®Bird Shield
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Biodegradable Bird Repellents for Agriculture, Industry and the Garden. Off The Wires, News & Views.
Vol. 1, No. 4. September, 2009.
Last month we talked about resident' birds and how the combination of Pyrethroid insecticides and
Bird Shield Repellent® provide optimum crop protection at minimal cost. This month we will
talk about migratory birds.
Migrating birds use four major corridors through the USA; the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central and Pacific
Flyways. These follow major waterways and provide good roosting habitat. Literally millions of birds pass
through these areas, north and south bound each year. These routes have the essential abundance of food,
water and shelter for a successful trip. Little can be done to manage water and shelter but we can, with
Bird Shield Repellent®, manage the food source by making it taste bad to the birds.
Large flocks "roll" across the country moving from one food source to another. The birds on the leading
edge locate a ripe crop and settle to feed. Those that have fed in a prior field follow, sometimes flying over
the leaders, to feed on the next suitable crop, thus appearing to "roll" across the landscape. When they
locate a suitable crop they may destroy it in a very short time before they move on. In the process they need
water to digest their food and overnight shelter. Because they return to the same fields year-after-year it is
critical that adequate protection is in place to minimize damage.
The time at which birds will pass through any particular area is remarkably constant and predictable with
considerable accuracy. By using records from previous years it is possible to predict within a few days
when any particular species will be arriving in a certain location and so Bird Shield Repellent® can be
applied immediately before the species of concern arrives. Although there may be limited feeding initially
once the birds have tasted the repellent they will avoid the protected crop. As the birds usually continue
their migration within a few days of arrival the initial application may be adequate but subsequent
applications may be necessary to maintain protection of the crop.
Timing Bird Shield Repellent® applications is critical to ensure adequate crop protection. The optimum
time is immediately before the birds start to feed. If birds begin feeding on the crop before the repellent is
applied it may be difficult to tell the difference between old damage and new damage. Sometimes a followup
application to reinforce the repellent effect may be necessary for complete control.
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