Cathy Isom has a few great suggestions for you about how to handle problem pigeons. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
For anyone living in an urban setting, it’s likely you’ll encounter pigeons invading your garden space. Especially if you have a balcony or patio garden space. They can wreak havoc on garden plants, but you can stop them with some humane deterrent methods.
Netting is one way, it’s not completely foolproof, or the cheapest method, but the cost could be worth it over time. A less expensive option could be staging fake predators, such as an owl, hawk or snakes. Place them where they’re easily visible to pigeons so they won’t set up camp. Make sure to move your fake decoys around so the pigeons don’t realize they’re fake. Of course having pets outside by your garden work well too, like cats and dogs. Noise makers is another option, such as wind chimes. Or objects that create reflections or flashes of light, such as hanging aluminum pie plates. A spike strip will work well if placed in the area where pigeons might try to land.
Some garden centers and hardware stores sell gels that can be applied to surfaces to make them sticky and or slippery.
Similar to other animals, pigeons dislike strong spices. These include chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Using ultrasonic devices will also keep the problem pigeons away. The high-pitched sound will confuse birds and drive them away.
I’m Cathy Isom…