Bird x

Bird-X Sales Team Attends PestWorld 2016 in Seattle, WA

During the third week of October, Bird-X account managers flocked to Seattle, Washington for PestWorld 2016; a four-day tradeshow put on by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). PestWorld is an all-encompassing tradeshow, putting new information and products into the hands of everyone within the Pest Control community. PestWorld gives participants the opportunity to learn about advancements in the industry with informative discussions and the demonstration of new products.

“PestWorld, as always, was an amazing experience for Bird-X. It was a great opportunity for us to meet many of our current clients, as well as introduce ourselves to new international and domestic partners,” says Josh Pierce, Bird-X Sales Manager.

PestWorld provides an ample amount of time to exhibit products while still having plenty of opportunities to interact with current customers and prospects outside of show hours.

The presentation that resonates with Tim Coughlin, Account Manager, is Heath Waldorf’s “Talking Turkey” presentation. Waldorf, of the Bird Control Advisory, breaks down urban bird control and explains that it consists of so much more than just bird spikes.

“The ‘Talking Turkey’ presentation is a benchmark for pest control operators to fully understand the structural bird control world.” remarks Coughlin.

Presentations like Waldorf’s are exactly why PestWorld is such a pivotal tradeshow – it is engaging, hands-on, innovative, and a fantastic networking event. Every minute is utilized, and everyone attending is equally eager to further advance the pest control industry.

“PestWorld 2016 provided us with the opportunity to speak with installers and get feedback on the effectiveness of our products and suggestions for improvement. We value these opportunities to make improvements to our products. The great feedback we received about the Bird-X client experience was inspirational,” added Coughlin.

When asked which Bird-X product garnered the most buzz, Mark Miller definitively stated “Lasers. People loved them. Laser technology is a simple yet effective solution and we’re excited to see the industry’s success with it.”

Miller, a fellow Account Manager, believes Bird-X’s new laser device is another arrow in the quiver when it comes to bird control solutions. This was the first PestWorld event that showcased the new laser, and it gained a lot of interest among industry professionals. View all laser products here.

When deterring birds, the key is to make them as uncomfortable as possible. This is done by attacking the key senses of a bird.  The laser is another great addition to the Bird-X product line that disturbs a bird’s eye sight, disorients their flight path, and can be very bothersome in a night time roosting scenario. Laser technology for deterring birds is low-maintenance and sure to deliver a positive user experience.

The Bird-X team is looking forward to 2017’s PestWorld, to be held in Baltimore, Maryland.

Source: Bird-x

Coyote Control: How Urban Coyotes Are Invading Our Cities

Coyotes have descended on our towns and cities… Can we peacefully coexist with this common pest animal?

A distinctively American species, the coyote has lived in North America for more than a million years. But despite widespread attempts at eradication since the early 19th-century, coyotes have adapted and are now well-established in 49 states, including most major metropolitan areas.ⁱ

According to National Geographic, approximately one coyote per minute, or 500,000 per year, are killed in the U.S. every year; of this, biologists estimate that Wildlife Services aerial guns about 80,000 coyotes per year at tax payer expense.ⁱⁱ

In recent years, coyotes have discovered a new refuge in large metropolitan areas like Chicago and New York City, where people do not trap, poison, or shoot them. This transition has had a strong impact on their longevity—wild coyotes live an average of two and a half years, whereas urban coyotes can live more than thirteen years.ⁱⁱⁱ “They’re doing very well living among us, dining on the rats and mice that our villages and houses produce in such abundance,” author Dan Flores said in a recent interview with National Geographic.^iv While they prefer to feed on wild prey, these omnivores will eat almost anything—leather, backyard fruit, garbage, and even pets.^v 

Coyotes are typically skittish around humans.

Living Amongst Coyotes

Unlike many predators that face extinction, coyotes continue to survive and thrive in the face of persecution due to their intelligence, adaptability, and resilience. While rapid deforestation and hunting has forced coyotes to seek shelter in urbanized landscapes, the National Audubon Society believes educated coexistence is a feasible solution.^vi Coyotes are not a threat to humans, as they are usually wary of people and avoid contact when possible. Dr. Marc Bekoff, member of the Project Coyote Science Advisory Board, believes that by altering our behavior and gaining a better understanding of coyote behavior, we can cohabit peacefully.^vii

Although coyotes have a beneficial top-down effect on the ecosystem, it is still important to discourage them and other pests from entering yards and neighborhoods. Coyotes often view cats and small dogs as prey, and may attack domestic pets that roam free. These nocturnal creatures are also known to howl in packs during the night, which can disturb nearby residents.

