Here are some proven methods to manage bird pest issues efficiently:

1. Identifying Bird Pest Issues

Understanding the specific bird species causing problems and identifying the severity of the infestation is crucial. Recognizing their nesting and feeding habits aids in choosing appropriate control methods.

2. Preventive Measures

Implementing preventive strategies is key to managing bird pests. Techniques like blocking access to nesting sites, sealing entry points, and minimizing food sources help deter birds from roosting.

3. Physical Deterrents

Physical barriers such as bird spikes, nets, wires, or screens installed on ledges, roofs, or openings prevent birds from landing or nesting. These deterrents make the area inhospitable for birds.

4. Sound and Visual Deterrents

Utilizing sound devices emitting distress calls or visual deterrents like reflective surfaces, predator decoys, or scare balloons disrupt birds’ habits, discouraging them from frequenting the area.

5. Humane Trapping and Removal

In situations where bird infestations are severe, humane trapping methods can be employed. Once captured, birds are safely removed and relocated by professionals.

6. Professional Pest Control Services

Engaging professional pest control services specializing in bird management is often the most effective solution. These experts utilize specialized techniques and equipment to manage bird populations efficiently.

7. Chemical Repellents and Treatments

As a last resort, non-toxic chemical repellents or treatments might be considered. These include gels, sprays, or pigeon birth control products aimed at reducing bird populations ethically.

8. Regular Maintenance and Monitoring

Regularly inspecting properties and implementing preventive measures is crucial for sustained bird pest control. Continuously maintaining deterrents and addressing bird activity promptly is essential.

Conclusion

Effective bird pest control management involves a combination of preventive measures, deterrents, humane removal, and professional pest control services. By employing these techniques, individuals and businesses can effectively manage bird pest issues, ensuring a cleaner and pest-free environment.

Elevate your pest management strategy! Contact ETS to explore tailored solutions and master bird pest control techniques for a pest-free environment.

The post Effective Techniques for Managing Bird Pest Control appeared first on ETS.

Birds are immeasurably valuable to humans and the environment.  People enjoy watching, feeding, and conversing with harmless and beautiful birds, even common city pigeons, sparrows, and starlings. These birds represent a few of the only naturally free forms of wildlife. Unfortunately, these same birds can be nuisances and may then fly to nearby urban areas to roast and nest (or rest, but this has nothing to do with breeding or feeding) on and in buildings such as food warehouses, restaurants, apartment building windowsills, school and hospital rooftops, and the like.

Urban birds may play potentially important roles in food-borne illness outbreaks, and may frequent livestock fields that contain livestock manure, urine, molds, soil, fungi, bacteria, and viruses (Salmonella, Cryptococcosis, Histoplasmosis, Avian influenza, Ornithosis, and Pigeon Fancier’s disease).  These birds also contaminate food and deface buildings, signs, statues, vehicles, and other items of importance in urban environments.

Like other pest management programs, ETS provides an effective bird management program that incorporates several management approaches.  Sanitation, exclusion or habitat alteration, repellents, and population reductions are the essential components of managing urban pest birds.

When a public relations program is warranted, ETS technicians always inform and consult all public officials before beginning the management program. This helps keep all concerned parties informed that only nuisance birds will be controlled.

Three common bird pests are found in the UAE:

1. Pigeon (Rock Dove) – Columba livia Gmelin – (Columbudae: Columbiformers)
2. European Starling – Strurnus vulgaris Linneaus – (Sturnidae: Passeriformes)
3. House Sparrow – Passer domesticus (Linneaus) – (Passeridae: Passeriformes)

1. Pigeon (Rock Dove):

General Description

• Pigeons have gray bodies with a whitish rump, two black bars on the secondary wing feathers, a broad black band on the tail, and red feet.
• The body color can vary from gray to white, tan and blackish.
• The average weight is about 300-400g, and the average length is 30 cm.

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

1. Reproduction:

• Pigeons are monogamous (i.e., they have one mate at a time).
• The male cares for and guards the female and the nest.
• It reproduces in the 4-6th month and broods 2-3 times a year.
• The female lays 1 or 2 eggs after 8 to 12 days of mating.
• Eggs hatch after 18 days.
• The squabs are fed a secreted substance called pigeon milk.
• The young are raised for 4-5 weeks by the parents. More eggs are laid before the first young are weaned.
• Breeding may occur during all seasons, but peak reproduction is in the spring and fall.
• The population consists equally of males and females.
• Wild pigeons can live for 15 years, and sometimes longer.
• In typical urban environments, however, most pigeons do not live for more than about three-and-a-half years.
• This bird is a resident.

 2. Habits and behaviors:

• The pigeon is the most serious urban bird pest in the UAE.
• They frequent parks and sidewalks, feeding on food provided by people.
• They use city bridges and buildings that provide roosting, loafing, and nesting sites. They also inhabit farmyards, livestock facilities, grain elevators, feed mills, and other buildings.
• In cities, pigeons tend to move in flocks of several hundred, which frequently move about, fly, and roost together.
• Occasionally, a smaller group will select a house or a few houses on which to roost, but in general, they prefer large buildings.
• Pigeons inhabit roofs, ledges, drain spouts, lofts, steeples, caves, and ornate architectural features of buildings where openings allow for roosting, loafing, and/or nest building.
• Pigeons do not construct a typical bird nest. Instead, their nests consist of sticks, twigs, and grasses and are built in the crevices of rocks.

3. Feeding: −       Pigeons feed mainly on grains and seeds, as well as snails and spittle.

• An adult pigeon consumes about 1 lb. of food per week.
• The ingested food is digested with the aid of gravel or sand, which serves to grind food in the gizzard, or digestive organ.
• Pigeons must have water.
• Healthy pigeons can exist for several days without food, but they require water each day.
• Resting, nesting, and roosting sites are frequently located in protected areas up high on structures.

2- European Starling:

General Description

• The starling is a stocky, short-tailed bird about the size of the robin. From a distance, it appears entirely black, but it is actually flecked with light speckles.
• Most of its feathers show iridescent purples and greens.
• The bill of both sexes is yellow during breeding season (January to May), and dark for the rest of the year.
• Juveniles are a plain brownish-gray.

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

 1. Reproduction:

• Starlings mate in the spring.
• Females lay 4 to 7 greenish-blue eggs without spots.
• Eggs hatch after 12 to 14 days of incubation.
• The young leave the nest when they are about 21 days old.
• Both parents help build the nest, incubate the eggs, and feed the young.
• Usually, two broods hatch per season.
• By the end of the breeding season, it is formed by thousands of birds that roost collectively on reeds, trees, or buildings.
• Partially considered a migratory bird. Migrate in February, March, and October.

