If you have pigeons roosting in the gutter the answer is to move them on and stop them coming back. This is best done with bird spiking, which is placed directly into the gutter.

There will often be a building up of bird mess and possibly nesting material that we will need to remove to fit them, which is all part of the bird control and bird clean-up service. In these circumstances we may also spray for bird mites.

The reason birds roost on a roof is to offer them a vantage point, usually over an area they like to go to feed. That could be a field, and square, or a garden bird feeder.

The reason you have pigeons roosting on the TV aerial is that it usually offers the highest vantage point. Spiking is the answer here, fitted using cable ties. Plastic bird spikes are best so there is no interference with the signal, fitted in such a way that it’s impossible for them to slip and hang upside down.

The service can also include clean-up of pigeon guano on the roof, side of the house and/or at ground level. This is done with a bespoke cleaning biocide which kills the bacteria in pigeon guano as it cleans.

If you have birds roosting on your window sills, again anti bird spiking is the answer as it will stop them landing there.

The best way to fit bird spikes here depends on whether the window opens inwards, outwards or slides down or up. We either use silicone to attach them, or if the window frame is wood, we can screw them in.

It is quite common to have birds in chimneys at nesting time, because so many of them are not protected correctly and not in use. However, it is unlikely to be pigeons and so, if the birds nesting in your chimney already have eggs or young, the law on removing birds states that we need to wait until the young have fledged before acting. We can then install a chimney cowl, which lets the chimney breathe, but is the best way to stop birds getting into the chimney, and also stops rodents getting in. There are many different types of chimney proofing jowls. If you can, please email a picture of your chimney to us so we can advise on the best type.

Solar panels are not permanently fixed to the roof, they are clipped onto bars. You cannot safely use them for support in any way. Our operatives are highly experienced and trained in how to fit solar panel proofing safely (and when).

As part of the quotation process, we establish the pitch of the roof, the best way to gain safe access and work on there, and the type of tiles. The weather can play a factor in when we fit.

There are certain types of roof tiles that we will not work on in the wet for safety reasons. In terms of safe access, we will establish during our initial consultation whether the job can be carried out from ladders, or whether we need scaffolding or a cherry picker. These factors will affect the price, but we can usually quote you within the hour.

Before starting we take photographs of the roof and if there is any damage we show these to you before we start.

This is explained in depth in our section about bird mite infestations in the Our Services section on this website. Bird mites are tiny, parasitic, biting members of the arachnid family that will feed on human blood if they have to.

They are associated with birds’ nests, which you commonly get under solar panels and around houses. When the chicks fledge and leave the nest, there may be thousands of mites left behind, which then go in search of a new food source. This is when they can enter attics, wall cavities and rooms in houses. Bird mites are particularly aggressive biting insects and tend to feed at night.

Because of this behaviour and their tiny size, bird mite infestations can commonly be mistaken for bed bug infestations. You cannot usually get rid of bird mites with off-the-shelf products.

Even professional strength bespoke bird mite killer sprays have their limitations. The best way to kill bird mites and stop them entering your house is for a professional pest controller to treat the nesting area thoroughly with insecticide and remove the nests soon after the chicks have fledged.

If they do get inside your property they are hard to get rid of.  Heat treatment is the most reliable approach, because it penetrates all the cavities and kills all life stages in situ. However it is expensive. British Bird Control’s Bird Mite Heat Treatment comes with an industry-leading six month guarantee.