[Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

[Dick Gross]

Robin, pigeons are, in my view, a form of vermin when allowed to impose there filth upon our living space. You must deal with them in the same way you would deal with roof rats and for all the same reasons. Would we allow scorpions and centipedes and cockaroaches to roam around our property? Pigeons won't bite but they can cause a hell of a lot of damage. I have read and believed since I was a kid on a Nebraska farm that pigeons can be disease carriers and spreaders.

In the 50s in a San Diego downtown half-block plaza on Broadway, pigeons made the area almost uninhabitable to humans. The plaza was also a city bus turn-around with lots of people there by necessity. But, every day, people going nowhere would set on benches all day and feed thousands of pigeons.

Every window sill on every multi-storied building facing three sides of the plaza had pigeon poop as thick as two inches or more if it was't periodically removed, a task that cost the occupants and the city a lot of money.

I don't remember that long ago what specifically the City did to remove the blight but it reached a point when something had to be done. But, I remember that remedies eventually reduced the ugly, disgusting mess to a magnitude the public could live with. I believe the area merchants were threatening a "public hanging" if something wasn't done. 

This is a world wide plague. I don't think that word is too strong. It can't be compared, of course, to the "bird flue" pandemic worrying every one  but who knows how this might fit into the scheme of things. There must be hundreds of web sites dealing with the pigeon problem. I suggest that everyone research humane control methods and share them.

If anyone gets their noses bent out of shape about depriving these creatures of God their homes, some will, let them clean up the messes. 

An existing neighbor until recently had a 30 year old pineapple palm that housed hundreds of pigeons who spent all their idle time on our roofs. The palm branches occupied 4 feet ino my side yard to aggravate the situation.  I kept the birds off my roof by stretching bird netting over it but I pruned all the branches back to the fence line making it so damned ugly they eventuall had it removed. The birds came back to their roof for another year believing they had a home there somewhere.

Finally, try stuffing a handfull of bird netting in the holes or places they hang out.

Dick Gross 

 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "robin hyduke" <rshyduke at cox.net>
To: "Dick Gross" <rkgross3 at cox.net>
Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 10:10 AM
Subject: Re: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page


> Dear Mr. Gross,
> The pigeons are throughout the neighborhood-we have those concrete curved 
> roof tiles that are supposed to look like clay. They are on and around the 
> roof areas-getting into the curved areas and under little roof overhangs. We 
> are getting bids (our HOA) to have someone come in to "pigeon proof," but it 
> may not happen for months, and they're driving us crazy. We don't know which 
> deterrents work best and  I'm very concerned with the health risks. I 
> wouldn't mind killing them. Does that make me a bad person? :)
> Sunny
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dick Gross" <rkgross3 at cox.net>
> To: <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>; <rshyduke at cox.net>
> Sent: Friday, June 02, 2006 9:01 AM
> Subject: Re: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page
> 
> 
>> Tell us more about your pigeon problem if you want help. Where are they 
>> causing the nuisance? Roof top or palm trees, etc. Neighbors have them?
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: <rshyduke at cox.net>
>> To: <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 7:30 AM
>> Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page
>>
>>
>>> sunny
>>> 85308
>>> rshyduke at cox.net
>>>
>>> Help!
>>> Have a huge pigeon problem! Does Peppermint oil or soap work?Any info 
>>> would be greatly appreciated. Don't want to use anything sticky as the 
>>> rain will make it run and ruin the paint.
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Arid_gardener mailing list
>>> Arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu
>>> http://CALS.arizona.edu/mailman2/listinfo/arid_gardener
>>>
>>
>>
>> 
> 
>
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