2. Habits and behaviors:

• They travel in flocks, as do pigeons and sparrows.
• Nests are usually built in wide open towns, in meadows, fields and sides of streams. They situate their nests in areas such as tree cavities and in almost any available hole in and around buildings.
• In city and suburban areas, starlings are pests because they use buildings, parks, and residential trees for roost sites.
• Feces from large numbers of starlings on and around the trees will kill the trees.
• Starlings spend the warm weather months in rural areas. In colder weather in the fall, they descend in large flocks into towns and cities at night to seek the warmth and shelter of large buildings.

3. Feeding:

• During the daylight hours, winter urban starling flocks feed at feedlots or grain elevators and fly back to the protected city roost sites at night.
• Each day, they may fly 15 to 30 miles between roost sites and feeding sites.
• Starlings consume a variety of foods (insects, worms, spittle, snails, fruits, seeds, and scraps) that make up a large portion of their diet during the breeding season.
• During the winter months, waste from food-processing facilities makes up a substantial part of their diet.
• In times of food scarcity, starlings will feed on almost anything to survive.

3. House Sparrow:

General Description

• The house sparrow is small and has a stocky appearance.
• The upper parts are reddish brown streaked with black, and the under parts are gray.
• The female and immature birds lack any distinctive markings.
• The male has a characteristic black throat, gray crown, and chestnut-colored nape.

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

1. Reproduction:  −       The female lays 3-9 eggs speckled with dense black-brown spots.−       The incubation takes place for 14 days. −       It takes care of feeding the chicks for 11 to 17 days.

• The young are fledged (ready for flight) at about 14 days.
• House sparrows can produce up to 5 broods per year.
• The high reproductive rate is offset by an annual natural mortality rate ranging between 40 and 60%, often depending on the severity of the winter.

 2. Habits and behaviors:

• House sparrows can inhabit virtually every part of a city, nesting and/or perching in and around all types of residential and commercial buildings.
• Flocks of house sparrows can be serious nuisances.
• In rural areas, they are destructive around poultry and other livestock operations as they consume and contaminate large amounts of livestock feed.
• They are also capable of destroying building insulation.
• Large flocks often develop around food-serving establishments, shopping malls, warehouses, stadiums, and airport hangers.
• In residential areas, sparrows are pests in gardens and around yards, where they frequently displace desirable songbirds.
• The nests of house sparrows are usually built in, on, or near buildings.
• The nests are typically messy and are comprised of twigs, grass, and paper.
• Sparrows will also nest in trees and shrubs, usually using the same nesting locations and tree cavities year after year.
• Sparrow nests constructed on and around power lines and in electrical sub-stations have caused serious fire hazards.
• Sparrows are gregarious (i.e., group-loving).

3. Feeding:

• The food of the house sparrow varies, but grain is its preferred item. They also feed on the fruits and buds of some trees and bushes, as well as green leaves.
• The average adult sparrow eats less than 1/4 oz. of food daily.
• During the breeding season, the nestlings are fed insects.
• In rural areas, sparrows thrive at cattle feedlots, dairy farms, and hog and poultry farms where food and shelter are plentiful.
• In urban locations, they depend upon human trash that provides foods such as bread, fat, and other table scraps.

Economic & Health Damage of Birds

1. Economic Damage

• Some types of birds may cause economic or health damage to homes and their occupants, which puts them in the ranks of dangerous household pests. When birds, such as sparrows and pigeons, gather in large numbers on the roofs, windows, and trellises of houses and electricity poles, take positions or places of shelter, breed, and then set out to feed and return with the materials they may carry, they work on the dirt and pollution of the house.
• The excrement of these birds and the remains of their food cause stains on the walls and walls with sticky dirt, and some fungi grow on them, which in turn secrete acidic substances that cause corrosion of buildings.
• Damage may occur as a result of nests and dead birds gathering in air-conditioning vents or rainwater drainage. It also spoils light bulbs and causes damage to electrical connections.

• Losses are inflicted on home gardens as a result of their feeding and destruction of fruits, vegetables, and small seedlings, in addition to the disturbance they cause when they are present in large numbers, especially in the early morning and at sunset.

• The containment of bird droppings on ammonia and folic acid leads to the corrosion of car paint and the corrosion of metals and devices.

• Some birds and their flocks cause problems and danger to air navigation lines and airports, and collisions of some birds in the air may result in accidents, even if they are rare.

2. Health Damage:

Birds can harbor disease organisms that may affect people, pets, and domesticated animals.  However, reports of disease outbreaks directly linked to urban pest birds are rare, and the actual incidence of transmission of diseases from urban pest birds is difficult to assess.  Diseases and ectoparasites transmitted by birds to humans are mentioned below.

The post Birds appeared first on ETS.

General Description

• The starling is a stocky, short-tailed bird about the size of the robin. From a distance, it appears entirely black, but it is actually flecked with light speckles.
• Most of its feathers show iridescent purples and greens.
• The bill of both sexes is yellow during breeding season (January to May), and dark for the rest of the year.
• Juveniles are a plain brownish-gray.

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

 1. Reproduction:

• Starlings mate in the spring.
• Females lay 4 to 7 greenish-blue eggs without spots.
• Eggs hatch after 12 to 14 days of incubation.
• The young leave the nest when they are about 21 days old.
• Both parents help build the nest, incubate the eggs, and feed the young.
• Usually, two broods hatch per season.
• By the end of the breeding season, it is formed by thousands of birds that roost collectively on reeds, trees, or buildings.
• Partially considered a migratory bird. Migrate in February, March, and October.

2. Habits and behaviors:

• They travel in flocks, as do pigeons and sparrows.
• Nests are usually built in wide open towns, in meadows, fields and sides of streams. They situate their nests in areas such as tree cavities and in almost any available hole in and around buildings.
• In city and suburban areas, starlings are pests because they use buildings, parks, and residential trees for roost sites.
• Feces from large numbers of starlings on and around the trees will kill the trees.
• Starlings spend the warm weather months in rural areas. In colder weather in the fall, they descend in large flocks into towns and cities at night to seek the warmth and shelter of large buildings.

