Often referred to as ‘rats with wings’, pigeons have become just as much of a problem in towns and cities as their furry, four-legged counterparts.
Pigeons have adapted well to living alongside humans and are regular inhabitants of town centers across North America.
Pigeons have been known to carry diseases such as Chiamdiosis, a virus similar to influenza, and Psittacosis, similar to pneumonia.
It is still unknown how big a health risk pigeons pose to humans, with many experts believing the chance of infection to be slight.
Pigeons droppings are perhaps the biggest problem with these otherwise docile birds. Combined pigeon deposits can weigh up to several tons and costs millions of dollars a year to clear up. Droppings not only look bad but can cause long-term damage to structures. Fresh droppings, while very unpleasant, pose no risk to health. It is dried droppings that can potentially spread infection. Spores from these droppings can be inhaled as dust and carried on the wind. It can cause a flu-like illness in healthy people but poses more serious problems to those with low immunity.
Pigeons not only pose problems in residential areas, farmers also suffer at the hands of these feathered pests.
Over the period of a year, a pigeon can eat its way through 64 pounds of food. Multiply this by the number of pigeons in your area and you begin to see the magnitude of the problem!
Many farmers end up shooting them for both sport and relief.
You may not always think of birds as pests, but when birds congregate or roost in large numbers, they can lead to lost business, contaminated products and can cause extensive structural property damage. Bird droppings can be hazardous to our health. Once the droppings have dried, they become potentially transferable to humans through the air. Birds such as Pigeons can carry disease organisms such as Cryptococcus that can be transmitted to humans.
Whether you are having problems with Gulls, Canada Geese, House Sparrows or Pigeons, we can help. Our bird control services include bird exclusion devices and netting, removing bird nests from venting areas and cleaning bird droppings. For pest control in Winnipeg choose GL pest control.
