How To Keep Birds And Other Pests Away From Your Garden

How To Keep Birds And Other Pests Away From Your Garden

By:


You just finished organizing and refreshing your beautiful garden. Now you want to do whatever you can to protect your investment in time and money. If you dont implement some effective bird-proofing and pest-proofing methods, your garden will be under attack.

As you may know, pest birds not only eat and destroy plants, they contaminate them with droppings that can carry any of 60 known diseases. On top of that, bird droppings cause unsightly stains on your walkways, fencing, gazebos, patio covers and awnings. If you have a pond or water fountain, bird droppings will easily contaminate the water in them, causing the pond or fountain to emit unpleasant odors. If you have fish in your pond, theyll be vulnerable to birds like the Great Blue Heron. And if youre growing your own fruits and vegetables, starlings and blackbirds wont hesitate to feast on themunless, of course, you install some bird proofing measures. Finally, if you pride yourself on an immaculate lawn, youll want to do all you can to deter Canada geese.

Before you whip out the bird poisons or load up your BB gun, keep in mind that many bird species are protected by local, state and federal laws that prohibit lethal measures. The solution is to use some of the more effective and humane bird control measures currently out on the market. But before you do, make sure youre garden isnt too inviting to unwelcome guests. Ponds and fountains should be covered at night. And bird feeders should be removed or placed in areas away from your vulnerable plants. Keep lawns closely trimmed and water them in the mornings (possum, birds and other pests like to dig up lawns looking for worms and grubs at night). Remove low hanging and ripened fruit and berries. And keep trashcans tightly covered.

If you anticipate having problems with birds or even ground-based pests, you might look into getting a motion-activated sprinkler known as the Scarecrow. When pests approach its radius of protection, they get hit with a sobering blast of water. Scarecrows are a harmless and surprisingly effective pest deterrent for gardens, backyards, pools, spas and other outdoor areas. Theyre easy to set up and use, connecting to almost any garden hose. Scarecrows cover approximately 1,200 square feet with a stream that reaches out 35 feet and 45 feet wide. These pest sentries work day and night for up to 6 months--delivering over 1,000 "firings"--on one 9-volt battery. You can even fine-tune them to adjust both their sensitivity and coverage distance.

Birds and other pests get really nervous when they see these next deterrents. Called Bird Scare devices or Bird Frighteners, these inexpensive bird-proofing and pest proofing devices take the form of Banners, Flash Tape and Balloons. Banners and flash tape reflect the sun and crinkle in the wind. Balloons have large, intimidating predator eyes that scare pests away. These devices are easy to mount throughout your garden, but you must move them around occasionally lest birds and other pests get used to them.

Another effective bird deterrent used in many gardens is bird netting. This netting is available in many types and mesh sizes. One widely used brand of netting is Ultra Net. It creates a low profile barrier to keep pest birds away from fruit trees and bushes. Lightweight and durable, this U.V.-protected polypropylene netting is practically invisible. It comes in 3/4-, 1/2-, and 1/4-inch mesh sizes to deter a variety of pests--including pigeons, swallows, crows, gulls and sparrows.

For vegetable gardens, wrap individual plants in netting or suspend the netting around the entire garden area. For blueberry bushes and grape vines, suspend the netting over the bush or vine by at least 6 inches. To protect fruit trees, cut the netting using the circumference of the tree as a guide, leaving at least one foot extra. Secure the netting with twine, zip ties or hog rings.

Still another highly effective bird control and pest control strategy is to use Bird Sonic Systems. They broadcast predator and distress calls that scare birds away. The sounds have been specially recorded to alarm pest birds, yet they are not unpleasant to humans or pets. The best sonic bird deterrents can be programmed to emit distress and predator calls round the clock. One sonic system has the capability to broadcast distress and predator calls for as many as 22 different bird species. Some systems will continually alter the pitch, frequency, timing and intensity of their sounds for maximum effect.

About the Author:
Alex Kecskes is a freelance writer focusing on professional bird control. If you are interested in learning more about keeping birds away from your garden, visit Bird-B-Gone, Inc. Bird-B-Gone hosts has a complete line of bird deterrents including bird spikes, bird netting, electric bird abatement systems, bird repellents, and more.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: , ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Landscaping-Gardening Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.