The Bird-X Solution

Bird-X understands that cohabitating peacefully with pest animals, like coyotes, means choosing humane pest control methods to deter them from unwanted areas. This is why Bird-X offers pest control products that are effective, safe, and eco-friendly. Using humane pest control ensures that you, your family, and your pets stay safe, while not negatively impacting the ecosystem or unnecessarily harming pest animals. Using inhumane methods like traps or poisons can endanger other animals and your family, and can result in even more mess and frustration. For coyote control around the home, Bird-X recommends humane products that use sonic and ultrasonic technology to alert pest animals to go elsewhere.

Bird-X’s Critter Blaster PRO is perfect for deterring pest animals from large areas.

For example, the Critter Blaster PRO is a sonic pest control system designed for use in large, remote outdoor areas. This four-speaker system aggressively harasses pests with digitally recorded sonic sounds, keeping coyotes and other critters away for up to 6 acres.

Other alternative methods include the Yard Gard and Solar Yard Gard, which are both silent, ultrasonic outdoor devices that protect 3,000 to 4,000 square feet. These devices emit high-frequency sound waves that are silent to most humans, but irritating to pests. Over time, pests are conditioned to avoid an area where this threat is perceived, making them seek refuge in untreated areas.

If your home or business would benefit from Bird-X’s pest control products, let us know in the comments! For more information on humane pest control, please visit our page.

Written by Tim Gibbons, Marketing Intern for Bird-X, Inc.

_{*Photos courtesy of Pixabay}

_Sources:

_{ⁱWorrall, Simon. “How the Most Hated Animal in America Outwitted Us All.” National Geographic. 2016 National Geographic Society, published 7 August 2016. Web. Accessed 9 August 2016.}

_ⁱⁱIbid.

_{ⁱⁱⁱIbid.}

_^ivIbid.

_{^vDell’Amore, Christine. “How Wild Animals Are Hacking Life in the City.” National Geographic. 2016 National Geographic Society, published 18 April 2016. Web. Accessed 9 August 2016.}

_{^viFox, Camilla H. “Coyotes & Humans: Can We Coexist?” Audubon. 2016 National Audubon Society. Published 2006. Web. Accessed 9 August 2016.}

_{^vii“Coexisting With Coyotes.” Project Coyote. 2016 Project Coyote, n.d. Web. Accessed 9 August 2016.}

Source: Bird-x

Wind Turbines Cause Rising Number of Bird and Bat Fatalities

Wind power is one of the cleanest and safest methods of generating renewable energy. Due to the steady increase in price of nonrenewable sources, wind turbine use has increased 25% in the past decade.ⁱ While its growth has helped reduce carbon emissions and pollution, this green source of energy comes at a cost: these massive blades, slicing the air at close to 200 miles per hour, serve as giant death traps to migrating birds and bats.

According to a study in the Wildlife Society Bulletin, wind turbines kill 573,000 birds and 888,000 bats annually.ⁱⁱ Some scientists theorize swarms of migrating birds and bats are attracted to the turbines’ height, mistaking them for tall trees, or that the spinning blades confuse the bats’ biological sonar.ⁱⁱⁱ

Bird-X explores why saving these animals is important, and how humane pest control can help mitigate the high number of bird and bat deaths caused by wind turbines by deterring the animals away from an area safely.

Spinning wind turbines create quite the hazard for birds and bats!

Bats Provide Natural Mosquito Control

As concerns escalate about mosquito-borne illnesses like the Zika virus, experts point out that a single bat can consume as many as 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour, according to the U.S. Forest Service.^iv A bat colony can take out up to tens of thousands of mosquitos in a night.

