How to Guide
Survey the birds. Gather specific data as to the type and population of birds, length of time of their
residence, flight and time patterns, entries, exits and favorite areas, and nesting, feeding and
roosting habits.
Survey your property. Discover what the birds find attractive about your area (food, shelter,
hidden recesses...), and whether the same conditions prevail in neighboring properties. Note
overhangs or foliage above current infestations.
Remove all inducements. Before installing SPIKES
Needle Strips, make sure to clean the area of
all evidence of birds: nests, fledglings, droppings, dead birds, and the residual scent. (Adult birds
are likely to return to their young in order to protect them or to assist them in leaving the area.)
Also remove food spillage, garbage, nesting material and other items that may be appealing to
birds.
Maintain a clean and changing environment. For maximum effectiveness, periodically clean the
area of nests, debris and droppings. This should be done often on a new installation to ensure that
birds do not drop debris into the needles.
Install early. It is always best to install SPIKES
Needle Strips before "bird season" begins; it is
easier to keep the birds away than to rout them out once they have already established a living
pattern.
Use products synergistically. Different kinds of devices (add a visual device or a sound repeller)
produce a synergistic effect -- in combination the products yield much greater effectiveness than
SPIKES alone. You may find this necessary if there are certain areas where it is undesirable or
impractical to install spikes. This will maximize effectiveness throughout the entire property.
Contact Bird-X, Inc. (312) 226-2473 regarding "companion" products.
Consider alternate locations. Make educated guesses as to where the birds will go when they are
repelled from their current infestation. It may be very easy for birds to relocate to the other side of
a roof, or to an nearby gutter or pipe. SPIKES
Needle Strips should be applied to these adjacent
areas as well.
Familiarize yourself with the legal and public relations environment. Find out about related
environmental laws in your area.
Precaution: SPIKES
are non-lethal. However, the actual projections are quite sharp, and care
should be taken during installation and handling. Protective gloves may be worn.
INSTALLATION
SPIKES
can be mounted on any surface whether flat, curved or irregular, and on any material,
whether masonry, metal, canvas, glass or wood. Stackable 12" units affix quickly with SPIKES
Special Adhesive, screws, nails, wire ties, etc. Because each unit is exactly one foot long,
measurement of the area to be protected quickly yields the number of units needed. A unit may be cut
easily to fit lengths less than 12". Always firmly attach SPIKES
- never balance sections
precariously or wedge them.
COVERAGE
Keep in mind that SPIKES
is only effective where it is applied; nearby areas unprotected by
SPIKES
can encourage roosting. Make a working diagram during the measuring stage; it will
translate into a well-covered installation.