The market for bird spikes has certainly increased over the past few years, with pigeon populations in every corner of the UK apparently increasing.
Hundreds of new homes are commissioned daily in the UK and every new building provides a new home for the pigeons. As a result, tradespeople are getting more enquiries about installing pigeon deterrents while they are on a job.
We spoke to one builder, Haydon Cocker from Norwich: “I get increasingly asked to install bird deterrents while I’m carrying out a job or I get a call after a job is finished to go back and install something to stop the pigeons. I recently built an extension and conservatory on a detached house.
“The conservatory happened to be on the gable end and the pesky pigeons were landing on the roof ridge and defecating onto the conservatory below. I was able to easily install some spikes along the ridge to stop the pigeons and protect the shiny new conservatory!”
David and Kursty Jones of Jones & Son Pest Control Supplies in Devon started inventing a range of Defender bird spikes in 1995 and have been manufacturing the range in Devon ever since.
They now export the spikes all over the world and The Oval, the London Olympic Stadium and St Paul’s Cathedral are just some of the prestigious installations.
Jones & Son’s Defender pigeon spikes were ranked number 6 in the Independent’s ‘Greatest 50 Ideas’ list, whilst the new Defender post and wire holder system won the best product award 2016 amongst pest control products by PEST magazine.
One of the newest issues the trade is facing seems to be pigeons under solar panels. Tradespeople all over the UK are getting calls from homeowners and companies that are trying to ‘go green’ and reduce their carbon footprint with solar panels, and they seem to be providing a perfect dry and wind sheltered home for the pigeons.
Recently, David and Kursty have invented the new Defender Solar Panel spikes. David explained: “When we first started to receive calls about pigeons under solar panels we recommended our tried and tested Defender 8 spikes.
However, it soon became apparent that these were difficult to install around the solar panels, and sometimes ineffective as pigeons could scrabble over the spikes and get under the panels”.
David and Kursty decided they should invent something new, and after Kursty did some research with the solar 
panel manufacturers it became apparent that the new product should be of varying heights to cover the different height voids between the panels and the roof.
What’s more, the product should not touch the panel in any way as this could invalidate the manufacturer’s warranty.
Installing Defender bird spikes is a great add-on business for any tradesperson; whether your customer needs solar panel spikes, a post and wire system or standard bird spikes.
What are Defender bird spikes?
Defender bird spikes are a range of bird deterrents traditionally used on areas that have problems with pigeons, seagulls and nuisance birds. They have a dense pattern of protruding pins that stick out and prevent the birds from landing without hurting them.
How do they work?
There are several types available, each one is specifically designed to protect against pigeons or seagulls and they come in a range of designs to protect different depths and areas. For example Defender 8 Bird Spikes have a ledge protection of up to 8 inches.
There is also a range to stop pigeons nesting under solar panels and most recently the company has invented an easy-to-install post and wire system with no drilling or measuring required. Once installed, they work by creating a physical barrier that prevents the birds from returning.
Are they just for the pest control industry then?
No. Jones and Son supplies many trades that need to use spikes, such as builders, roofers and solar panel installers. The company also offer unique support to each customer and will calculate what and how much product you need for each area or job.
Can any tradesperson install them?
The short answer is yes. When installing the products the main problem is access, so as long as you can access the area you can definitely install spikes. All spikes have a UV stabilized polycarbonate base with snap off points; simply snap the base to the correct length and use a neutral cure silicone to stick the base to the surface.
For further information on Defender bird spikes from Jones & Son Pest Control Supplies click here.