Bats also prey on insects that feed on crops, saving the U.S. agriculture industry more than $3 billion a year in pesticide costs, according to a Boston University study.^v Not only do bats control flying insects, they also pollinate commercial crops, flowers, and various cacti. “I cannot think of another mammal that does more for people in terms of pest control and pollinating plants,” one Duke Energy biologist, Tim Hayes, says in a statement.^vi

The Wildlife Society Bulletin reports wind turbines kill 888,000 bats annually

The Bird-X Solution

Critics of wind energy point out that turbines pose a threat to many federally-protected species—most notably Golden Eagles. In 2013, the U.S. government fined Duke Energy $1 million for a number of bird strikes that occurred at their wind farms in Wyoming.^vii Any means of deterring birds and bats from approaching wind turbines may reduce fatalities, and protect farmers and wind energy companies from hefty fines. Bird-X offers bird and pest control products that are extremely effective, safe, humane, and eco-friendly—while avoiding the use of dangerous poisons and traps. Implementing Bird-X solutions reduces health and liability risks, which ultimately saves time and money.

For wind farms and other green energy facilities, Bird-X affirms the best method for deterring pest birds and bats is to create an environment that is not conducive for them to live. Using a combination of humane pest control products, like Bird-X’s bird netting, laser bird control, or visual scares, along with sonic and ultrasonic methods such as the Mega Blaster PRO or BroadBand PRO can lead to a more successful pest deterrent strategy. Bird netting completely blocks birds and bats from entering an area, while solutions like visual scares and lasers scare pests away. Using these types of deterrents in combination with the Mega Blaster PRO, a powerful sonic bird control system that broadcasts irritating, alarming, intermittent distress calls that frighten birds away, or BroadBand PRO, a multifaceted deterrent that emits both ultrasonic and sonic sounds to confuse, disorient, and ultimately repel pests, can ensure successful results. Over time, these methods condition birds and bats to avoid an area.

Bird-X’s Mega Blaster PRO is emits sonic distress calls that deter birds from an area.

Bird-X solutions mimic threats or create physical barriers so that pest birds and animals think an area in unsafe. Over time, pests are conditioned to avoid an area where this threat is perceived, seeking refuge elsewhere. The Chicago-based company has been developing humane, sustainable ways to manage bird and pest problems for over 50 years, and is dedicated to working with clients to find the best and most cost-effective solutions to control unwanted pests.

If your farm or green energy facility would benefit from Bird-X’s humane pest control products, let us know in the comments! For more information on bird and pest control for outdoor areas, please visit Bird-X’s Outdoor Pest Control page.

Written by Tim Gibbons, Marketing Intern for Bird-X, Inc.

_{*Photos courtesy of Pixabay}

_Sources:

_{^[i] Rinkesh. “35 Facts About Wind Energy.” Conserve Energy Future. 2016 Conserve Energy Future, 24 Dec. 2013. Web. Accessed 21 July 2016.}

_{^[ii] Smallwood, K. S. (2013). Comparing bird and bat fatality-rate estimates among North American wind-energy projects. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 37: 19–33. doi:10.1002/wsb.260.}

_{^[iii]  Potkewitz, Hilary. “A Biologist Works to Reconcile Bats and Wind Energy.” The Wall Street Journal. 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 7 June 2016. Web. Accessed 21 July 2016.}

_{^[iv]  Taylor, Daniel A.R. “Forest Management and Bats.” Bat Conservation International (2006): n. pag. USDA.gov. 2006. Web. Accessed 21 July 2016.}

_{^[v] Boyles, Justin G. “Economic Importance of Bats in Agriculture.” Science Magazine 332 (2011): n. pag. Biologicaldiversity.org. AAAS, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. Accessed 21 July 2016.}

_{^[vi] Ibid., iii.}

^[vii] “Bastasch, Michael. “Wind Turbines Are Killing Bats And Could Be Hurting Farmers.” The Daily Caller. 2016 The Daily Caller, 14 Oct. 2015. Web. Accessed 21 July 2016.

