Las Vegas commercial buildings usually have significant roof issues due to the numerous birds in the area. Bird droppings, nesting, and pecking can cause lasting roof damage which may cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars to repair. At Peak Services, we find this situation to be quite unacceptable, and we would like to take this chance to inform you about the best bird deterrents for commercial roofs. In this article, we will explain exactly how the damage occurs and provide you with some of the best solutions for keeping the birds off your commercial roofs.
How do birds cause damage to commercial roofs?
There are three ways in which birds can damage a commercial roof: Droppings, Nesting, and Pecking. Bird droppings themselves are highly acidic, meaning that they erode almost any roofing material over time. It does not matter if your roof is made out of metal or asphalt, bird droppings will get through it eventually.
The second source of damage happens when birds nest on your commercial roof. Las Vegas pigeon control is, unfortunately, somewhat lacking and nesting is quite frequent. When birds nest on a commercial roof, what usually happens is that the roof’s water drainage system gets clogged and damaged. And when that happens, leaks follow soon after, causing the roof to rot. Furthermore, the nests themselves present a fire hazard, something that every resident of Las Vegas seeks to avoid at any cost.
Lastly, birds can (and will) peck at the roof, causing puncture damage. While the damage is nothing to concerned about over a short period of time, prolonged pecking will cause significant damage to any commercial roof.
Now that you know what sort of damage you can expect from an unchecked bird population, let’s see what you can do about it.
The best bird deterrents for commercial roofs
There are four main categories of bird deterrents. They are:
- Chemical deterrents
- Audio deterrents
- Scarecrow deterrents
- Physical deterrents
Note that deterrents are not the same as bird control or bird removal. If you are looking for bird removal Green Valley NV, for example, you may want to consult professional services instead of deterrents. And even then you will have to abide by the current rules and regulations.
Chemical deterrents
The way that chemical deterrents work is through association. What happens is that birds, over time, come to associate the roof with a feeling of discomfort and slowly fly off in search of more comfortable places to nest. Another benefit of chemical deterrents is the fact that they do not create any noise and are all but invisible. These deterrents come in two types: Birth control deterrents and chemical repellents. Do note that birth control deterrents might be regulated by your municipality, and you might get into a lot of trouble if a member of protected species ends up dead on your roof due to a birth control chemical deterrent. For this reason alone, chemical deterrents are somewhat impractical.
Furthermore, the use of chemical deterrents requires experience with the substance, as well as familiarity with current regulations present in the city of Las Vegas. This means that you can’t simply climb up on the roof and start spraying. You will need a professional to do that for you.
Audio deterrents
The second type of bird deterrent, audio deterrents, work by playing sounds that birds do not particularly enjoy. Audio deterrents are best used in a combination with the next deterrent type, scarecrow deterrents, but they have a few drawbacks even then. Even so, this combination presents some of the best solar panel bird control North Las Vegas has to offer. The drawbacks of this deterrent type include disturbing the occupants of the building or occasional passers-by. Therefore, these deterrents are best used in remote commercial locations, where there are few to no people around on a regular basis.
Another issue with audio deterrents is the fact that they need to be triggered only once the birds are flocking to the roof. If you leave the sounds playing continuously, the deterrent will have absolutely no effect. This makes audio deterrents quite tricky to use properly.
Scarecrow deterrents
Scarecrow deterrents are, perhaps, the most popular type of bird deterrents around the country. They are also the traditional choice when it comes to deterring birds from your property. These deterrents for commercial roofs are quite cheap and amazingly effective for their cost. However, they tend to lose effectiveness if the flock of birds is exceptionally large. Furthermore, you will need to constantly adjust the mechanism to prevent the birds from adjusting to it. But if you require a cheap, easy-to-install solution, look no further than scarecrow deterrents. Combine them with audio deterrents for maximum effect.
Physical deterrents
The last of the bird deterrents for commercial roofs are physical deterrents. The main purpose of this bird deterrent type is to prevent birds from even standing on the roof. They can either make the roof too slippery for birds to stand on or prevent birds from landing on the commercial roof itself. The most common type of physical deterrent is bird spikes. Physical deterrents are an excellent solution for deterring birds but they do come with a few drawbacks.
First, the physical deterrents themselves usually present a very unsightly appearance. While this may not be a problem for remote buildings, it is very much so in a residential or commercial area. Second, the installation of physical deterrents can get quite expensive. Depending on the size of your roof, even installing simple bird spikes can get very costly very fast.
As you can see, there are pros and cons to all bird deterrents for commercial roofs. You will need to carefully consider which deterrent is best for your roof and your situation. And if you want to know more about bird control, Peak Services is your go-to repository of knowledge.