ᐅ What are the options for protecting against swallows?

Hi everyone,

Over the past few summers, a lot of swallows have nested at our current house.

They are really cute, the aerial displays are breathtaking, and they are supposed to bring good luck!

But...

• Unfortunately, they make a huge mess. It's indescribably dirty, both on the house wall itself and especially on the ground. And when our little daughter keeps crawling through their droppings, the fun really stops!
• The house wall is deteriorating due to constant fertilizing (droppings).
• And the most annoying part: we have a few so-called “hardcore eco-fanatic block wardens” here (sorry, there’s no better way to describe them), who keep slipping annoying notes into our mailbox about how swallows are protected by wildlife laws (I know that myself) and how great they are, etc. One of these people lives in the neighborhood and, tellingly, has no open eaves but has them fully enclosed to prevent any nesting! We were even reported (of course anonymously!) for supposedly removing swallow nests. We didn’t – the birds started building on the north side and then moved to the east side. On the north side, the building remnants of the nests were still hanging... It was quite a frustrating argument with the city and only ended after we threatened to file a defamation lawsuit.
• Some nests still fall down on their own from time to time (about 2 of the 6-7 nests every year in our case). And then you always risk having the same discussions again.

So, as much as I regret it, at the new house we don’t want any swallow nests anymore! The mess, combined with the constant risk of trouble from self-appointed eco-watchers: no thanks!

Long story short: What options are there to prevent these little flyers from nesting under our open eaves? I know of:

• These stainless steel spikes, which look quite aggressive
• Full nets, which also look rather unattractive and I would be worried about birds getting caught in them
• Lines stretched under the rafters, either fishing line or stainless steel wire. The fishing line would probably have to be replaced every few years. Nylon line is not really UV stable.
• Boards positioned at about a 50-degree angle to the house wall. This changes the sharp 70-degree angle between wall and roof into two blunt angles of around 120-130 degrees.

Does anyone have any other effective ideas? The option with boards under the nests to limit the mess is out because of the eco-activist issue. I’m done arguing about whether a nest fell on its own or not.

Best regards,

Andreas

Hello Andreas,

We also had a “bird problem” at the new house, but it wasn’t with swallows; it was a type of falcon.

We installed stainless steel spikes (on the advice of a friend who professionally deals with bird control), and since then, there has been no more trouble.

These spikes are also available in white-painted or coated versions, which significantly reduces their conspicuous “aggressive” appearance.

It’s best to install the spikes during the construction phase while the scaffolding is still in place.

Regards,

Dirk

Hi Dirk,

Thanks for your reply.

Are these spikes fixed to the house wall or the roof at your place? I only ever find ones designed for mounting on vertical walls. But in our case, that’s just insulation, and I don’t want to drill into it.

Best regards,

Andreas

We have the spikes on the beam ends. These should be suitable for you as well, if you want to attach them to the roof, as I understand.

Hello Andreas,

Our spikes are attached directly to the purlins—nailed down with roofing nails.

However, a friend of mine also told me that these spike straps can be easily fixed using a special adhesive, as the parts weigh almost nothing.

Alternatively, you can also fasten them from underneath to the wooden roof sheathing itself using roofing nails, right?

Regards,

Dirk

We glued the spikes, and the stuff holds very well in any position. Just look up pigeon deterrent on A*azon.