Source: Bird-x

Birds Are Not the Only Carriers of Avian Influenza

Global poultry production has more than quadrupled since 1970, with the United States leading the flock. However, due to the rising demand for chicken and other poultry, Avian influenza, or ‘bird flu,’ outbreaks have occurred at an accelerated rate, causing concern across the agricultural industry. Most alarmingly is the fact that the 2014 bird flu virus killed nearly 50 million birds, according to Fortune, and drove meat and egg prices to record highs.ⁱ

The poultry industry is still recovering from the loss of nearly 50 million birds

Poultry and egg producers battle to recover from that bird flu outbreak, which totaled about $3.3 billion in cost, and earned the title of the largest animal health disaster in American history by National Geographic.ⁱⁱ A recent discovery by the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) has offered scientists more insight as to how the virus can spread between farms miles apart—it’s carried by wild mammals.ⁱⁱⁱ

In another laboratory experiment performed at the NWRC, scientists learned that cottontail rabbits and striped skunks can transmit certain strains of the bird flu virus to mallard ducks after sharing food and water sources, according to NWRC biologist Jeff Root.^iv

Wild rabbits can carry transmissible strands of Avian influenza

What Does This Mean?

This discovery sheds light on the importance of keeping wild birds and pest mammals away from poultry barns, which can be a challenge for barn facilities management. “When wildlife and poultry interact and both can carry and spread a potentially damaging agricultural pathogen, it’s cause for concern,” Root said regarding the same study.^iv Although most bird flu viruses do not affect humans, certain subtypes of the virus are zoonotic, meaning they can be contracted by humans. The most common form of Avian influenza, H5N1, is deadly to birds and can easily infect humans that come in contact with a carrier.

The Center for Disease Control and Presentation reports that more than 200 human cases of the H5N1 virus have been reported since 2004, killing nearly 60 percent of those infected. Human cases are rare, but the most common transmission of the virus is via direct contact with secretions from infected poultry. The current form of the virus cannot be transmitted from person to person. However, there are broad concerns related to its potential to mutate into a form that can spread between people, causing a human influenza pandemic.^v

The Bird-X Solution

In order to prevent the spreading of bird flu, farmers must minimize risk by ensuring that wild birds and mammals are kept away from poultry barns. Bird-X offers bird and pest control products that are extremely effective, safe, humane, and eco-friendly—while avoiding the use of dangerous poisons and traps. Implementing Bird-X solutions reduces health and liability risks, which ultimately saves time and money.

The BroadBand PRO is the best-selling device for outdoor use to deter wild birds. This electronic bird control device combines both sonic and ultrasonic audio techniques that emit sounds to confuse, disorient, and intimidate pest birds, keeping them away for up to six acres. This product also comes with an option to include three visual scares for added efficacy.

To fend off both pest birds and wild mammals, the bird netting is ideal for blocking off larger areas. Bird netting seals off areas where pests are not wanted, and is perfect for creating completely pest-free zones.

Bird-X solutions mimic threats or create physical barriers so that pest birds and animals think an area in unsafe. Over time, pests are conditioned to avoid an area where this threat is perceived, seeking refuge elsewhere. The Chicago-based company has been developing humane, sustainable ways to manage bird and pest problems for over 50 years, and is dedicated to working with clients to find the best and most cost-effective solutions to control unwanted pests.

If your farm facility would benefit from Bird-X’s humane pest control products, let us know in the comments! For more information on bird flu, as well as other diseases carried by pest birds, please visit Bird-X’s Transmissible Diseases information page.

Written by Tim Gibbons, Marketing Intern for Bird-X, Inc.

_{*Photos courtesy of Pexels}

_Sources:

_{^[i]  Fry, Erika. “What the Worst Bird Flu Outbreak in U.S. History Means for Farms.” Fortune. 2016 Time Inc., 24 June 2015. Web. Accessed 7 July 2016.}

_{^[ii] McKenna, Maryn. “Bird Flu Cost the US $3.3 Billion and Worse Could Be Coming.” National Geographic. 2016 National Geographic Society, 15 July 2015. Web. Accessed 7 July 2016.}

_{^[iii]Root, J. J. et al. When fur and feather occur together: interclass transmission of Avian influenza A virus from mammals to birds through common resources. Sci. Rep. 5, 14354; doi: 10.1038/srep14354 (2015).}

_{^[iv] “When Fur and Feather Meet.” United States Department of Agriculture—Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. USDA.gov, 28 March 2016. Web. Accessed 5 July 2016.}

_{^[v] “Avian Influenza A Virus Infections in Humans.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC.gov, 25 May 2016. Web. Accessed 5 July 2016.}

Source: Bird-x