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| Pigeon
droppings, carcasses and nesting materials are heavy and can
clog drains on gas station roofs. This roof could collapse if
water does not drain off properly and gathers. Droppings coming
off the edge of these roofs and make a mess on the sidewalk
below, even hitting customers sometimes. |
Pest birds cause
tens of millions of dollars of damage every year to American buildings,
machinery, automobiles, roofs, ventilation systems and much more.
Bird droppings and nesting materials which are allowed to accumulate
pose a host of physical problems which can become very serious if
they are not corrected immediately.
Damage
to Roofs by Droppings
Bird
droppings are very acidic in nature. They actually eat away at many
substrates, especially tar-based roofing materials. Droppings which
are allowed to accumulate on roofs will eat into the material and
eventually cause leaks. The life expectancy of a warehouse roof
can be cut in half by just a light, but continuous, application
of bird droppings.
Damage
to Roofs by Nests
Pigeon,
starling
and sparrow
nests are often built in rain gutters, drains and corners of roofs
where drains are located. Several warehouses every year experience
great damage, even collapsed roofs, when drainage systems are blocked
and standing water is allowed to rise just six inches. A collapsed
roof that resulted in death or great physical damage could put a
company out of business.
Damage
to Machinery
Acidic bird droppings can do great damage to air conditioning equipment,
industrial machinery, siding, insulation etc. Not only is the equipment
being damaged, but workers are exposed to a dangerous health-risk
any time they work on or around the machinery.
 Fires
Started by Bird Nests
Nesting materials are usually very flammable due to their construction
of straw, twigs and dried droppings. When birds build their nests
inside electric signs or other machinery there is a great risk of
fire. Electric sign companies blame bird nests for most of their
sign fires.
Ventilation
Systems Blocked by Bird Nests
Bird nests built in chimneys and ventilation systems can not only
spread diseases through the system, but can actually block air-flow
which can have horrible consequences. A family of five in Cleveland
was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning just before Christmas 1995
because the exhaust system of their fireplace was blocked by bird
nests.
 Automobile
Finishes Damaged by Bird Droppings
Most bird droppings, but especially pigeon and gull, will fade paint
finishes by actually eating into the protective coating and the
paint itself. The longer the droppings are allowed to sit on the
paint, the more damage it will do.
Damage
to Food and Other Products by Bird Droppings
Birds flying around the insides of warehouses, airplane hangars,
factories and convention centers can wreak havoc. Bird droppings
can ruin plastics when they are being molded, they can destroy any
number of different chemicals and liquids which are being manufactured,
they will ruin new and old paint jobs on aircraft, and they can
contaminate food which is being made or packaged. These types of
ruined products often cost millions of dollars in waste.
Damage
to Company Image by Bird Droppings
Droppings and nesting materials on or around a building send a message
to the public that this  building
is not properly maintained. One is forced to wonder how clean a
restaurant's kitchen could be if they don't even care about bird
droppings dripping down the sign.
Collapsed
Ceilings
Pigeons have been know to enter attics of houses, apartments, restaurants
and other buildings through openings that have been either broken
or never sealed off in the first place. In most cases the pigeons
set up homes in these protected areas, build nests and discard their
bodily waste. Often the weight of the droppings becomes so great
that the actual ceiling collapses. One would guess that this type
of occurrence would be extremely random but it happens with alarming
frequency.
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