From Pork Magazine:

Are Your Hog Facilities Bird-proof?
By Pork news staff  |  Monday, August 30, 2010

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For years, it’s been widely recognized that waterfowl such as ducks and geese are carriers of avian influenza virus and pose a transmission risk to humans as well as livestock. Now researchers are suggesting that some songbirds also carry AIV.

A team of researchers, including Trevon Fuller, University of California, examined samples from 225 bird species in 41 states. They found the average prevalence of AIV in passerines — or perching birds — is greater than the prevalence in eight other bird groups. Perching birds include sparrows, robins, blackbirds, starlings, jays and finches.

Read the complete article HERE

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From Bird-B-Gone:

Facilities that house and feed animals are a favorite roosting site of pest birds. Often these facilities are open and provide ample rafter areas, food and water needed for survival.  Pest Birds pose a serious health risk, as their droppings carry and transmit disease, such as salmonella. Birds will sit in rafter areas and defecate in feeding troughs or water supplies – posing a direct health risk to the animals.

Feed houses and barns must take measures to protect their livestock from disease by bird proofing their building. Bird Netting is one simple way to remedy such a problem. If you net off a rafter area, birds will simply not be able to land. Netting acts as a physical barrier to block birds. There is heavy duty bird netting that will last 10+ years, and lieghtweight, temporary options.

Bird Gel or Bird Spikes are another great way of keeping birds out of a feed house.  You apply these items to the rafters themselves to keep birds from landing.

To learn more about keeping birds out of hog facilities, barns, feed houses or more, visit Bird-B-Gone at http://www.birdbgone.com or call us direct at 1-800-392-6915 – our sales team can help you choose the right product for your application.

State tries again to fix air quality at Insurance Division

More than a month after efforts to kick the pigeons out of the Insurance Division’s ventilation system resulted in headaches and respiratory problems for employees, officials are making a final push to eliminate the problem.

In the first attempt to fix the problem, a contractor sprayed a grape seed oil-based product into the vents. The pigeons left but the chemical smell caused many of the 80 or so division employees to suffer respiratory and other problems. In fact, the literature on the product, Rejex-It, warned that “prolonged inhalation may lead to respiratory tract irritation.”

The building on Fairview Drive was shut down four days and employees sent home while work began to clear the building’s air.

Read the complete article here

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Hiring a professional to take care of your pest bird problem can mean the difference between successfully deterring birds, and well, not. Many bird deterrents’ success rely on proper installation. There are many factors to consider including the species of bird, whether or not they are nesting and the location of the problem.

Misuse of products or repellents can, as we see above, sometimes negatively effect the environment or make a pest bird situation worse. Luckily there are Pest Control Professionals who specialize in pest bird eradication. Bird-B-Gone has a network of “authorized installers” that can help properly eliminate a bird problem in commercial, industrial and residential settings. If you need to hire a bird control professional, call Bird-B-Gone at 1-800-392-6915 and we will put you in contact with an authorized installer in your area.

Spanish researchers find two bugs on feral pigeons which cause illness in humans

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks

By Nicky Broyd

22nd June 2010 – Sampling of pigeons captured on the streets of Madrid has revealed the bacteria they carry. Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal Acta Vetinaria Scandinavica found two bugs that were highly prevalent in the bird population and which cause illness in humans: Chlamydia psittaci and Campylobacter jejuni.

The study

Fernando Esperón from the Animal Health Research Center, in Madrid, worked with a team of researchers to analyse blood and enema samples taken from 118 pigeons caught using gun-propelled nets.

The study found extremely high prevalence of bacteria which can be transferred from feral pigeons to humans.  Esperón said in news release there was no way to tell if the birds were infected: “This leads to the hypothesis that pigeons act as asymptomatic reservoirs of Chlamydia psittaci and Campylobacter jejuni. These birds may therefore pose a public health risk to the human population.”

Read the complete WebMD article

When pigeons try to roost or nest on or around your home or business, Bird-B-Gone, Inc  has you covered with a complete line of effective and humane bird control products. The sooner you address a bird problem, the better results you will get. The longer pigeons or other birds are allowed to inhabit an area, the harder it will be to get them to leave.

Have a pigeon or bird problem? Visit Bird-B-Gone, Inc. today, or call us at 1-800-392-6915.

For Immediate Release:

Mission Viejo CA – Bird-B-Gone, Inc, leading manufacturer and supplier of professional bird control products, would like to announce the launch of their new and vastly improved website. The new site is streamlined, easy to use, and designed to meet the needs of professional bird control installers; there is heavy emphasis on training and product information.

Customers will find in-depth information including installation tips, specifications, CAD details and more. A press section details recent “bird jobs” and bird control news, and new forms allow customers to give feedback on products, or receive help quoting jobs. Our goal is not to “sell” products, but rather position customers to make the best quality decisions when it comes to designing, specifying and installing the right bird control product for the situation.

At Bird-B-Gone our expertise, training and customer service set us apart. Our motto is “Faith, Family & Friends”. Our products carry the longest industry guarantees, and are made in the United States. We have a team of Bird Control experts that can help solve virtually any pest bird problem.

Visit the new site today! www.birdbgone.com or call us at 1-800-392-6915 for more information.