How to Keep Pigeons Away from Your Plants

To protect your plants from pigeons you will either have to scare them away or make sure that they dislike your garden.

There are several methods to use such as repellent gels, obstacles or sonic devices.

The best way to deal with them is to use a variety of methods and tactics:

1. Install Netting

Covering your flowerbeds with chicken wire or a mesh is one way of protecting them.

You can attach it to a simple framework of wood or even plastic piping. If you don’t want to discourage other, less destructive species, then you can buy some netting with larger openings, big enough for smaller birds to get through, but still small enough to stop pigeons.

Alternatively, you can net only those plants that attract pigeons.

2. Use Shiny Objects

Another version of this if you don’t like the idea of enclosing your plants is to stretch strings attached to poles across the beds.

They can be above your plants or near to the ground, but they should be hung with shiny objects.

Anything shiny or reflective will do. Aluminium foil, reflective tape, old CDs, are good.

Their movement in a breeze will scare the pigeons or the flash of sunlight on their surfaces will also do the trick.

Other pigeon deterrents include things like scarecrows and replicas of predators.

3. Tie Balloons To Your Plants

Balloons are another method of scaring pigeons away. Stake them down over your beds and shrubs.

Again, their movement will frighten the birds.

You can go a step further and paint some big eyes on them.

In fact, some pet outlets sell balloons with scary faces printed on them.

4. Try Naphthalene Flakes

You can use some naphthalene flakes.

Spread them around the plants that pigeons are likely to concentrate on. They give off an odour that pigeons can detect and don’t like.

This was once used as a main ingredient in the making of mothballs but isn’t used in that way anymore.

Or you can just buy some mothballs and spread them around your plant beds.

5. DIY Pigeon Repellents

These may seem off the wall, but people swear blind that they work, some DIY pigeon repellent ideas include:

Crushed chillies: Crush up a mess of chillies, put them in a sealed glass container with water to soak. Put the jar outside in the sunlight for a day or two, so the mixture ferments. When ready just pour the liquid into a spray bottle and spray your plants. It doesn’t harm the plants, but pigeons certainly don’t like the smell.
Cinnamon, crushed garlic or cayenne powder: You can do a similar sort of thing with cinnamon, crushed garlic or cayenne powder.
Tinfoil, WD-40 or Petroleum Jelly: This can be used on the surfaces where pigeons like to perch. They hate the slick and slippery feeling under their feet. The same goes for petroleum jelly and WD-40 oil. Like the commercial gel repellents, they produce sticky surfaces and bad smells.

6. Use Technology

A portable radio can cause sufficient noise to irritate the pigeons enough to fly away. Noisemakers and special CDs with recorded bird distress calls will make them anxious and nervous enough to move.

Devices that send out ultrasonic waves can be used also. These unseen waves irritate the birds and make them want to leave the immediate vicinity.

Powerful magnets also work. The magnets mess with their sense of direction and the birds become confused. It’s all to do with the way they navigate. Unable to understand what is happening, their first instinct is to fly away.

7. Call-In The Pigeon Control Specialists

If you’ve tried everything in our list and pigeons are still fearlessly destroying your plants then it is worth getting professional help.

If you’ve got a serious pigeon problem the best solution is to get professional help, click the relevant image below (U.S or UK) to find a pigeon control specialist near you: