Bird Control – Star Wars style!
Bird Control Star Wars Style!
The control of urban birds is coming in to the 21st century with laser technology. Fortunately it does not turn them into a puff of feathers. The laser is not aimed at the birds but on the ground where they are, the green beam of moving light makes them feel uneasy as it is an unknown threat, so they move elsewhere. This is seen as “fright then flight” because we have created a hostile environment.
Laser technology has been used in many situations for a number of years now in the UK Pest control market. I was involved in evaluating hand help systems many years ago for their effectiveness. BTP | Professional Bird & Pest Control has been using lasers to clear starlings and gulls from areas causing public health issues for many years now.
Some of the advantages of this system is it is silent in operation and can be very cost effective against more traditional methods such as netting or flying a trained bird of prey to create a hostile environment. There are some safety considerations when using a laser to users in the area but this is reduced with a full site survey and risk assessment wit control measures in place. It is not suitable for public areas but to secure areas where unauthorised people don’t have access.
The system is fully programmable so risk areas can be avoided. The system needs very little maintenance, periodic inspections need to be made to ensure the lens is clean and that it has not been knocked or moved so the laser path set up remains constant.
This system in the UK has been used at a number of Nuclear power stations with great success against Herring and Black Backed Gulls causing issues with fouling surfaces. Solar farms have also benefited from this system. Bird droppings can damage the coating on the panel and will reduce its efficiency if covered in guano.
Advantages are:
- Effective as birds don’t habituate to its presence
- Silent in operation
- Cost saving from reduced cleaning or power loss
- Can be isolated easily for human access to areas
- Low maintenance requirements
- Works day and night
See the videos below for lasers in action against birds:
BTP | Professional Bird & Pest Control is an approved installation Partner. Please call us today on 01525 863 951 to discuss you bird control issues – we can provide an solution!
