How to rid my hangar from swallows?

kgruber

kgruber

Final Approach
Joined
Jan 3, 2007
Messages
5,155
Location
Western Washington
Display Name
Skywag
Home Airfield
KPWT Bremerton National
I can't shoot them, they are protected plus they don't taste very good.

They sure can make a mess. I've been plugging holes and using snakes. But they are persistent.

Thanks to the original photographer.

barn%2Bswallow-note%2Bforked%2Btail%2B%2Bstock.jpg
 
kgruber said:
I can't shoot them, they are protected plus they don't taste very good.

They sure can make a mess. I've been plugging holes and using snakes. But they are persistent.

Thanks to the original photographer.

barn%2Bswallow-note%2Bforked%2Btail%2B%2Bstock.jpg
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Sorry don't know how to get rid of them. Our airport manager asked us to close our hangar doors while we are out flying to keep the birds out of the hangars.
Those kinds of birds hang out on the runway at dusk. I chopped one up last week with my prop as I have it on go pro.
 
I’ve had success on my property this year with bird netting, it has about 1/2” square holes; Amazon
Can finally go onto the porch at random times, use chairs without sitting on piles of flying-rat crap.
 
kgruber said:
But they are persistent.
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Frends had good success with nesting shields which are basically lengths of monofilament line on a piece of tape and are positioned in front of nesting areas. You can buy it or DIY as my friends did. Google swallow nesting shield.
 
shiny spinny things. things that spin....and are shiny.
 
We welcome them because they eat mosquitos. Try a couple of fake hawks or owls.
 
Might try this...

Dismantle the hangar piece by piece and stack it as if to ship it somewhere.

When the swallows leave, re-assemble the hangar....
 
I've found wasp spray to be effective in keeping them away. Use the kind that jets up to 20 feet and spray it on the areas where they roost (not on the birds themselves!). They don't like it.
 
Bell206 said:
Frends had good success with nesting shields which are basically lengths of monofilament line on a piece of tape and are positioned in front of nesting areas.
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My grandpa used to put a couple of nails in the top surfaces of the rafters and string fishing line between them about 1/2” up so they couldn’t roost. I’m guessing a steel structure, so you’d have to do something besides nails. ;)
 
hangar neighbor had a hawk call machine to scare them away.....it worked.
 
What about pellet rifle? Close hangar door so no wussies freak out. Fire away. Not a deterrent though.

Always wondered if the wobbly owl thing everyone uses up here on boat docks would work?
 
Sinistar said:
What about pellet rifle? Close hangar door so no wussies freak out. Fire away. Not a deterrent though.

Always wondered if the wobbly owl thing everyone uses up here on boat docks would work?
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A friend had a similar experience under his home that was built high off the ground. Birds loved to nest underneath in the insulation and other areas. He tried several ideas that didn't work. Below are listed a couple of ways that are effective.

This product works well: https://www.avitrol.com/pages/shop/buy-avitrol-corn-chops.html

However purchasing this requires a license as it's restricted use. Understand that this product is not designed to harm the birds (although it *might*). The way it works is to make the birds feeding on the product to be strange i.e. to act intoxicated. Once the other birds realize this they flee the area the same way I do if sloppy drunks come hanging around.

Another method (although a bit cruel) is not to kill any bird but to hit one enough to make it cry out. The others will hear this and leave the area perceiving that there is danger to them if they remain. Hardware cloth to cover nesting sites, making surfaces angle (slant) or uneven, & even chemical cloths placed near favorite site will persuade them to look elsewhere for safe nesting sites.
 
I think that the birds you are referring to are now swallows but swifts, in particular chimney swifts, often called chimney sweeps. They are a migratory bird and eat many insects. My best solution has been an amber strobe light in the ceiling of the hangar. They do a lot of good on the outside. Google ways to build houses for them outside the hangar.
 
Sinistar said:
What about pellet rifle? Close hangar door so no wussies freak out. Fire away.
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All swallows are state and federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Trying to close the door would most likely just get you harsher penalties. Not effective as a solution, and not clever as a crime.
 
Sifossifoco said:
All swallows are state and federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Trying to close the door would most likely just get you harsher penalties. Not effective as a solution, and not clever as a crime.
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Many people where we live, including us, have poultry and other live stock that are often attacked by protected predators. Here is a country method for ridding protected pests (and how is it not effective?):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting,_shoveling,_and_shutting_up
 
Half Fast said:
So what would the mafia charge to eliminate the swallow problem?
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I believe they would just quietly deal with the guy complaining. I don't remember of anyone that actually complained about their services, in fact.
 
The only bird strike I've had was at KOLM back when I was a student pilot. 2000, IIRC. He zigged when he should have zagged. Didn't hurt the airplane as I think I got him with the prop. If you do that often enough it should reduce the population a bit.
 
Next season, knock down the nests as they are being built. You will need to do it a few times a day for several days as the birds are persistent.
 
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