3. Feeding:

• During the daylight hours, winter urban starling flocks feed at feedlots or grain elevators and fly back to the protected city roost sites at night.
• Each day, they may fly 15 to 30 miles between roost sites and feeding sites.
• Starlings consume a variety of foods (insects, worms, spittle, snails, fruits, seeds, and scraps) that make up a large portion of their diet during the breeding season.
• During the winter months, waste from food-processing facilities makes up a substantial part of their diet.
• In times of food scarcity, starlings will feed on almost anything to survive.

The post European Starling appeared first on ETS.

General Description

• Pigeons have gray bodies with a whitish rump, two black bars on the secondary wing feathers, a broad black band on the tail, and red feet.
• The body color can vary from gray to white, tan and blackish.
• The average weight is about 300-400g, and the average length is 30 cm.

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

1. Reproduction:

• Pigeons are monogamous (i.e., they have one mate at a time).
• The male cares for and guards the female and the nest.
• It reproduces in the 4-6th month and broods 2-3 times a year.
• The female lays 1 or 2 eggs after 8 to 12 days of mating.
• Eggs hatch after 18 days.
• The squabs are fed a secreted substance called pigeon milk.
• The young are raised for 4-5 weeks by the parents. More eggs are laid before the first young are weaned.
• Breeding may occur during all seasons, but peak reproduction is in the spring and fall.
• The population consists equally of males and females.
• Wild pigeons can live for 15 years, and sometimes longer.
• In typical urban environments, however, most pigeons do not live for more than about three-and-a-half years.
• This bird is a resident.

 2. Habits and behaviors:

• The pigeon is the most serious urban bird pest in the UAE.
• They frequent parks and sidewalks, feeding on food provided by people.
• They use city bridges and buildings that provide roosting, loafing, and nesting sites. They also inhabit farmyards, livestock facilities, grain elevators, feed mills, and other buildings.
• In cities, pigeons tend to move in flocks of several hundred, which frequently move about, fly, and roost together.
• Occasionally, a smaller group will select a house or a few houses on which to roost, but in general, they prefer large buildings.
• Pigeons inhabit roofs, ledges, drain spouts, lofts, steeples, caves, and ornate architectural features of buildings where openings allow for roosting, loafing, and/or nest building.
• Pigeons do not construct a typical bird nest. Instead, their nests consist of sticks, twigs, and grasses and are built in the crevices of rocks.

3. Feeding:

• Pigeons feed mainly on grains and seeds, as well as snails and spittle.
• An adult pigeon consumes about 1 lb. of food per week.
• The ingested food is digested with the aid of gravel or sand, which serves to grind food in the gizzard, or digestive organ.
• Pigeons must have water.
• Healthy pigeons can exist for several days without food, but they require water each day.
• Resting, nesting, and roosting sites are frequently located in protected areas up high on structures.

The post Pigeon (Rock Dove) appeared first on ETS.

General Description

• The house sparrow is small and has a stocky appearance.
• The upper parts are reddish brown streaked with black, and the under parts are gray.
• The female and immature birds lack any distinctive markings.
• The male has a characteristic black throat, gray crown, and chestnut-colored nape.

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

1. Reproduction:

• The female lays 3-9 eggs speckled with dense black-brown spots.
• The incubation takes place for 14 days.
• It takes care of feeding the chicks for 11 to 17 days.
• The young are fledged (ready for flight) at about 14 days.
• House sparrows can produce up to 5 broods per year.
• The high reproductive rate is offset by an annual natural mortality rate ranging between 40 and 60%, often depending on the severity of the winter.

 2. Habits and behaviors:

• House sparrows can inhabit virtually every part of a city, nesting and/or perching in and around all types of residential and commercial buildings.
• Flocks of house sparrows can be serious nuisances.
• In rural areas, they are destructive around poultry and other livestock operations as they consume and contaminate large amounts of livestock feed.
• They are also capable of destroying building insulation.
• Large flocks often develop around food-serving establishments, shopping malls, warehouses, stadiums, and airport hangers.
• In residential areas, sparrows are pests in gardens and around yards, where they frequently displace desirable songbirds.
• The nests of house sparrows are usually built in, on, or near buildings.
• The nests are typically messy and are comprised of twigs, grass, and paper.
• Sparrows will also nest in trees and shrubs, usually using the same nesting locations and tree cavities year after year.
• Sparrow nests constructed on and around power lines and in electrical sub-stations have caused serious fire hazards.
• Sparrows are gregarious (i.e., group-loving).

3. Feeding:

• The food of the house sparrow varies, but grain is its preferred item. They also feed on the fruits and buds of some trees and bushes, as well as green leaves.
• The average adult sparrow eats less than 1/4 oz. of food daily.
• During the breeding season, the nestlings are fed insects.
• In rural areas, sparrows thrive at cattle feedlots, dairy farms, and hog and poultry farms where food and shelter are plentiful.
• In urban locations, they depend upon human trash that provides foods such as bread, fat, and other table scraps.

Economic & Health Damage of Birds

1. Economic Damage

• Some types of birds may cause economic or health damage to homes and their occupants, which puts them in the ranks of dangerous household pests. When birds, such as sparrows and pigeons, gather in large numbers on the roofs, windows, and trellises of houses and electricity poles, take positions or places of shelter, breed, and then set out to feed and return with the materials they may carry, they work on the dirt and pollution of the house.

• The excrement of these birds and the remains of their food cause stains on the walls and walls with sticky dirt, and some fungi grow on them, which in turn secrete acidic substances that cause corrosion of buildings.

• Damage may occur as a result of nests and dead birds gathering in air-conditioning vents or rainwater drainage. It also spoils light bulbs and causes damage to electrical connections.
• Losses are inflicted on home gardens as a result of their feeding and destruction of fruits, vegetables, and small seedlings, in addition to the disturbance they cause when they are present in large numbers, especially in the early morning and at sunset.

• The containment of bird droppings on ammonia and folic acid leads to the corrosion of car paint and the corrosion of metals and devices.
• Some birds and their flocks cause problems and danger to air navigation lines and airports, and collisions of some birds in the air may result in accidents, even if they are rare.

2. Health Damage:

Birds can harbor disease organisms that may affect people, pets, and domesticated animals.  However, reports of disease outbreaks directly linked to urban pest birds are rare, and the actual incidence of transmission of diseases from urban pest birds is difficult to assess.  Diseases and ectoparasites transmitted by birds to humans are mentioned below.

The post House Sparrow appeared first on ETS.

