The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Anyone have a tried and true method of evicting birds from a hangar?? They are of the starling, sparrow variety and seem to be much worse this year than last. We are trying to plug the holes, but it is an old 60x60 steel building with two 40', 4-piece sliding doors and getting all the holes will be a tough trick. We have considered owl decoys, rubber snakes, poisons, and pellet guns. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


Bruce

I've seen advertised various ultra-sonic pest eliminators. I think they're mainly for rodents,don't know if they'd work on birds--or even if they'd work on rodents!
A .22 with shot-shell cartridges might be the most effective,without perforating your hangar,but that's probably not a valid option unless you're on a private or very rural ( and deserted) airport.

Eric

Hey Bruce

You're checked out so why not just get an electric indoor R/C and chase them around? I had a couple of sparrows come in to mine this morning and I just asked them politely to leave and they obeyed. Or you could just make a few low runs with the tweet and scare them away.

I work in a processing plant where there are lots steam lines and warm pipes. One year we had a really bad time with the same birds. The company spent thousands of dollars on various noise makers from the majic kind you can not hear to random shot gun noise. Bottom line was nothing worked. They eventually moved own as the weather got hot. So I would put all the effort you can into patching up.

A good quality adult air rifle has the power and accuracy to do them in one at a time without the noise problems of 22's.

Most adult air rifles will shoot right through the starling and punch a neat little hole in the hangar too. There are several effective designs of starling/sparrow traps around. A search on the 'net will turn up several. The "V trap" is very effective for starlings but is kind of big and involved to build.
http://store6.yimg.com/I/rpoutdoors_1723_2428198

http://www.trap-man.com/crow-trap.htm

I use a Crossman "adult" Air rifle, caliber 177, using either BB air rifle shot or .177 pellets. It kills them dead and if you miss, it will not penetrate through the sheet metal roof.

At a local airport, one guy suspended a whole bunch of
CDs (via fishing line or something) from the ceiling. I
assume the bright, flashing CDs (this is an open-end T
hangar) make the birds mad or scare them. Don't know
how effective it is.....

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

Bela,you got it all wrong. The dangling CD's are for saturday night airport parties,when it's time to transform the hangar into a "disco inferno"......

Eric

I can hear those starlings now....

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp
Stayin' Aliiiiiiiiiiive.

DON'T FERGIT TU THROW IN A HOKEY POKEY TOO! THEM BIRDS JUST GO NUTTY WHEN IT HAPPENS.

Seriously, there is a poision paste they can smear on all the perching areas that will kill unwanted birsd on contact. It is available from some comercial pest eliminators. You will probably have to police your own area for dead birds but it is worth the trouble. dont know aboiut the expense of that process. OLE GAR

When I bought my hangar (no door at the time), the previous owner had stapled chicken wire to the rafters. It did keep most those little creatures out. But I gotta tell yah, they find the smallest holes and then are trapped above the "cage". Another thing is that you are sure to snare a couple and you will get questions about the dead birds hanging by a foot... One thing that did work real good is to hang aluminum plates by a string (I like the CD idea too) here and there and especially by the entrance. At the entrance header, I suspended (tacked) white or coloured plastic grocery bags about every 2 feet (can't harm the plane and easily replaced). The wind moves the bags and the plates around and makes them nervous (the bag trick works for your garden too if you tack them to a stick) and the light shining off the plates scares them too. Those birds move real fast and are scared of quick movement, could it be a hawk or another predator... Don't laugh, it does work. There is the odd bird that does enter but the slightest breeze makes them uncomfortable. No more birds since I got a bifold door. JD

At my airport the birds and bats are pretty bad. For more than 30 years people tried everything that has been talked about here and more to include live cats and dogs. I got my plane in Sept of 99 and began working on my hanger with plastic, metal, wood, spray foam, and hard work. After about 3 weeks I had no more birds. You have to close every hole you can find and then hide and watch them and see where they find the holes you miss. You can use the plastic carpet runners split length wise to go on the edge of doors and at the ground. Also you can buy rubber stripping to use. Close every hole to less then 3/4" for birds and less then 1/2" for bats. It takes a little time and effort but it beats having to wash your plane every-time you fly. 3 weeks work done better than 30 years of trying tricks. I have helped several others do there hangers and it only takes about 6 hours now that I know what to do.