How To Deal With Birds In The Soffit Of Your Home?

Because birds are flying creatures, they typically build nests well off the ground. If a bird decides to build a nest in your house, it will typically be somewhere on the roof, especially around the rafters, eaves, and soffits. It is important to have professional and humane bird control to deal with this problem because some bird species are protected.

What Is a Soffit?

While you may know that a soffit is part of your roof, you may not know which part the term refers to or be able to identify it on sight. With most roof styles, there is an edge that extends out under the side of the wall. That is the eave of the roof. On many houses, the undersides of the eaves are finished with another material. That material is called a soffit.

Why Do Birds Nest in Soffits?

Baby birds are very delicate and vulnerable. Birds like to build nests that provide cover to protect the growing babies from the weather and from predators. The eaves and soffits of a roof provide exactly the cover that the birds are looking for, so that's one reason why they are common sites for bird nests. Another reason why birds may build nests in soffits is because of current construction practices. For the last few decades, builders have constructed homes primarily with speed and efficiency in mind. This has come at the expense of craftsmanship. Houses built today are not as well constructed as they were 20 years ago or more. As a result, these homes may have more vulnerabilities that a bird can exploit, such as cracks or holes in the soffit. You should check these areas on a regular basis, both for nests and for vulnerabilities in the soffit itself.

Why Should You Have Birds Removed From the Soffit?

If you find a bird nest in a soffit, you should call wildlife removal in Richmond Hill as soon as possible. Birds in your home can cause several significant problems. For one thing, bird droppings contain bacteria that can cause diseases in people, such as salmonellosis and histoplasmosis. These diseases can sometimes be serious. Birds also carry parasites, including mites, lice, and ticks. If the bird gets into a hole in the soffit, these parasites can then get into your house. Once the birds are no longer available, the parasites can feed on people as well. While all these parasites are unpleasant, ticks are of particular concern because they can transmit Lyme disease. When birds perceive a threat to their nests, they can become very aggressive. If the bird builds a nest near a main exit or entryway to your home, it may attempt to attack you and your family if it feels you are getting too close to the nest as you come and go.

Why Should You Hire Professional Bird Removal?

While you should not allow birds to take up permanent residence in your soffit, you should also not attempt to remove them yourself. Some birds are protected by an international treaty, making it illegal to disturb them and their nests. If you remove the nest of a protected bird, whether accidentally or intentionally, you can get in trouble with the law. Furthermore, your attempts to handle or move the nests may harm the birds themselves. Handling birds or bird nests yourself could expose you to parasites or diseases. You could also injure yourself by falling from a great height when attempting to reach the soffit.

How Skedaddle Can Help With Bird Control

Our technicians are trained to recognize protected bird species that cannot be disturbed. While waiting for the birds to leave the nest, we can devise a plan for clearing the area with the nest and preventing the birds from coming back. As soon as it is legal to do so, we will put the plan into action. If you find birds in your Richmond Hill soffit, contact us immediately.