Birds are fascinating creatures. They are also essential to human survival and the entire ecosystem. Birds help pollinate, maintain the ecological system, and control pests, for example. However, their dropping is acidic, and too much of it in the garden can affect plant growth.
Did you know that you can use several visual scare tactics to keep pesky birds away from your deck, swimming pool, or grass? Here is a guide that will help you understand how to use aluminum foil to keep birds away.
Does Aluminum Foil Scare Birds?
Yes. Birds are afraid of aluminum foil. The shiny/reflective surface of the foil will reflect sun rays into the bird’s eyes and scare them away. The noise from foil rattling will also threaten them. Though, it is not a permanent solution to keeping birds away.
Remember that bird dropping is acidic and will corrode metals, including aluminum foil. So, the foil will lose its purpose after continuous use. This means you need an appropriate strategy to keep birds from ruining your garden.
Using Aluminum foil in different ways is one of them. It is a practical, affordable, and harmless solution that will not affect any living organism. However, do not be aggressive in keeping birds away because most of them are harmless and beneficial to the environment.
Place aluminum foil strips all over your garden to deter birds. Most birds, including woodpeckers, are scared of the aluminum foil reflection. They do not like the smell of aluminum foil and its feeling under their beaks.
Consider a few factors mentioned below to give the aluminum foil more effectiveness.
1. The quantity of foil required to scare birds will depend on the size and weight of the bird. Use enough foil to keep birds away. Place the foil all over your garden, including areas around plants and the soil.
2. Always use sturdy aluminum foil. A thick foil will prevent the bird from piercing through it and eventually getting into the garden. Heavy-duty foil can also resist bad weather to deter birds.
What Smells Will Keep Birds Away?
Pungent vinegar, garlic cloves, lemon, peppermint oil, and hot chili keep birds away from your compound. You can use these home remedies on the trees, plants, and garden to deter the birds.
Using smells to keep birds away is a natural remedy that will not affect the bird population around your area. You should, however, understand how to use the method for efficient results.
Here are the most effective ways you should try.
Vinegar solution
Birds do not like the pungent smell of vinegar and will likely keep off areas with this smell. Furthermore, vinegar contains acetic acid, which can be irritating if inhaled. Thus, you must be cautious when using vinegar because some plants might be sensitive to it.
Garlic cloves
Garlic contains a natural chemical known as allicin, which birds find irritating. So, gardeners and farmers spray garlic cloves on plants and fruits that birds prey on to camouflage the fruity smell and keep birds away.
Crush garlic cloves and mix them with enough water to make the repellant. You can also mix it with vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it on the fruit trees.
Lemon
Birds hate the solid acidic smell of lemon. So, you need to squeeze enough lemon juice and spray it around your compound. You can alternatively use lemon essential oil if you do not have fresh lemon slices.
Peppermint oil
Peppermint oil also has a strong scent that birds hate. They will always avoid an area smelling peppermint oil.
Mix equal parts peppermint oil, water, and vinegar in a spray can. Spray all the areas you think birds might nest or are nesting in.
Using peppermint oil is a natural remedy safe for your garden.
Hot peppers or chili
Hot pepper flakes are irritating not only to humans but birds. Cayenne pepper will irritate the bird’s olfactory glands.
CAUTION: You should be very cautious when using chili. Avoid excess hot pepper or chili because it can seriously affect the bird’s eyes and respiratory system. A bird can die as a result of chili in its eyes.
– Crush enough pepper flakes and mix them with water.
– Spray the solution in your garden or anywhere you do not want the birds. (Depending on the level of damage).
Will Shiny Objects Keep Birds Away?
Yes. Shiny objects will keep birds away. Remember, birds are afraid of shiny things like they are scared of aluminum foil. Therefore, mounting shiny objects around the compound is the cheapest and most straightforward method to keep all stubborn birds away.
Use a reflect-a-bird accessory to repel birds away from your compound. These are wind-powered shiny spinning objects that usually scare birds away. You can mount it anywhere in your garden.
A reflect-a-bird deterrent is a durable visual deterrent that uses wind energy to scare birds away. It combines reflection and spinning to imitate predator movement.
A reflective scare eye diverter is another shiny alternative that diverts and scares birds away.
Lastly, you can use holographic flash tape to scare birds away. The flash tape is reflective and will play if blown by the wind.
Will a Fake Owl Keep Birds Away?
Yes. A fake owl can keep birds away. Ordinarily, owls are natural bird predators. So, birds will be terrified by seeing a fake owl, particularly a life-like decoy. However, you can only use this technique for a few days because most birds are intelligent and will instinctively differentiate between a fake owl and a real one.
Fortunately, you can use a few tricks to keep birds away longer.
– Copy natural settings: First, place the fake owl on a tree to make it more realistic.
– Change the owl’s position after a few days: Makes the owl appear as if it is moving.
– Impersonate natural owl sounds using electronic devices at random intervals to make the decoy appear natural.
– Hang CDs on tree branches to reflect the owl and make it look like they are everywhere.
Do Wind Chimes Keep Birds Away?
Wind chimes are small decorative glass or metal hanging from a frame. Most homeowners use this technique to keep birds away because they avoid noisy and moving objects. Unfortunately, this method is ineffective because the birds will familiarize themselves with the noise and get comfortable.
Use different wind chime sizes and designs to keep them away. Large wind chimes are louder, thus scaring the birds. You can also try reflective chimes to incorporate visuals and audio to deter the birds.
Tip: Do not decorate wind chimes, especially smaller chimes, to make your garden appealing if you want to keep birds away.
Various Home Remedies to Keep Birds Away
Dealing with the birds’ food source and shelter will keep them away. Avoiding plants producing fruits & berries in the garden or installing a mesh around the garden is an effective method to discourage birds from roosting in your home. Pruning trees and removing cover will also drive the birds away.
Apart from the technique mentioned above, you can also try the following home remedies to keep birds away.
Baking soda or double-sided reflective scare tape
Birds will avoid areas sprinkled with baking soda because it irritates their feet when they step on it. So, sprinkle some baking soda in your garden.
Placing a double-sided reflective scare tape around your garden will also guarantee effective outcomes by scaring bird species like pigeons, woodpeckers, and crows.
Bird repellents
As discussed above, make DIY homemade repellents with chili, vinegar, and peppermint oil.
Predator decoys
Use other predator decoys like rubber snakes and fake owls to keep birds away from your garden. But you should make the decoys as realistic as possible and move them around your compound to confuse the birds.
Monofilament fishing wire
Use a monofilament wire to prevent sparrows from landing near the pool or pond. Hang the wire between two trees from both ends of the pond and crisscross it over the pond. The wire will appear like a barrier, and the birds will land elsewhere. Birds do not like obstacles along their landing spots.
Check out this short video to understand how to install a fishing wire.
Bird spikes
Birds feel uncomfortable landing or walking on spikes. So, they will not land on areas surrounded by spikes.
Nets
Using bird netting over your garden will prevent birds from roosting near the garden.
Garden balls
Birds confuse hanging garden orbs because they reflect light to their eyes. They will avoid approaching an area with garden balls.
Conclusion
Birds can be pests if uncontrolled. Their movement in and out of your compound can significantly damage crops and lawns. That is why you need effective techniques to keep them away.
Fortunately, this article has looked at ways to keep birds away using the most practical and inexpensive techniques.