WHY CONTROL BIRDS?
- Image
- Property Damage
- Safety
- Parasites
- Stored Products Insects
- Conservation
- Animal Disease
- Human Disease
Image
Fouling can smell unpleasant, appear unsightly and deter customers.
Property Damage
Droppings acid - deterioration of stonework, corrosion of metals. Blocked gutters/downspouts - water damage. Nests blocking chimneys/flues - accumulation of noxious fumes. Damage by pecking. Damage to crops
Safety
Droppings slip hazard. Even with daily cleaning those pavements are only safe for a short while before the droppings accumulate again.
Gulls - aggressive. Nesting gulls - attacks on humans and pets. Coastal gulls attack people for food.
Birds getting sucked into jet engines - plane crashes.
Parasites
Bird parasites can bite humans e.g.
Pigeon Bug (Cimex columbarius)
Pigeon tick (Argas reflexus)
Bird Mite (Dermanyssus gallinae)
Pigeon Flea (Ceratophyllus columbae).
Stored Product Insects
Feathers, droppings and bodies can host a variety of SPI, carrion eaters and mould eaters. Many of these will move on to infest or contaminate fabrics, food etc.
Conservation
Gulls can take small mammals, young birds etc from sanctuaries / zoos
Animal Disease
Spread of disease to poultry and other animals e.g. Newcastle Disease
Human Disease
Food-borne or food poisoning bacteria might be spread to humans through poor standards of personal hygiene after contacting droppings, or if birds contaminate human food or water with droppings or pecking etc. Disease organisms include: Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Lysteria monocytogenes, Vibrio cholerae. In UK, allowing birds to infest a food business violates Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995.
Blood feeding insects can feed on infected birds and transmit diseases onto man e.g. West Nile Virus.
Air borne disease agents - pathogenic micro organisms and dust. Resulting illness, generally involving lung disease, can be severe and convalescence may take months, with death a possibility. Causative agents include Chlamydia psittaci, Cryptococcus neoformansand allergenic particles
Cryptococcus spores
