1-855-633-6260 Call us for a free quote Contact us

How to get rid of birds at your business

Knowing how to get rid of birds at your business starts with addressing the problem immediately. Birds can create public health risks, cause property damage, and disrupt daily operations. Proper commercial bird control helps protect your facility from expensive cleanups, structural repairs, and pest infestations.

Why are birds hard to clear from businesses?

Figuring out how to get birds out of a building requires immediate action. Birds can be deceptively difficult to manage, and they often settle in hard-to-reach areas, making removal and prevention more complex than you may think. Here’s why:

  • Rapid population growth: Numbers can swell almost overnight, particularly throughout the nesting season.
  • Inaccessible nesting sites: Birds typically build nests in challenging locations, such as signage, high ledges, and rooftops.
  • HVAC system infiltration: Roosting inside vents and units is common, which can lead to respiratory irritation or disease from bird droppings.
  • Accumulated droppings: Waste builds up quickly, resulting in hazardous slip-and-fall conditions and public health risks.
  • Strong site fidelity: Once established, birds frequently return to the same location year after year.
  • Structural deterioration: Infestations can cause extensive damage to insulation, roofing materials, and other exterior components.

Tips for keeping birds away from your business

While you cannot completely stop birds from visiting your property, you can take clear steps to reduce the conditions that attract them. Implementing a combination of facility maintenance, bird deterrents, and professional interventions will help protect your business from pest birds.

Green dumpster

Make your business less hospitable to birds

You can reduce pest bird activity by eliminating the conditions that attract them to your property. Implement these facility management steps to make your business less bird-friendly:

  • Clean outdoor food spills quickly.
  • Post signs to prohibit bird feeding.
  • Move dumpsters away from structures.
  • Keep trash and dumpster lids closed with proper locking mechanisms.
  • Use tight-fitting lids on all trash receptacles.
  • Trim trees and clear vegetation to prevent nesting.
  • Install a fence or barrier around water features to deter geese.
Bird alert netting, with 2 pigeons

Install bird deterrents

Effective commercial bird removal relies on physical deterrents to block access and prevent roosting. Our technicians use several proven methods to protect your facility, which may include:

  • Exclusion netting: We install custom netting to prevent birds from accessing ledges, signs, and HVAC units. Netting helps prevent property damage and limits health risks.
  • Perch deterrents: We apply specialized tools to man-made surfaces to prevent birds from landing without causing harm. Common options we use include bird spikes, bird wire, bird spiders, and tactile gel.
  • Grid systems: We stretch a fine-mesh fabric of cabling or wire across open areas, such as rooftops and large bodies of water, to help discourage birds from landing on your property.
  • Electric track systems: We use track systems that deliver a harmless but unpleasant shock to let birds know the area is not hospitable and to deter them from perching.
Bird alert equipment on grass

Invest in specialized bird deterrents and services

Severe bird pressures often require advanced technology and specialized services. Our experts use several innovative solutions to manage complex bird issues, such as:

  • Audio deterrents: We recommend long-term audio solutions rather than temporary fixes. Rentokil utilizes BirdAlert, which actively monitors for bird presence and deploys species-specific distress calls to drive them away from your facility.
  • Commercial bird repellent: Olfactory and vapor repellents irritate a bird's trigeminal nerve. We use vaporized methyl anthranilate (MA) to deter birds without harming them, humans, or the environment.
  • UV repellents: These discreet solutions reflect UV light to capitalize on how birds see the light spectrum. They cause birds to avoid elevated surfaces and include additional olfactory and tactile elements to boost effectiveness.
  • Applied repellents: For nuisance birds like geese, we periodically apply products directly to the grass to deter them from feeding on the vegetation and encourage them to relocate.
Bird alert equipment on grass

Follow cleanup compliance and maintenance best practices

Maintaining a safe and compliant facility requires proper cleanup. Bird droppings and nests harbor dangerous pathogens, such as Salmonella. If this waste accumulates near your HVAC systems, it can also threaten indoor air quality. Help keep your business compliant with these sanitation tips:

  • Clean outdoor areas: Bus tables immediately and clean up food spills to remove attractants.
  • Manage waste zones: Keep dumpster areas clear of debris and use tight-fitting lids on all trash cans.
  • Monitor hot spots: Inspect roofs, canopies, and loading docks regularly for fresh droppings, nesting materials, or structural damage.
  • Use professional remediation: Partner with an experienced team, like Rentokil, for proper waste removal and disinfection.
  • Landscaping: Regularly mow and maintain lawns, keep shrubbery and trees trimmed to help prevent nesting, and install a fence or barrier around bodies of water to discourage geese.

Let Rentokil's bird experts help protect your business

You don't have to manage bird problems alone. Rentokil US technicians know how to get rid of birds and evaluate your property to identify the species and find the proper solution for your facility. Since many birds are regulated, our technicians strictly follow local and federal protection laws. 

Whether you are dealing with nesting pigeons, scavenging gulls, or Canada geese, our experts take the guesswork out of the process. No matter the bird problem, our team can help protect your business.

Bird Control

Rentokil can solve your nuisance bird issues through our innovative and comprehensive solutions. Learn more here.

Get in touch

Contact an expert

Bird species

Learn about common types of pest birds found across the United States here.