Introduction

Stored product pests are usually found living in products (such as dried fruits, spices, flour, bran, peas, dried vegetables, dried flowers, grain, milled cereal products, dog food, nuts, candy, pasta, cheese, and other similar items) and are considered the most severe pests that share food with humans. They cause great losses on grain and stored foodstuffs.  Stored products are exposed to a number of harmful insects during their storage period, after harvest, when they are collected after harvest, or while they are in the field. Losses resulting from insect damage to stored grain are estimated at 5–7% annually (and may reach 15%).  Most pests of stored grains belong to the order Coleoptera, except for butterflies, which belong to the order Lepidoptera.

Stored food pests cause much damage.

• by consuming or borrowing a large part of the foodstuffs, and the weight of grains may decrease to half of their original weight.
• decreased food quality and nutritional value. Infestation with pests affects the appearance, smell, and taste of foodstuffs, insect excrements accumulate among the stored grains.
• Low economic returns and non-acceptance of foodstuffs commercially.
• Infestation with pests may cause subsequent infestations with other pests and microorganisms that increase damage and losses.
• damage to grain containers and loss of quality.
• low germination rate of grains in the case of reusing them as seeds.

Stored product pest control professional and managers of warehouse facilities should know that:

• Infestation of homes with pests of stored foodstuffs is due to human behavior in keeping various types of foods in his house, the method of preserving and caring for them, and the rate of consumption.
• The amount of damage caused by pests varies according to the density of the pest, the value of the food and the type of damage, whether by consuming the food or transmitting a pathogen to humans or animals.
• Stored food pests usually enter homes hidden in food packagings such as bags and boxes, or are transmitted from infected food that was accidentally brought home. And when they find the right environment and conditions, they increase in number and attack uninfected food.
• Stored foodstuffs (cereals, dry foods, and their products) are infested with a large number of pests of more than 200 species. Including what affects healthy or previously infected grains, what feeds on dry fruits or vegetables and nuts, and what affects processed products such as cheese, chocolate, candy, and meat.
• Some pests are specialized for one type of material and others attack many types of food (they are considered general feeders such as ants, cockroaches, flies, rodents, silverfish, and some types of booklice).
• It is necessary to indicate the type of pest harmful to foodstuffs so that appropriate protection or control measures can be taken.
• There are several systems for defining food pests, some of which depend on the ranks and species that follow them, while others depend on the damage they cause or the food families that affect them.

The most common stored product pests are:

I – Internal Feeders:

Internal feeders are insect larvae that feed entirely within the kernels of whole grain and palletized product, and thus may remain undetected until adults emerge from the kernels. The most common species are:

1. Angoumois Grain Moth – Sitotroga cerealella Oliv) (Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera
2. Granary Weevil or Wheat Weevil – Sitophilus (= Calandra) granarium (Curculionidae: Coleoptera)
3. Rice Weevil – Sitophilus oryzae (Curculiondae: Coleoptera)
4. Lesser Grain Borer – Rhizopertha dominica (Bostrichidae: Coleoptera)

II – External Feeders:

External feeders feed on the outside of the grain.  They may also chew through the outer seed coat and devour the inside.  The most common species are:

1. Indianmeal Moth – Plodia interunctella (Hübner) (Pyralidae: Lepidoptera(
2. Cigarette Beetle – Lasioderma serricome (Fabricius) (Anobiidae: Coleoptera)
3. Cadelle Beetle – Tenebroides maurilanicus (L.) (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)
4. Khapra Beetle or Trogoderma – Trogoderma granarium (Everts) (Dermestidae: Coleoptera)
5. Drugstore Beetle – Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus) (Anobiidae: Coleoptera)

III- Scavengers:

Scavengers feed on grain only after the seed coat has been broken, either mechanically or by some other insect.  The most common species are:

1. Mediterranean Flour Moth – Ephestia (Cadra) kuehniella Zeller (Pyralidae: Lepidoptera)
2. Confused Flour Beetle – Tribolium confusum (Jacquelin du Val) (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)
3. Red Flour Beetle – Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)
4. Sawtoothed Grain Beetle – Oryzaephilus surinamensis Linnaeus (Cucujidae: Coleoptera)

IV – Secondary Pests:

Secondary pests feed only on materials that are deteriorating, damp, and have some mold growth present. Some of them feed on mold rather than the food product. The most common species are:

1. Yellow Mealworm – Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus) (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)
2. Dark Mealworm – Tenebrio obscurus (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)

V – Rodents (please link to rodent section)

Click on each pest species to learn about its general description, life cycle, common characteristics, and its damage and economic implications.

I – Internal Feeders:

1. Angoumois Grain Moth

General Description

• The adult is 5-7 mm yellow-brown. The forewings are narrow, pointed at both ends, and have black dots. The hind wings are gray and end in the shape of a finger.
• The larva is 5-7 mm long, cylindrical, red at hatching, and white when fully developed.
• The pupa is red or light brown.       
• Life Cycle and Common Characteristics
  • The overwintering occurs at the caterpillar stage in cold regions (there is no overwintering in warm regions).
  • Females lay eggs on grains individually or in groups between rows of corn or in cracks of wheat or barley grains or on wheat spikes in fields with a reddish-white color.
  • The female lays 40-390 eggs.
    • Incubation of eggs from 3-10 days in summer and 20-30 days in winter.
    • The larva feeds on the contents of the bean and weaves silk threads, infecting the bean with one larva.
  • There are 3 ages for the caterpillar (20-24 days).
  • Pupa stage takes about 9-12 days.
  • The adult insect lives 12 days in the summer and 28 days in the winter.
  • The generation period is 5 weeks in the summer and 9-10 weeks in the winter.
  • There are 5-6 generations per year

   

  Damage and Economic 

  

  • It is frequently found on infected grains, and it is fast flying and moving insect.
  • The larvae feed on the starchy materials inside the grain and weave silk threads around it, and the corn grain may lose 15-25% of its weight during the feeding of the larvae, and therefore they cause huge losses to the grain in the store. Also, the germination strength of the grain decreases and the value of flour decreases due to the abundance of feces and other insect parts.
  • The grain is infested by one caterpillar (i.e., significant economic damage).

   

  2. 4. Khapra Beetles or Trogoderma
        1. Indianmeal Moth Granary Weevil or Wheat WeevilGeneral Description
           

           · The adult length is 3-4 mm. · The adult cannot fly. There are elongated dents on the anterior pronotum. · The color of the adult is dark chestnut or black closely resembles the rice weevil · The larva is 3 mm long, legless, and arched. The head is red-brown and the body is white. ·  The pupa is white with her head down.

           Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

           • There is no hibernation.
           • The insect lives 10 months.
             • The female lays eggs (total of 200-300 eggs) individually in small holes that the female makes through her mouth in the grain, and then covers with a slimy substance.
             • The larva feeds on the contents of the grain, and after completing its growth, it makes a cocoon inside the grain from the particles of the infected grain, and it pupates.
           • The adult emerges from a hole in the bean.
           • The insect does not develop in grains if the moisture content is less than 10%.
           • The generation is about one month in the summer and longer than that in the winter.
           • Notes: In areas with high temperatures, the incidence of granary or wheat weevil decreases and the incidence of rice weevil increases.

            

           Damage and Economic Implications

           • The larva and the adult insect feed on the stored grain (wheat, rice), dried fruits, grain products, and tobacco leaves.
             4. Lesser Grain BorerOne grain infested with one caterpillar.
                3. Rice Weevil

                 

                General Description

                ·  The adult is 3-5.3 mm in length, dark brown, with four yellow spots on the forewings.  the body is narrow and elongated and the front of the head extends like a beak.  The hind wings are present.  The adult is able to fly. ·  Larva and pupae: similar to the granary weevil.

                Credit: Udo Schmidt

                Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

                • Similar to the granary weevil.

                 

                Damage and Economic Implications

                • The damage of the rice weevil is more than the granary or wheat weevil because it has the ability to fly.
                • It infests grain (rice, wheat, barley, and corn) in the field before harvesting.
                • It multiplies rapidly in the summer.
                • The larva and the adult insect feed on the stored grains, destroying them and making them vulnerable to other insects.

                 

                4. Lesser Grain Borer

                 

                General Description

                · It is distinguished from the rest of the grain insects by its cylindrical shape and small size, as the adult is 2.5 mm long. The body is rough, dark chestnut or glossy black, and there are concave spots on the forewings arranged in the form of lines. The head is curved downwards and is equipped with powerful jaws that enable it to pierce wood and grain. ·  The larva is 2.5-4 mm in length, and white.  It is thick-bodied, cylindrical, and grub-like.  The head is brown and arched and the legs are small. ·  The pupa is whitish in color (it looks like an adult).

                Credit: CSIRO

                 

                Damage and Economic Implications

                ·  The larva and the adult insect feed on the stored grain and products (wheat, barley, corn, rice, pasta). · The adult digs into the dried grains. ·  The larvae feed on the grains after being infested or feed on the damaged grains or products.

                Credit: Clemson University – Bugwood.org

                IiI- External Feeders:

            

        General Description

        • The adult is 7-10 mm long, the basal third of the forewings are gray and the remaining section is reddish-copper. Hind wings are gray with dense pubescence.
        • The larva is 10-17 mm long, white (yellowish-greenish-reddish), pinkish-white, and has brown spots on its body.
        • The pupa is brown and 11 mm long.

         

        Credit: Mvuijlst

        Credit: Pudding4brains

         

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The larva overwinters inside the stored products.
        • Females lay eggs (350 eggs in total) in groups on stored products or beside food.
        • The eggs hatch after a few days, and the egg incubation for 3-12 days.
        • The larva needs 4-6 weeks to complete its development in the summer and 20 weeks during the winter.
        • The fully developed larva weaves a silken cocoon, which turns into pupae inside.
        • The pupa phase is 26 days (16°C) or 4 days (31°C).
        • The generation period is 3-7 weeks in warm regions.
          • The larvae of the last generation, at the end of autumn, hibernate.
          • There are 6-7 generations per year.

         

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • The larva feeds on the stored materials (flour, yellow corn, dried fruits, biscuits, chocolate, dried milk dates) and secretes silky threads surrounded by the materials it fed on.
        • The larva pollutes the feeding site with feces and renders the materials unsuitable for consumption.

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The larva overwinters inside the stored products.
        • Females lay eggs (350 eggs in total) in groups on stored products or beside food.
        • The eggs hatch after a few days, and the egg incubation for 3-12 days.
        • The larva needs 4-6 weeks to complete its development in the summer and 20 weeks during the winter.
        • The fully developed larva weaves a silken cocoon, which turns into pupae inside.
        • The pupa phase is 26 days (16°C) or 4 days (31°C).
        • The generation period is 3-7 weeks in warm regions.
          • The larvae of the last generation, at the end of autumn, hibernate.
          • There are 6-7 generations per year.

         

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • The larva feeds on the stored materials (flour, yellow corn, dried fruits, biscuits, chocolate, dried milk dates) and secretes silky threads surrounded by the materials it fed on.
        • The larva pollutes the feeding site with feces and renders the materials unsuitable for consumption.

         

        2. Cigarette Beetle

         

        General Description

        · Adult cigarette beetles are light brown, about 3 mm long, and fly readily. The head is bent downward, so the beetle has a distinct hump-backed appearance. · The larva resembles the drugstore beetle larva, but the body hairs of the cigarette beetle are considerably longer, giving it a more fuzzy appearance.

        Credit: Udo Schmidt

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The female lays about 30 eggs over a period of about three weeks in newly harvested tobacco or other susceptible food items.
        • The adults are most active during the early evening hours- unless temperatures are below 18.3°C, which causes them to stay closer to their harborage areas.
        • Adults hide during the day in dark places. Even though they are strong fliers, their primary means of spreading is via infested materials transported by humans.

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • The cigarette beetle is the most important pest of stored tobacco. It may also be a serious pest of items such as books, flax tow, cottonseed meal, rice, ginger, pepper, paprika, dried fish, crude drugs, seeds, pyrethrum powder, and dried plants.
        • Larvae feed on dried tobacco leaves, causing great damage.
        • The color is nearly white throughout, except for a distinctive group of yellowish-brown markings on the front surface of the head. The lower margin of the head is colored, and a series of four spots are arranged just above this area in such a way that a pattern suggestive of a little clown-like face is formed.
        3. Cadelle

         

        General Description

        ·  The adult is black, about 8-12 mm long. The body is oblong and tends to be an oval in shape. It has strong jaws, and its head and thorax are connected to the abdomen by a small ring. ·  The larva is relatively large in size and may reach a length of 18 mm. The color of the larva is yellowish-white, and the abdomen ends with two strong thorns, dark brown or black in color.

