Birds are a health and safety hazard especially in food grade warehouses as they may carry disease and can be destructive to food sources. Their droppings also make floors slippery, and their nests are a fire hazard.
Owls trapped in a warehouse can lead to expenses that may be avoided if they are removed quickly.
There are several methods of removing owls from a warehouse that will not harm the birds. These include installing deterrents like spikes and gel, using scare devices, and installing bird netting.
Keep Owls Away Using Spikes
You can keep owls away from your warehouse without causing them any harm by installing deterrents like spikes, sounds, wire coils, or stainless steel wire. None of these devices hurt the owls but they will scare and stop them from entering your warehousing facility.
These devices can be installed onto the roof, beams, and other roosting areas.
They will stop the owls from perching on the roof and beams because they are uncomfortable.
They are also reasonably easy to install and effective at keeping owls away.
Scare Owls Out of Your Warehouse With Sound
One of the best methods of removing owls from a warehouse is by scaring them.
You can use owl distress calls to trick the birds into thinking there is a threat nearby.
You may broadcast this prerecorded distress call to get rid of owls from a warehouse and keep them away.
Owls have a specific distress call, a sound they make when they’re being attacked or threatened by a predator.
The distress call sounds like an ordinary bird call to humans; however, to owls, it is a sound that distinctly emphasizes that another owls is in trouble. Owls that hear this call will think that there are predators in the warehouse and will be motivated to leave.
Another option is to play the sounds of birds of prey. Rather than hearing the sound of another owl in distress, the owls will be scared away by the sounds of a predator they think is in the warehouse.
You can download these sounds over the internet and play them through a loudspeaker, for example.
If you don’t mind bird sounds, this method can work effectively and is very cheap.
Scare Owls Out of Your Warehouse With Decoys
One method is to place a decoy of a natural owl predator (e.g. a skunk) within the vicinity of the owls’ roosting place.
You can also place a kite decoy that looks like a hawk (another natural predator) in places where the owls like to roost. Other common predators are owls, snakes, and other birds of prey. Make sure to move the decoys regularly as owls catch on pretty quickly.
Installing lasers is an alternative scare tactic. The lasers are typically motion-activated and will flash when they pick up the owl’s movement or landing. The flash will scare the owls and deter them from roosting.
Bird Scare Devices (Examples)
To recap, these are a few of the most effective devices to use when it comes to scaring birds out of your warehouse:
- Kite decoys
- Predator replicas
- Lasers
Scare tactics won’t harm the owls, the they might become accustomed to them in the long term, and they will no longer be a deterrent.
Remove Owls Using Falconry
Using falconry is a less common way to get rid of owls, as it imitates how animals behave in the wild.
Consider falconry if you’re looking for a natural solution to remove owls from a warehouse. Falconry is a sport that involves hunting wild animals using birds of prey.
You would need to hire a falconer who will use birds of prey like hawks and eagles to hunt the owls and scare them away. When owls see the falcons or other birds of prey, they view them as a threat and won’t come back.
Remove Owls With Bird Repellent
Bird repellent, or bird gel, is a sticky substance that you can place on surfaces to keep owls away.
Place bird gel onto beams and any other flat surface owls perch on. Bird gel is a sticky substance. It does not trap the bird or hurt it, but owls don’t like the gel’s sensation, which keeps them away.
The bird gel will need to be reapplied every six months because dirt and dust get trapped in it, causing it to lose its stickiness and become ineffective.
Keep Owls Out Using Bird Netting
Installing bird netting will effectively keep owls out of your warehouse without hurting them.
Bird netting is a nylon net that blends in, so it’s not an eyesore. The best type should be a dark color, lightweight and strong. Bird nets are fantastic for the long-term as they won’t affect ventilation and are relatively cheap to install.
How To Install Bird Netting
Bird netting can be difficult to install, but it works well at keeping owls out. Because different types of bird netting are made differently, they may have different installation requirements. Always follow the instructions that accompany the type of bird net you plan to install.
This straightforward YouTube video by Bird B Gone Bird Control Products demonstrates how to install a basic bird netting system:
Keep Owls Out of Your Warehouse by Closing Entry Points
Keep owls from coming into the warehouse by keeping doors closed and eliminating things that will attract them.
Once you’ve successfully removed the owls from the warehouse, you need to ensure they don’t come back inside. The first thing to do is keep all the doors closed when they are not used.
Busy warehouses usually have forklifts and people moving in and out frequently. This can’t be prevented, so it is worth installing overlapping plastic curtain strips for doors that are used constantly during the day.
These curtains are relatively cheap to install and maintain and easy for people and vehicles to pass through but will prevent owls from coming inside.
Make sure there is nothing inside the warehouse that will attract owls that might sneakily get through an open door. Attractions include food, stagnant water, and cozy nooks to build nests.
