As spring of 2015 quickly approaches, birds in Columbia and throughout Maryland are getting ready to lay eggs and are busy building their nests. Although bird nests are commonly found in trees, many birds find it easier and more secure to nest in bathroom vents, kitchen vents, dryer vents, as well as in your gutters. This time of year, Columbia bird removal professionals are receiving about 50 calls per day from homeowners who are afraid to put their clothing in the dryer because birds are living in the dryer vent.
How to Tell if There are Birds in Your Vents
- You can often see the nest or see traces of debris around the vent entrance.
- You hear fairly loud chirping and scratching, especially in the morning hours.
- There is a problem with your vent or an appliance connected to that vent.
Why Birds Nesting in Vents are Dangerous
Why not just leave the birds alone? They are not doing any harm, right? Wrong. Vents are not placed inside your home “just because.” Each vent has a purpose, which is to allow the air either to exit or to enter. Dryer vents remove the air from your dryer to help dry your clothes. Sewer vents, on the other hand, suck the air in to maintain air pressure and keep the sewer gas inside the plumbing. If a vent is blocked by a bird nest, it can’t do its job. In case of a dryer vent, the dryer may overheat without proper ventilation, which may lead to a fire. In case of a sewer vent, your bathroom may fill with sewer gasses, foul-smelling and sometimes flammable. Another good reason to have nesting birds removed from the vents in your Maryland home is that birds may carry lice and mites. And because each vent connects to some place inside your home, these insects now have direct access to your living area.
Call a Wildlife Removal Expert
If you suspect that there are birds nesting in your vents, it’s time to call our pest control professionals to humanely remove the birds from your vents. After the birds are removed, our bird removal professionals will extract all the nesting materials that the birds brought into the vent, and then install a vent guard over the exterior ventilation outlet to prevent birds from re-entering the vent. If you don’t know what kind of bird you are dealing with, never attempt to remove the bird yourself. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 protects certain bird species, and you are not allowed to remove their nests or disturb them in any way, even if they are nesting on your personal property. Do you have any other questions or want Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control to take care of your bird problem? Give us a call or contact online and we’ll be happy to help.