How to deter Mud Swallows from building nests

The Swallows are coming – How to deter mud swallows from building nests

The swallows are coming year after year.  Your buildings need to be protected from the mess and health issues they create.  Swallows now it seems build their nests solely on man-made structures and return year after year.

 

Mud, Barn and cliff Swallows will build mud nests under bridges, on barns, eaves and many other places with easy access.

Swallows are a very adaptable and busy little pest bird when they are nesting.

Swallow nests are very easy to spot; because the nests are built with mud and twigs.

The nests begin with 1000’s of small balls of mud stuck on a vertical surface.  They are built higher up near the top where the wall meets the soffit or ceiling at the place which creates a 90 degree angle.

The mud nests are then anchored to both wall and ceiling surfaces.  They can build their nests at a fairly quick rate, making trip after trip all day long.  Sometimes home or business owners will try to hose off the nests when they are just starting to be built, but the swallows will come right back to the same area and start to rebuild their nests over and over during the season.

Quick Swallow Facts

• Swallows fly 1000’s of miles during their yearly migration.
• They will usually lay 3 – 8 eggs in the completed nest.
• The Swallow eggs will hatch after 14 – 16 days
• Baby Swallows will leave the nest after about 18 – 23 days
• Most Swallows will have two clutches of eggs in a season
• Typically Swallows will live about 4 – 8 years
• Research shows that Swallows will eat anywhere from 850 – 10,000 mosquitoes or flying insects a day depending on who you listen to.

The Problem with Mud Swallows Nesting on your property

Because the problem with their mud nests and the birds is that the nests can damage and stain whatever surface they are built on.  Directly below and around the nests on the walls and ground you have all these accumulated mud droppings and swallow feces on the walls and ground.  Not only are the fresh mud droppings slippery and could cause people to slip and fall, but their feces contains diseases and bacteria including salmonella, meningitis, histoplasmosis and a long list of other diseases that can affect humans and pest.

So Arizona swallows are classified as migratory birds in the United States that come up from south of the border.  They are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and all state regulations.  This is why preemptive action is needed to get rid of the swallows before they complete the building of their nests.  Once they have begun building the nests, it is illegal to remove or disturb them until after the babies have left the nest which is usually.

Health issues caused by swallow nests on your building

Swallow nests can become a huge liability for businesses, restaurants, and residential owners. Owners have to deal with the unsightly mess their mud droppings create, the feces on the walls and ground including the ticks, mites, fleas and other bugs that are known to be in the nests.

Diseases and bugs can infest homes, employees and guests while the nests is active and even after the birds have left the nest looking for a meal.  There are documented cases of plaintiffs successfully suing owners of businesses where illnesses have occurred due to lack of swallow control or clean up after the swallows have left for the season.

Mud Swallow Control Solutions – Removing the Angle

Southwest Avian Solutions uses both a PVC material based Bird Slope and our custom made “Metal Bird Ledge slide” which creates a 90 degree angle that helps make it impossible for the swallows to land and build their nests on.

Bird slope is made of a slippery PVC material making it very difficult to land on it without slipping off.  Our custom bent “Metal Bird Ledge Slide” comes in a variety of colors and can be used along the ceiling or on ledges as small as 2” and as wide as 2’.

The angle of the design makes it impossible for most any bird, large or small, to land.

It is also great for ledges in parking garage, eaves and even on I beams and other 90 degree areas were swallows or other pest birds are known to roost and nest.

Swallows will keep coming back if not deterred

So if you have had swallows in the past your likely to have them again the next year, best to install swallow deterrents before they arrive again.

Because early prevention will help reduce any clean up you have to do and keep you within the law concerning migratory birds.

So there are other types of bird deterrent products on the market such as swallow bird netting, shock track, chemical hazers and other bird control products that are on the market and will many times be effective in deterring swallows from returning year after year to build their mud nests.

Southwest Avian Solutions provides solutions to residential or commercial swallow control problems. Let us help you stop your ongoing mud or cliff swallow problems.

For more information about how to stop the mess swallows can create on your home or business in Arizona give us a call Monday – Saturday at 602 – 942 – 6550.

Contact Southwest Avian Solutions today for a hassle-free quote.