Get geese to leave the natural way

Goose poop is no laughing matter. With each bird capable of producing a pound or more of feces per day, it doesn't take long for a fair-sized flock to render a location unwalkable by humans. Not only do the droppings make for an unpleasant environment, but also they pose a slip-and-fall hazard and are a breeding ground for bacteria and disease.

Goose removal has become a multimillion dollar industry, and it's not just golf courses, industrial parks and airports that patronize it. Homeowners are fighting the flocks as well, striving to preserve their enjoyment of their homes and the value of their investment.

"The geese are just doing what comes naturally and looking for a safe, secure home. No one wants to see them harmed for that. People just want the birds to move somewhere that they won't cause a problem for

Gardening

humans, "said Mona Zemsky, a technician with Bird-X, a company that has helped convince millions of Canada geese to move along during its 44 years in business.

Canada geese range throughout North America but are particularly troublesome in the Northeast and upper Midwest.

Geese are looking for water, food, lush greens and a safe, easy place to raise their families. The most successful removal techniques involve convincing the geese that a location is no longer safe and comfortable for them. Geese have excellent memories and will return to the same spot year after year unless they are convinced to go elsewhere.

Demand is high for relocation techniques that do not harm the birds or the environment. In fact, in many areas of the country, it is illegal to harm Canada geese or their eggs in the removal process. Some municipalities place restrictions on the use of chemicals in goose removal.

"In fact, lethal or harmful methods are actually counterproductive. Nature abhors a vacuum, and if you don't alter the location's desirability to geese, new geese will flock to fill the void," said Zemsky.

Successful removal techniques prey upon geese's instinctive fears. This is why products like Bird-X's Goose Buster, which drives birds away using recordings of actual goose distress calls, or the Gator Guard, which makes the birds think a predator is present, work well. In fact, geese instinctively respond to the Gator Guard, a life-size, lifelike replica of an alligator head, even in regions where alligators do not live - and where geese may never have seen a live one. Goose Chase, a biodegradable food-grade agent made from the bitter-tasting, smelly part of concord grapes, makes food sources such as grass and ponds unpalatable to the birds.

To learn more about effective goose removal products and techniques that are also environmentally conscious, visit www.bird-x.com/ARA or call (800) 662-5021.

Courtesy of ARAcontent