How Can I Prevent Gulls From Nesting On My Factory Roof?

When it comes to problems with gulls on commercial premises, we’ve seen it all, from aggressive behaviour during breeding season (which, FYI, is from March to September), to noise issues, and a build-up of unsightly and damaging nesting materials or guano (poo).

They are a nuisance alright, and they are no longer just a blight on coastal areas, they’re coming into urban areas in increasing numbers too, as there is more food available and lovely high buildings to make their nests on. Unfortunately, that means your factory roof is fair game.

So how can you prevent gulls from nesting on your factory roof? Well, we’ll tell you.

What problems do gulls cause?

First things first, you need to know why gulls are such a problem for your business.

• Gull guano contains bacteria that can cause serious illness in humans.  
• As well as being unsightly, guano contains acid which can corrode buildings (including your roof), vehicles, and machinery leaving you with a very expensive bill.
• Not only that, gulls often return to the same nesting site each year, and this means debris from their nests can end up in your drains and gutters, causing blockages and other issues that are costly to fix.
• Gulls can be noisy and aggressive, especially when protecting their nests and offspring.
• And last, but by no means least, gull nests tend to attract other pests like mites and fleas, so you might end up with more than one type of pest to deal with!

So what are my options?

When it comes to preventing gulls from nesting on your factory roof, there are plenty of options, but we have to make one important point-you should NEVER attempt to get rid of a gull’s nest yourself.

This is because gulls can be very aggressive and won’t hesitate to attack you if they think you are a threat to their nest and/or offspring, and legally, birds in the UK are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This means that it’s illegal to remove their nest and eggs once they have begun nesting, unless you have a licence and only under certain conditions (there’s a risk to health, safety etc).

Do I need professional help to control gulls?

To prevent gulls from nesting on your factory roof and causing expensive problems for your business, we’d recommend that you do two things:

1: Practice good housekeeping

Dispose of waste properly, don’t overfill bins, and keep bin lids secure to prevent gulls from finding sources of food that will attract them to your premises.

2: Call in professional pest control to bird-proof your premises

As we mentioned earlier, your factory roof makes an ideal nesting place for gulls, so the best thing you can do is make it bird-proof to prevent them from nesting there in the first place.

At Contego, we use the most effective bird-proofing methods there are to prevent gulls from nesting on your factory roof and protect your premises, staff, visitors and the public including:

• Bird Spikes
• Bird Netting (19mm,50mm,75mm)
• Post & Wire
• Avi Shock
• Bird Gel
• Weld Mesh
• Laser deterrents
• Bioacoustic systems

What if I already have gulls nesting on my factory roof?

If you already have gulls nesting on your premises, we provide specialist bird control services including:

Falconry Response

We have in-house bird of prey teams of over 60 hawks and falcons to scare off nuisance birds and deter them from nesting on your premises.

Egg And Nest Removal and Management

This is possible after all non-lethal options have been tried. We can remove gull eggs &nests and block any points of access to your roof so they won’t try to nest there again. You will need a Gull license for this.

Watch our Webinar with Natural England for full details on Gull Licensing Changes in 2021

Professional Fouling Removal

We can remove unsightly and unhygienic guano from your roof and other areas of your business premises.

Why choose Contego?

We are one of the UK’s leading specialist bird control companies, and you can trust our team of highly-trained specialists to assess your site and provide you with the very best pest bird control and prevention solutions and advice.

We work fast, and we work effectively to get the job done, and get it done safely.

Want to bird-proof your business premises or rid your roof of nuisance gulls for good?

We are only a call away.

Need help now?