        Credit: Rosa Henderson

         

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The insect spends its winter hibernation in the larval stage or an adult.
        • The female lays eggs in groups on or near food items (from 10-60 eggs per group).
        • One female can lay about 1000 eggs.
          • The eggs hatch after 7-10 days on average into larvae that complete their development in a period ranging from 2-14 months,
          • The larva may live for 3.5 years before turning into a pupa.
          • It is considered one of the longest-lived food insects, as the average life reaches about a full year and may extend to two years. They can survive for a long time without food.
        • An insect has one generation per year.

         

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • This insect infests flour, crushed grains, and cereal products.
        • It is sometimes considered one of the most dangerous insects of stored grains, and if it is abundant, its damage becomes severe, especially in mills.
        • It has the ability to puncture food packaging bags and cartons.

        The larva has a habit of burrowing into the wood and is difficult to remove when performing normal cleaning operations. It prefers to feed in the embryo area on whole grains and can feed on other insects.

     General Description

     · The adult is 1.6 -1.8 mm long. The body is brown, and the chest is reddish-brown. The body is covered with soft fluff and this allows it to glide between the grains. The antennae are yellow, and consisting of 10 segments. · The small, fast-moving larva is orange-yellow, with a brown halo on the last three abdominal rings.  It is 3 mm long.  The body is covered by long hair. · The pupa is a larva-like structure and remains within the last larval skin.

     Credit: USDA

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays 35-126 eggs between the cracks of the grain without giving them a glue substance, as in other insects, and lays them individually, or puts them in the cracks of the walls of the stores.
       • Incubation of eggs from 5-12 days in the summer.
       • The growth of the larva is completed within 20 days at 40°C and 40 days at 25°C.
     • The larva overwinters in the cracks in the walls.
     • The larva molts 4-14 times (depending on the amount of food).
     • The larva has the ability to live for a year without food.
       • The larvae enter dormancy in the cracks of the walls of the storage area, and this depends on the exposure of larvae to low temperatures and their exposure to high or low humidity.
       • All stages are resistant to heat and drought and can withstand a temperature of 45°C.
     • The larva can live in a relative humidity of less than 2%.
     • The larva lives in empty warehouses for 4 years without food.
     • There are 10 generations per year, one generation per year, or one generation over a year (depending on the environmental conditions).

      

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • They live on grain products such as flour, groats, pasta, and biscuits. They multiply on castor seeds and cotton. A type of them has been found that lives on all animal products, especially wool.
     • The larva and the adult insect feed on wheat and corn grains, destroying and polluting the grains.

      

     5. Drugstore Beetle

      

     General Description

     ·  The adult is small in size, no more than 3 mm in length. It is reddish-brown in color and covered with short yellow hairs. ·  The larva is white in color and reaches a length of 5 mm when fully grown. On its arched body, there are short, translucent bristles.

     Credit: Siga

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays eggs individually in cracks in the surrounding products.
     • The time required for the transition from the egg to the full insect varies greatly depending on the prevailing temperature. In warm weather conditions, the development of the stages takes place within one month, while in cold weather it takes a whole year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • It feeds on many food products (food products such as bread, flour, spices, leather products, books, and carton packages). It may pierce sheets made of tin and lead, and is characterized by digging in a straight line in those materials.
     • The larva is the only feeding stage and can survive several weeks without feeding.
       • The insect has the ability to infest toxic substances such as poisoned pills and medicines.
     • Some specialists call this pest “the pest that eats everything but iron.”

      

     III – Scavengers:

     1. Mediterranean Flour Moth

      

     General Description

     · The adult is about 1 cm long.  The distance between the two ends of the flat front wings is 2.5 cm. The color of the forewings is light gray, each with two brown stripes. The hindwings are white with gray flanks and long fringes on the forewings and hindwings. · The larva is pale yellow or pink in color. On the body, there are small black tubercles, from which long hair appears, and the color of the head is dark brown. When fully grown, it is about 1.5 cm. ·  The egg is oval in shape, and white in color, and on its shell from the outside are simple protrusions resembling adjacent circles.

     Credit: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays eggs individually in accumulations of flour or other milled products.
     • The female lays about 200-300 eggs. The eggs hatch after about a week into larvae that begin weaving threads, starting at the third larval stage.
     • The duration of the larval stage is from 4-6 weeks. Before turning into a pupal stage, the color of the larva becomes dark green.
     • The pupal stage is from 8-14 days.
     • The duration of the generation is 7-18 weeks, and it has 3 generations per year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The larvae feed on dried fruits and pollen in beehives. They are found in grain and its products. They can adapt and reproduce at 1% relative humidity.
     • The larvae make tunnels in the foodstuffs that infect them and secrete thick silky threads on them that stick the particles of the food together and turn them into adjacent masses that are difficult to remove or clean.

      

     2. Confused Flour Beetle

      

     General Description

     ·  The adult is 3-4 mm long and 1-1.2 mm wide.  Oval in shape. Its color is reddish brown. ·  Egg: very small, flattened, oval ,and white in color. · The larva is white-tinged with yellow, and the upper surface of the body segments is dark in color and covered with yellow hairs. The larva is cylindrical in body shape.  The fully developed larva is about 6.5 mm long. ·  The pupa is white tending to yellow. It is about 4 mm long.

     Credit: Sarefo

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays 350-450 eggs on stored foodstuffs during her lifetime.
     • The incubation period for eggs ranges from 5-25 days, depending on the temperature.
     • The duration of the larval stage is 33 days.
     • The duration of the pupal stage is from 6-20 days.
     • The adult insect lives from 170-200 days.
     • The insect has 4-5 overlapping generations per year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The insects is found on stored foodstuffs such as wheat, wheat, and corn flour, as well as dates that are packed in warehouses.
     • It does not cause economic damage.

      

     3. Red Flour Beetle

      

     General Description

     ·  The adult is 3-3.7 mm long and 0.9-1.2 mm wide. ·  This insect resembles a flour beetle that is similar or confusing in appearance and color but differs in that the last three or terminal segments of the antennae are enlarged and enlarged suddenly from the previous ones so that the antennae look like a club. · The egg is cylindrical in shape and white in color. ·  The larva is white with a yellowish tint. When fully grown, they are about 6.5 mm long. The larva is cylindrical in shape, its pectoral legs are growing, and the abdomen ends with two short spines (anal horns) that are brown in color. ·  The pupa is naked and lives in the same environment as the larva.

