The owners of a second home located in the wooded area of Otterburn Park, on the South Shore of Montreal, discovered on their return from a prolonged absence that starlings had colonized the attic of their cottage. Left unattended for several months, the birds had had plenty of time to build several large nests, raise one or two broods, and accumulate a significant amount of droppings and organic material in the space under the roof. The strong smell that reigned in the house when they returned and the visible damage to the insulation confirmed the urgency of the situation. Our team specializing in starling extermination was mandated to solve the problem definitively before the owners repossessed the cottage for the summer season.
Attic Inspection and Damage Assessment
Otterburn Park is a green municipality on the South Shore, close to McMasterville and Beloeil, known for its natural setting and residences nestled in the vegetation. This proximity to nature makes the properties particularly attractive to starlings, which find ideal vantage points in the surrounding trees and predator-free nesting sites in residential buildings. Our technicians accessed the attic through the interior hatch, equipped with full respiratory protection due to the health risks associated with the accumulated droppings. The inspection revealed five complete nests built in the nooks and crannies of the structure, as well as fecal contamination covering a significant area of the insulation. Damage to the vapour barrier and roofing membrane was also noted near the entry points, suggesting a risk of moisture infiltration if the work was not undertaken quickly. Our exterminators in Otterburn Park have established a complete estimate covering nest extraction, decontamination, structural repairs and access sealing.
Nest extraction and decontamination treatment
The removal of the nests was carried out manually, one by one, carefully to avoid dispersing the contaminated materials in the living space. Each nest was placed directly in sealed bags to be evacuated from the site. The entire attic was then thoroughly inspected to ensure that no residual birds or nests remained in the less accessible corners. The decontamination and disinfection phase required the application of several products in sequence: first an enzymatic pre-treatment to degrade the organic matter, then a spraying of approved bactericidal disinfectant on all surfaces in contact with the droppings, and finally a fungicide treatment to eliminate the mold potentially developed in the damp insulation. The most severely contaminated area of insulation, about one-third of the total attic area, had to be removed and replaced with new material to ensure the health and thermal performance of the building envelope.
Repairs and permanent sealing of access points
Once the attic was sanitized, our technicians began sealing and repairing the fish to prevent the starlings from returning. The two main entry points identified during the inspection, namely a soffit air vent without adequate mesh and a gap of several centimetres between the cladding and the gable frame, were treated as a priority. Fine-mesh galvanized steel screens were installed on the soffits, and the gable gap was filled with rigid foam and then covered with a durable exterior sealant. Additional caulking of the entry points was carried out on the entire perimeter of the roof to seal any openings that could be exploited in the future. The damage to the roofing membrane identified during the inspection was repaired using bituminous adhesive patches installed in dry conditions, ensuring the waterproofing of the envelope for the coming seasons.
Cottage Delivery and Seasonal Maintenance Recommendations
At the end of the work, the owners were able to return to their homes in a healthy, odourless condition and protected against any new avian intrusion. Our technicians gave them a complete photographic report documenting each step of the intervention, as well as a seasonal maintenance guide adapted to second homes: inspection of the attic each time the cold season returns, verification of the integrity of the screens and caulking in the spring and instructions to quickly identify early signs of a new intrusion. We also suggested that they consult our achievement on a successful intervention in a similar residential context to better appreciate the consistency of our approach. For all your pest management needs, trust certified exterminator on the South Shore and the South Shore, your trusted expert throughout Quebec.