Homeowners and commercial enterprises spend millions of dollars every year trying to play catch up with the damage and nuisance inflicted by pest birds. If only there was a way to make birds go away. No one really wants to harm our fine feathered friends, we just want them to find a nice tree in the park to call home.

Perhaps no one wants to make birds go away more than commercial  building owners. For pest birds can lead to a myriad of costly problems. Their droppings not only seriously detract from a building’s appearance, but the acidic secretions produced by the fungi that live in these droppings can mar paint and other surfaces. Bird nests and droppings can clog gutters and down pipes, causing rooftops to leak; this debris can be sucked into ducts, grilles and vents, jamming air conditioning and heating units. It can get into rooftop turbine ventilators and ceiling windows, causing them to seize up. Cleanup and repair costs can go through the roof. Of course, there are many other reasons why commercial building owners want to make birds go away.

When bird droppings gather at building entrances they create a slippery surface resulting in huge slip and fall liability to commercial property owners. Bird droppings around loading bays and storage areas can mar the appearance of costly finished goods, as well as the cardboard packaging of these products.

Restaurant owners know fair well the problems pest birds can create. The offensive odors and noise can discourage customers. And bird droppings accumulated on signage  can ruin the image of even the most popular eatery. Pest birds can also be a health hazard, carrying and transmitting any of 60 known diseases. The mantra, just make birds go away is oft repeated in the commercial industry.

Today’s cash strapped homeowners are no less anxious about ridding their domiciles of pest birds. They don’t need to replace window awnings, air conditioning units, spa covers, solar panels and satellite dish antennas annually, thanks to bird droppings. Nor do they want their children exposed to the diseases carried by bird droppings left on patio tables and chairs.

Fortunately, for both homeowner and commercial building owner, there are a number of ways to make birds go away. And stay away.

Among the most popular is the bird spike. Ideal for pigeons and other large birds, these are available with rigid unbreakable polycarbonate spikes or stainless steel spikes. A cousin to the bird spike is the bird spider. These have proven effective for awnings and patio covers, since the spider arms flagellate  with the breeze, preventing pest birds from landing. The spiders also come in a number of diameters. Spikes and spiders are easy to install and while they appear menacing, they won’t harm birds.

A surprisingly simple and effective way to make birds go away, the bird slope is widely used by both homeowners and commercial applications. The angled, slippery PVC panels cause pest birds to simply slide off when they try to land. Bird slopes are ideal for eaves, ledges, beams and other 90-degree areas where pest birds tend to nest and roost. Another favorite bird deterrent is bird gel. It’s easy to apply with a standard caulking gun and leaves a sticky surface that pest birds hate to land on, yet it’s safe for birds (except swallows) and people. Gels are ideal for ledges, I-beams, parapet walls, conduit, pipes, and flat or curved surfaces.

To make birds go away from large commercial garages, airline hangars, courtyards, and other expansive areas, there’s bird netting. Netting can control all species of birds and is even prescribed by architects. Netting comes in U.V. stabilized, flame resistant and rot and waterproof varieties, as well as a number of mesh sizes to deter starlings, sparrow, pigeons, seagulls and larger birds.

Another family of products that will make birds go away from large areas are bird misting systems. Humane and effective, these bird-hazing systems release an ultra fine mist that really annoys pest birds. The mist typically contains methyl anthranilate, a grape extract that naturally occurs in concord grapes. Safe for people, pets, plants and birds, this chemical has been widely used for decades to deter a wide variety of pest birds including, sparrows, pigeons, starlings, crows, blackbirds and geese.

Making pest birds go away in a hurry are the electric-track bird repellers. Ideal for deterring pigeons, seagulls and larger birds in mostly commercial applications, repellers deliver a mild electric shock that’s harmless to birds. Easily mounted on ledges, signs, rooftops, and flat or curved surfaces, some repellers are low profile and virtually invisible. When choosing electric repellers, you should select models with a flow-through design to keep water from damming up on rooftops and other surfaces. Opt for corrosion-resistant tracks that resist alkali and acidic environments.

If you believe there’s nothing like movement to make birds go away, you can try motorized bird repellers. They’re ideal for keeping birds off AC units, rooftops, awnings and that covered boat you have sitting in front of the garage. Some newer models even run on energy efficient solar cells.

Those who prefer high-tech deterrents have a whole family of bird scare products to choose from. These include supersonic sound systems, which play distress and predator calls for up to 22 types of birds. The calls can be heard for up to one acre and will keep birds from invading  backyards, garden areas, pools, patios, gazebos, rooftops and other open spaces.

Finally, there are a number of “bird scare” deterrents for those on a budget. These have been proven effective in keeping birds from landing on trees, overhangs, gazebos, patios, eaves, near pools, and other areas. There’s iridescent reflective foil or flash tape, which creates an “Optical Distraction Zone” birds don’t like. There’s also the inflatable balloon imprinted with lifelike reflective predator eyes and markings. The best thing about these bird deterrents is how easy they are to set up in virtually any problem area. Some bird repellers even have iridescent foil eyes to scare away birds by day, and glow-in-the-dark graphics to keep pest birds away at night.

So, as you can see, if you want to make birds go away, there are many ways to go.