     Credit: Udo Schmidt

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays 400-500 eggs on stored foodstuffs during her lifetime.
     • The eggs hatch after 3-32 days.
     • The incubation period for eggs ranges from 10-25 days, depending on the temperature.
     • The larva goes through six larval instars (up to 12, depending on the type of food).
     • The duration of the larval stage is from 33-100 days.
     • The pupal stage lasts from 5-18 days.
     • The adult insect lives from 170-200 days (and may live from 1-1.5 years sometimes).
     • The insect has 4-5 overlapping generations per year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The insect infests stored dates, flour, grains, dried fruits, nuts, and other stored foodstuffs.
     • It does not cause economic damage.

      

     4. Sawtoothed Grain Beetle

      

     General Description

     ·  The adult is 3 mm long and 1 mm wide. There are six waw-like projections on each side of the thorax. ·  The adult is unable to fly. ·  The larva is 4-5 mm long, narrow in body form, and it is yellowish white.  Each of its abdominal segments bears a yellowish plate on the top side. · Pupa is 4 mm long, yellow with toothy protrusions on the edges of the body.

     Credit: Udo Schmidt

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The adult spends the winter hibernation on the stored products or in the cracks of the walls of the stores.
     • The female lays eggs (total 45-285 shiny eggs) in small masses in crevices in the food supply, although they are also laid freely in flour.
     • The female does not lay eggs below 24°C (the optimum is 30°C).
     • Egg incubation is 5-15 days.
     • The larva feeds on stored products and molts 2-4 times.
     • The larva is fully developed from 2-10 weeks.
       • The larva pupates and the pupal stage takes about 1-2 weeks.
     • The generation period is 3-4 weeks.
     • The insect has several generations a year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The larva and the adult insect feed on stored and crushed grain and flour (flour, pasta, chocolate, tobacco, hazelnuts, pistachios).
     • The larvae damage the products and pollute them with their waste.

      

     IV – Secondary Pests:

     1. Yellow Mealworm

      

     General Description

     ·   Adults of the yellow mealworm are shiny dark brown or black, about 1.25 cm long. ·  When the larva is fully grown, it is a little over 2.5 cm.   The body is elongated and cylindrical, and has a harder body wall than the larvae of most other stored product pests. The body has a shiny yellow or light brown appearance, with only a few scattered setae.

     Credit: Udo Schmidt

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • Mealworms (adults and larvae) are usually found in dark, damp places in spoiled grain products. In residences, they are common in basements or at soil grade level.
     • Mealworm adults are slow-moving insects.
     • Adult mealworms live only about 10 weeks.
     • Each female lays about 275 eggs, which hatch into larvae that grow to 2.25 cm long.
     • The insect may remain in the larval stage for up to 600 days, depending on temperatures.

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • Larvae are active and are found in all sorts of unusual places in addition to breakfast cereals, macaroni, and feed mills.

      

     2. Dark Mealworm

      

     General Description

     ·  Adult dark mealworms are the same size as yellow mealworms but are dull black. Larvae are dark brown, as compared to the shiny yellow to light brown yellow mealworm.

     Credit: NobbiP

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The dark mealworm has a similar life cycle and habits to the yellow mealworm.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The dark mealworm causes similar damage caused by the yellow mealworm.

      

     V – Rodents (please link to rodent section)

      

The post Stored Products Pests appeared first on ETS.

With very few exceptions, all birds are protected by laws and regulations.

Habitat Modification

Habitat modification for birds means limiting a bird’s food, water, or shelter. Attempting to limit the food or water of pigeons, starlings, and house sparrows limiting is not practical. These birds will have a number of feeding and watering sites — often far from roosting and loafing sites. Where people are feeding birds in parks or lunch areas, education can help reduce this source of food; and in most cases, people will pay little attention to requests to stop.

The most successful kind of habitat modification is to exclude the birds from their roosting and loafing sites (addressed in the section on exclusion). Pigeons may be induced to move from an infested site by the persistent destruction of nests and eggs.

Exclusion

Attempts should be made to exclude birds from buildings. Some building designs and conditions lend themselves to bird infestation. Flat ledges, openings in water towers and vents, unscreened windows, and other attributes make a building an attractive location for roosting, nesting, and loafing. Modification or repair can exclude birds.

Typical solutions include replacing broken windows and screens, eliminating large crevices, blocking openings into vents, cooling towers, and roof-top equipment with hardware cloth. Exclusion methods also includes the use of netting, custom-designed sheet-metal or plastic

covers, porcupine wire (Nixalite, for example), electrified wires, and sticky repellents to keep birds from roosting on ledges, roof edges, window sills, building signs, and other surfaces favoured by pest birds. Two advantages are that the birds are not killed and the control is comparatively long-lasting.

1 Netting.

Netting is used to block access of birds to large roosting areas in structures. Netting is especially useful in warehouses and around mechanical equipment areas where aesthetics are of minor consideration. It has been used successfully on cooling towers. Plastic nets have replaced metal and fiber nets in bird control. Plastic nets are normally extruded black polypropylene and are made with an ultraviolet inhibitor to reduce UV degradation. Knotted nets are also available. Nets will last from 2-5 years depending on exposure to sunlight.

2 Covers or Ramps.

Custom-designed covers for ledges, window air conditioning units, and roof edges are the best technical solution to keep birds from infesting these sites. The high cost of this method usually eliminates this option on large buildings that have extensive roosting sites. But covers are valid options where limited applications will keep birds off selected sites, and where aesthetics are an important consideration. The covers usually consist of sheet metal installed at a 45 degree angle to prevent the birds from landing. Sometimes plastic inserts are custom-fit into the indentations in order to block off ledges.

3 Spikes.

Porcupine wire, sharp metal spikes, or any similar “bed of nails” can stop birds from roosting on ledges. Where they can be used, they usually work fairly well. If aesthetics are important, these devices are usually limited to areas where they cannot be easily seen.

If pigeons are likely to drop nest material and other debris on top of the newly installed spikes in an attempt to create a new roosting surface, install metal spikes on potential landing sites above the installation. Check metal spikes every six months for accumulated debris or nest material.

Advise clients to regularly remove falling autumn leaves and other matter that can cover the spikes and reduce their effectiveness. Ensure that no tree branches hang over protected ledges.

4 Sticky Repellents.

Sticky repellents are tacky gels or liquids. The products are designed to be sticky enough to make a bird uncomfortable, but not so sticky that the birds are trapped. After a few attempts, the birds stop trying to land on treated surfaces. The active ingredient is polybutene or isopolybutene (the same substances used in some adhesive bandages) or petroleum naphthenic oils. Before applying sticky repellents, clean ledges that are covered by bird droppings, feathers, and nest material with a wire brush, paint scraper, high pressure hoses, or by steam cleaning.

