis, coma or death. St. Louis encephalitis occurs in all age groups, but is especially fatal to persons over age 60. The disease is spread by mosquitoes which have fed on infected house sparrow, pigeons and house finches carrying the Group B virus responsible for St. Louis encephalitis.
Salmonellosis often occurs as “food poisoning” and can be traced to pigeons, starlings and sparrows. The disease bacteria are found in bird droppings; dust from droppings can be sucked through ventilators and air conditioners, contaminating food and cooking surfaces in restaurants, homes and food processing plants.
E.coli. Cattle carry E. coli 0157:H7. When birds peck on cow manure, the E. coli go right through the birds and the bird droppings can land on or in a food or water supply.

A flock of pigeons
Besides being direct carriers of disease, nuisance birds are frequently associated with over 50 kindsof ectoparasites, which can work their way throughout structures to infest and bite humans. About two-thirds of these pests may be detrimental to the general health and well-being of humans and domestic animals. The rest are considered nuisance or incidental pests. A few examples of ectoparasites include:
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) may consume up to five times their own weight in blood drawn from hosts which include humans and some domestic animals. In any extreme condition, victims may become weak and anemic. Pigeons, starlings and house sparrows are known to carry bed bugs.
Chicken mites (Dermanyssus gallinae) are known carriers of encephalitis and may also cause fowl mite dermatitis and acariasis. While they subsist on blood drawn from a variety of birds, they may also attack humans. They have been found on pigeons, starlings and house sparrows.
Yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), perhaps the most common beetle parasites of people in the United States, live in pigeon nests. It is found in grain or grain products, often winding up in breakfast cereals, and may cause intestinal canthariasis and hymenolespiasis.
West Nile Virus while West Nile is technically not transmitted to humans from birds, humans can get infected by the bite of a mosquito who has bitten an infected bird.

Pigeon pox
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Nov 6, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News
Firefighters were called to rescue two pigeons who got trapped in netting.
After a call from the RSPCA a fire crew from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene at the Goldsmith Leisure Centre in Crowborough earlier this afternoon.
They arrived just after 2pm and, using a ladder, they managed to release the two pigeons.
The crew left the scene just before 3pm and the birds were left in the care of the RSPCA.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Nov 4, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, Pigeons in the News

The Bank of Scotland has been cause for eyesore due to it’s pigeon infestation
The Bank of Scotland in Burghead is only open for two hours each week and local people have complained for some time about the ‘eyesore’ with its boarded windows and resident pigeon population.
Janet Margaret Glendinning, who works for a contract cleaning company, has been voluntarily taking on the additional task of cleaning up around the building.
However, she has revealed via a social media post that Bank of Scotland staff advised her to stop doing so.
Mrs Glendinning said that she now hopes the building’s owners will take action on what she believes is a “definite health risk”.
She said: “I have regrettably decided to stop cleaning the pavement outside the Bank of Scotland, Burghead Branch on the advice of the bank staff and of Mitie, the contract cleaning company we work for.
“Although it was not part of the job description, we have done it for many years but things got worse and it has become a definite health risk.
“We are hoping that the owners will step up to the crease and get professionals in.
“We do hope the people in Burghead will understand our situation and be patient should the situation worsen in the near future.”
Currently the bank only use the building on Tuesday mornings from 9.30am until 11.30am – nobody was available to discuss the building’s condition last night.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Nov 4, 2014 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
Pigeon feces contains uric acid, which– at a pH level of 3 to 4.5 can eat away at many substrates and building materials. Not only will an accumulation of pigeon poop on roofs cause leaks, a continuous series of droppings can be a cause for a roof to collapse under the weight.

Collapsed gas station due to excess of pigeon droppings on roof.
Such is the damage of pigeon droppings that over time, it can down a warehouse roof’s lifespan in half. Pigeon activity in and around a building may directly damage the structure as pigeons are capable of lifting roof coverings to force an entry, especially if these are already slightly displaced.

This activity can allow significant water penetration into the building and subsequent decay. More seriously, they block rainwater drainage systems with their feces, feathers and other detritus.
Once pigeons have entered into an attic via a roof opening, they may accumulate nests and droppings– a cause for dampness which weakens the structural integrity of the ceiling, leading to collapse.

A ceiling has been brought down by the weight of damp pigeon nests.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)