How to Bird Proof Your Boat!

You have gathered your friends and family together for a day on the water on your boat. All are excited with anticipation of a day on the open seas...only to arrive at the dock and see a boat covered in bird poop. Sound familiar? Each year boat owners spend countless hours and hundreds of dollars cleaning up after pest birds. Pest birds such as Gulls, Cormorants, Pelicans and even Pigeons will not only leave behind their feces, but can damage boat parts.

Pest birds are attracted to the elevated areas of boats such as the top of masts, on spreaders, and on the riggings. From these perches they will leave behind their droppings and debris. Bird feces can eat away at boat finishes, cause stains on canvas and carry over 60 known diseases.

So what can be done to keep pest birds off of your boat? The most effective way to keep them off is to make it difficult for them to land. Here are some methods of deterring pest birds from different areas of your boats.

Biminis or Canvas:

Birds love to use your canvas covers as an area to roost, eat their catch or just relax . There are several products available to keep birds from landing on your canvas covers. There is the Bird Spider and a Solar Bird Repeller that work to keep pest birds from landing on flat surfaces. The Bird Spider has eight stainless steel "arms" that move with the breeze that deter birds from landing. The birds see the movement and move on to a more suitable spot to land. The Bird Spiders are available to cover a 2', 4', 6', and 8' diameter area.

The Solar Bird Repeller sweeps birds continually in a 5' diameter. It is solar powered to operate in dark conditions. Both products are ideal for use on Biminis and canvas covers.

Masts, Spreaders & Riggings:

Masts, Spreaders, riggings, boat railings and even Radar antennae make ideal roosting perches for marine pest birds. The easiest and most effective way to keep these areas clear of pest birds is to make it impossible for them to land. Stainless Steel Bird Spikes or the Bird Spiders work well on these areas. It is important to protect these areas even before pest birds become a big problem, once birds take up residence on your boat, it will be much more difficult to get them off.

The Bird Spikes can be used on masts, spreaders, riggings and even the Radar Antennae. It is easy to apply using zip ties to secure, then when you want to use the boat simply remove the spikes and you are on your way. It is much faster than having to clean up poop every time you want to cruise.

The Bird Spiders also work very well on masts, spreaders and railings. You can install the Bird Spiders using one of the optional bases to just about any area of your boat. The stainless steel "Arms" moving in the breeze will deter even the largest of sea birds such as pelicans. As with the Bird Spikes, you just simply remove and store the bird spiders when you are ready to use your boat. Both choices are economical to use, and easy to install. It sure beats cleaning poop!

For any bird proof system to be successful you must first do a good cleanup of the area, removing all of the debris left behind by the pest birds. It is also important to try to bird proof your boat before you have a large bird control problem. Prevention is important when it comes to boats and marinas, you are not there all of the time, so you just do not know when a bird control problem begins. It is best to stop it before it starts.

Autor: Fran Prisco Fran Prisco
Level: Basic
Fran Prisco has been in the bird control industry for over eight years now. She is involved with product development, sales and service. She has ... ...

Need help to get rid of pest birds? Contact Bird-B-Gone, Inc. the experts in bird control solutions since 1992. Call today 1-800-392-6915 or visit us at http://www.birdbgone.com

Added: March 3, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/