Ensure that surfaces are clean and dry.

Seal concrete, unpainted wood, or brownstone with silicone or other sealant, paint, or shellac before applying repellent. [Sticky repellents will be absorbed into porous materials.]

Use a caulking gun to apply repellent. The depth of the bead necessary to repel different species of pest birds is roughly as follows: crows and sea gulls 3/8 inch; pigeons 1/4 inch; starlings 1/8 inch; sparrows 1/16 inch. The pattern of application will depend on the site and personal preference. The caulking gun should be held at angle of 30-45 degrees.

Apply a straight bead on ledges and roof edges, 1/2 inch from the outer edge, with another bead three inches in from the first, or they can be applied in a zig zag or “s” curve.

For another option combine a straight line 1/2 inch from the outer edge and an “s” curve three to five inches back.

Place breaks in the bead every few feet to avoid trapping rainwater against the building.

For easy removal and replacement, apply waterproof sticky repellent tape on ledge and roof edges.

Apply bulk gels with a paint roller, putty knife, or bulk caulking gun.

Apply liquids with a roller, brush, or compressed-air sprayer to girders, rods, sign supports, and rooftops. They can also be used to treat the upper surface of branches in trees and bushes. The repellent should be 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Liquid application is not recommended for sites where the appearance of the sticky repellent would be undesirable.

Environmental conditions, particularly dust, make a big difference in the effective life of sticky repellents. In an area with no dust, applications should be expected to remain effective for a year or more. Some sticky repellents come with a liquid coating that is sprayed onto the repellent immediately after application. The liquid dries to a brittle film that protects the material from dust and may allow it to remain effective for as long as two to five years.

Certain precautions should be followed when sticky repellents are used.

Remove nests. Check provincial and municipal regulations which may prohibit destroying or disturbing nests containing eggs or young.

Under some conditions, sticky repellents stain the surfaces to which they are applied. Some products melt and run when exposed to direct sun and high temperatures.

Review labels and the manufacturers’ technical information on the effective temperature ranges of different products.

Compare the stability of different products by running a test on a sunny roof or window ledge.

Birds occasionally get stuck in sticky repellents. When this happens, their feathers will Get gummed up, and they’ll be unable to fly. If a bird becomes gummed up with repellent, it can sometimes be rescued by cleaning the flight feathers with a small amount of mineral spirits followed by mineral oil. In most cases, cartridge applications (as described earlier) will repel the birds with little risk of entanglement.

5 Trapping

In many instances, trapping can be an effective supplemental control measure. Trapping is especially effective against pigeons. Where a group of birds are roosting or feeding in a confined and isolated area, trapping should be considered the primary control tactic.

The best time to trap pigeons is in the winter when their food is at a minimum. There are many pigeon traps to choose from; which type and size is best is debatable. Most pigeon trapping programs use large walk-in traps. These can be four to six feet high and designed to be disassembled and moved. Another common type is a low-profile bob-trap that is about eight inches to two feet high. The door or entrance through which pigeons are lured is the principle feature of a trap.

Set traps in inconspicuous places where pigeons commonly roost or feed and where traps are not likely to be vandalized (a major risk in trapping programs). Trap placement is important, and moving an inactive trap just 10-15 feet may significantly improve catches.

Feeding areas are the best trap sites, but are rarely on the same property as the roosting sites.

Roof tops that have water from cooling towers or air conditioning units are often good trapping sites in summer. The most difficult part of trapping is motivating birds to feed in a nonfeeding area so that they will follow the bait into the trap. Whole corn or sorghum are generally the best baits but wheat, milo, oat groats, millet, popcorn, sunflower seeds, peas, greens, bread, or peanuts can be very effective if the birds are feeding on similar food. Once a few birds have been trapped, putting different foods in with the birds can show which bait they prefer.

In the first few weeks of a program, scatter small quantities of bait throughout the area to start the birds feeding and determine the best trap sites. Some specialists leave traps propped open for the first few days to allow the birds to get used to them. When the birds are calmly entering the trap, set it. Put bait and water (a “chick font” is ideal) inside the trap and just a handful or so outside the trap.

Leave one or two “decoy” birds in the trap to draw in other birds. Remove trapped birds regularly (except for decoys), otherwise other pigeons will be frightened by fluttering trapped pigeons in the trap. Since pigeons can fly great distances and find their way home, trap and release is not normally effective. In most cases, trapped birds should be humanely destroyed. Some experts recommend gassing with calcium cyanide but many feel it is simpler and more humane to kill the bird by breaking its neck.

Sometimes indoor roosting sites can be used as a giant trap. Pigeons often use attics, rooftop elevator houses, or empty floors of poorly maintained structures as nest and roost sites. By screening all but one or two entrances these areas can be made into a giant trap. Late in the evening (after about a two-week acclimation period) these last entrances can be closed down after the pigeons have settled down for the night. The trapped birds can then be captured by hand or with “butterfly” nets.

Sparrow traps come in various sizes and shapes.The sparrow funnel trap is a double funnel that prevent sparrows from escaping after they have travelled through two funnels going for a food bait. Fine cracked corn, millet, wheat, or bread crumbs make good bait. Trap sites should be baited for a few days before you actually begin trapping. Sparrow traps are usually more effective when placed on the ground. Nest box traps attract a sparrow with a potential nest site.

Once inside, the bird trips the mechanism, dumping the bird into a collecting bag. This trap also works against starlings, as does the center drop trap. The birds, attracted by food, drop through an opening and cannot escape. However, starlings are not usually good candidates for trapping programs.

Bird Droppings Removal and Clean-up Workers removing large quantities of bird droppings should follow these precautions to minimize risk from disease organisms in the droppings:

• Wear a respirator that can filter particles down to 0.3 microns.
• Wear disposable protective gloves, hat, coveralls, and boots.
• Wet down the droppings to keep spores from becoming airborne, and keep wet.
• Put droppings into sealed plastic garbage bags and wet down the outside of the bags.
• When finished, and while still wearing the respirator, remove the protective clothing and place them in a plastic bag.
• Dispose of trash bags. (Disposal should be permissible through standard trash pick-up.)
• Wash up or shower.

The post Managing Pest Birds appeared first on ETS.