Bird Fouling

The problem

For the property owner feral birds can be a serious menace, especially in concentrated urban populations they pose a real risk to health, damage foodstuffs, deface buildings and increase property maintenance bills.

Health hazards

Pest birds are vectors of disease carrying a wide range of bacteria such as salmonella, psittacosis and ornithosis (a potentially fatal type of influenza in humans). Their nests also promote secondary infestations of unpleasant insects and mites. Then there is the increased risk of accidents from slippery, bird fouled pavements and staircases.

Loss of Goodwill

For many organisations where the maintenance of good hygiene standards is vital to corporate image, bird fouling on or around premises can threaten both reputation and customer goodwill.

Damage To Buildings

Nesting material, fouling and accumulated debris frequently lead to blocked gutters and downpipes, damaging overflows and possible water ingress. Bird droppings also contain harmful acids that actually erode stonework.

Food Contamination

In the food industry birds can cause untold damage, particularly in the light of today's stringent food safety regulations, by contaminating foodstuffs with their droppings, feathers and dirt.

Maintenance Penalty

Bird fouling mars many building facades especially those with ornate features and this means expensive maintenance work to clean masonry, windows and paint work and to repair resultant damage.

Bird Fouling:

The risks associated with bird droppings vary according to the location, so a risk assessment should consider the potential presence of all infectious agents.

It is always advisable for anyone entering potentially infected areas to wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

Diseases associated with birds:

Anyone involved in clearing up after feral birds, droppings or their nesting materials in the course of their work, should be aware of the risks of 'ornithosis'.

Ornithosis is an acute, infectious disease caused by the bacterium 'Chlamydia psittaci'. The bacteria live in the gut of infected birds and are passed out in the faeces and in eye and nasal secretions.

'Chlamydia psittaci' can be picked up by humans via the inhalation of faecal dust, or by contact with infected feathers, carcasses or birds nests. The disease organism becomes less infectious with time, therefore active roosts will present the greatest risk to humans. In the early stages, ornithosis exhibits as an influenza - like illness causing fever and bad headaches. The development of a sore throat with a cough, muscle pain, lethargy and depression may follow. If diagnosed early enough, the disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics. However, if allowed to develop, it can become serious, leading to hospitalisation and even death in certain cases.

Of course, ornithosis is just one example of the numerous diseases which can be transmitted to man by starlings, pigeons, gulls and other pest birds.

Treatment:

Any clearing-up treatment should be left to a professional pest control company.

An anti-bacterial solution must be sprayed on the droppings during a clean-up operation; wiped, sprayed or mopped over surfaces as a preventative biocide; sprayed on dead birds and nesting materials prior to their removal; wiped over personal protective equipment, spray tanks and other tools after a clean-up operation has been completed. A G Pest Management has the expertise and many years of practical field experience in clean-up operations.