A farm in Saint-Amable, on the South Shore of Montreal, contacted us at the beginning of the summer after noticing an invasion of starlings in a barn converted into an equipment warehouse. The owners had been observing large flights of birds entering and exiting through the gable ventilation openings for several weeks, and the damage to the packaged forage stocks was becoming a concern. The manure accumulated on the stored farm equipment, combined with the contamination of the cereals left in the open air, represented a significant economic loss. Our team specializing in starling extermination answered the call with an intervention plan adapted to the agricultural context of Saint-Amable.
Building Inspection and Colony Assessment
Farm buildings present particular challenges when it comes to starling management, due to their large surface area, numerous functional openings, and the presence of an abundance of potential food. In Saint-Amable, as in the Varennes and Contrecoeur areas, barns and agricultural warehouses regularly attract starlings in search of grain, seeds and leftover livestock feed. Our inspection revealed that the birds were using no fewer than eight separate entry points, including the two large gable openings used for natural ventilation, several cracks in the wood siding, and two windows with broken panes that had not been replaced. Inside, about a hundred nests had been built on the main beams and in the nooks and crannies of the frameworks, testifying to an occupation that dated back several seasons. Our exterminators in Saint-Amable estimated that the colony had several dozen adult individuals, which required a graduated and methodical approach.
Audible and visual deterrence strategy
Given the size of the building and the impossibility of immediately sealing all the functional openings without interfering with the much-needed ventilation of the agricultural stock, we first deployed a combination of deterrent methods to encourage the birds to gradually leave the premises. Programmable sound deterrents, emitting starling distress calls and predator calls at random intervals, have been installed at all four corners of the building. At the same time, holographic reflective tapes and visual lures in the shape of predators were placed on the densest beams and nesting areas. These non-lethal methods, which comply with the regulatory requirements applicable to farm buildings, significantly reduced the presence of birds in the building within ten days, thus facilitating subsequent nest removal and access closure operations.
Removal of nests, cleaning and sealing of accesses
Once the avian population was sufficiently dispersed, our technicians intervened to systematically remove all the nests accessible from the beams and structures of the framework. The cleaning of the manure accumulated on the floor, agricultural machinery and storage areas was carried out using industrial vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters, avoiding the suspension of potentially pathogenic fungal spores. A decontamination and disinfection treatment was then applied to all soiled surfaces. Broken windows were repaired or replaced, and cracks in the cladding were sealed with polyurethane sealant suitable for farm buildings. For the gable openings essential for ventilation, tightly meshed screens were installed, maintaining sufficient dimensions to ensure the required airflow, while blocking access to birds. For an overview of our other interventions on the South Shore, consult Nova Extermination, your trusted certified exterminator.
Outcomes and long-term prevention plan
The follow-up carried out one month after the intervention confirmed that the building was free of any starlings. The owners reported a noticeable improvement in the air quality in the warehouse and a disappearance of inventory damage. We provided them with a long-term prevention plan that included recommended annual inspections prior to the spring nesting season, maintenance of screens and plugging, and grain and feed storage instructions to reduce the attractiveness of the building to birds. For other examples of our achievements, see our intervention on a starling problem in a different context and our work on a commercial building confronted with nesting birds.