Bird Spikes for Balcony: The Essential Guide to Keeping Birds Away

Many people see birds as beautiful creatures, but when they decide to perch on your balcony, that is a different story. Birds are responsible for a lot of trouble for homeowners: they leave behind unsightly droppings, they can destroy property, and so on. An appropriate response, although it has been met with concerns from animal rights activists, is to install bird spikes on the balcony. This tutorial explores everything there is to know about the bird spikes: their definition, operation, advantages, installation instructions, and more.

What Are Bird Spikes?

Bird spikes for balcony are long tapering rods fashioned from plastic, stainless steel and other tough materials and are used to prevent birds from landing or roosting on a particular area. These spikes do not harm birds; they simply make the roosting surface less appealing to the birds. It is a commonly used bird control mechanism in urban or residential areas where there is a high concentration of roosting pigeons, sparrows and seagulls on window ledges, sills and balconies.

Why Do You Need Bird Spikes for Your Balcony?

All bird owners will tell you the annoyance these birds tend to create for balcony owners is the reason why investing on bird spikes is a generous option. Below are some problems that birds create that bird spikes help in the appeasement of:

Health Risks: Bird droppings are a great risk to humans due to the presence of many pathogens, bacteria and fungi. Such diseases like salmonella, E. coli and histoplasmosis are associated with bird droppings. Hence it is critical to take preventive measures against the birds settling on your balcony.

Mess and Maintenance: Bird spikes in dubai droppings are some of the reckless accidents and may end up staining and damage your balcony floor, rails or outdoor furniture. Constant scrubbing can be inevitable which may take time and cost over time.

Property Damage: Some birds have the tendency of pecking or scratching structures on the balcony and this may occur more around the females especially where there are soft materials such as wood. Nests, feathers, and droppings from birds block drains and pipes and can lead to water damage.

Noise Pollution: Chirping, especially in larger flocks, can be quite irritating to people’s ears. Most people are rarely irritated by noises from chirps and flaps but when situated on the balcony they can be annoying especially in early mornings or late evenings.

Protecting Plants and Pets: If you have plants or pets on the balcony, such species of birds can be a menace. Some species of birds tend to eat seeds and peck at the plants leaving unsanitary droppings which are harmful to pets.

Benefits of Bird Spikes for Your Balcony

With the increasing number of birds in most parts of the world and their growth, it has become probable for them to start making a mess of your balcony. Installing bird spikes it so this offer several key benefits that make them a very effective solution to bird control:

A bird spike will protect pigeons from physical injury unlike traps and poisons that can harm them. Instead, they are designed to keep birds from perching in the area. It’s clearly a humane way to keep pigeons off the making it a great solution to avoid messing up the balcony.

Bird spikes are important because they stop certain avian species such as pigeons, seagulls, and sparrows. “Pigeons will view landing on your terrace as an unreasonable activity and will then look elsewhere at your neighbours balcony” Putting such systems in place allows panic to avoid frequent trips to the service cupboard.

Furthermore, most people may think these spikes are too expensive but if installed drop their price per unit greatly. Worst of all, these dense populations mean there will never be peace for foreign birds. All that is needed is to install the spikes and forget about it since regular maintenance is unnecessary.

Different Types of Bird Spikes

Bird spikes come in many varieties, all with unique characteristics to meet your needs:

Plastic Bird Spikes: These are affordable, lightweight, and do not rust. Plastic spikes are usually made from UV resistant materials to ensure a longer lifespan. Plastic spikes are less intimidating in appearance, thus, its ideal for small birds like sparrows. 

Stainless Steel Bird Spikes: Stainless steel spikes are tough, resistant to extreme weather, and designed to last. They are usually used to prevent larger birds such as pigeons and seagulls. The thin metal spikes are noticeable but there is no need for many to make them work so they look good too. 

Adhesive-Based Bird Spikes: In fact, some bird spikes have adhesive bases which make it easier to attach them where they are needed/wanted. These are best used in smaller balconies or when a device is needed for short placements where drilling is not possible. 

Screw-On Bird Spikes: Screw-on spikes are not the same as the other two types and this is because they are attached to physical objects using screws or nails so they are more permanent. These are perfect for larger balconies or in places where birds are troublesome in terms of volume and quantity.

How to Handle Bird Spikes Installation on Your Balcony

If you are planning to use bird spikes on your balcony or roof most homeowners would be able to carry out the work themselves without any professional help. Here is an easy guide on how to install bird spikes on your balcony:   

Clear the Surface: The area on which bird spikes are intended to be applied should be free from any surface obstructions i.e. large materials that may hinder or block the correct positioning of the bird spikes. This preparation stage typically involves a cleaning process where the scrub brush & disinfectant is used to take out bird droppings, dirt and any similar materials.  

Measure the Area: Take the skin of a tape measure and attach it to one spike and measure the distance from where one spike ends and the next starts. Most strips of bird spikes are available in varying lengths hence one may run out of sources and will require measuring the area to get a strip of the required length.  

Pick the Correct Type of Bird Spikes: Depending on your balcony size and the number of birds nesting on it, you may require a certain number of spikes. For example one may require to go for a plastic or metal type of spikes or even both. From the two options a decision has to be made on whether to use glue or screws to attach them.  

Stick the spikes on the surface:  

For adhesive spikes

 the first layer should be able to resist the weather thus avoid moisture and apply a lot of glue at the bottom of the strip. The spike should then be pressed onto a surface and left without moving it for a specific amount of time so that the glue can settle well on the surface.

If the spikes are glued on and there is a lot of surface area that requires painting then it is better to glue the metal even if the spikes are aluminium. This method of attaching the spikes is not recommended for select regions where extreme heat or moisture exists.  

For screw 

on spikes, guide holes need to be drilled into the surface using a power drill and then each spike will be tightened in the same manner. The tension of the fasteners should be able to resist the force exerted by outdoor elements.

Regular Inspection: After the installation of the spikes, periodic checking has to be done to make sure they do not get loose. Any loose spikes should be reattached or replaced where necessary.

Alternative Bird Deterrents

Though standing out as one of the most efficient bird deterrent spikes would still not be applicable in all situations. Other ways include;

Bird Netting: A more extreme measure that could be employed would be to use bird netting which could cover the entire balcony ensuring that no birds are able to penetrate into the area.

Ultrasonic Devices: These are systems that create high sounds, which birds find to be unfriendly whereas humans can’t hear the sound.

Visual Deterrents: Things like shiny tape, plastic owls and wind chimes should also help to frighten the birds but will not be dependable like the bird spikes.

Conclusion

Bird spikes provide a fast and safe option of dealing with birds that may settle on the balcony. In this way, you will avoid damage to your house, maintain cleanliness on the terrace. Spikes help to restrain the landing of birds on the balconies making it enjoyable for human beings. They are also easy to install and once they are fixed, maintenance becomes very minimal. Bird spikes are a good way of controlling birds in the city, as well as, residential areas as they serve their purpose for a long period of time.