“Hi Innolytics, I just wanted to let you know that my pigeon population at my home on Oahu has been reduced to 2 dozen from at least 80 birds last March…. while using ovocontrol since then…..at times I would have a flock of 200 on my roof, but no more! your product has made a huge difference in our lives.   The birds that live here now are healthy and no longer a nuisance for me. thank you, Gloria”

For more product testimonials, see the ”Where to Use” tab.

• Solar Panel Assembly
• Small Feeder Tripod Assembly

Innolytics to Feature OvoControl®, “Birth Control for Pigeons”,

at the World Workplace Expo in Phoenix (Booth 2035)

RANCHO SANTA FE — (October 3, 2011) — Innolytics will be exhibiting at the Phoenix Convention Center Oct. 26-28, for the International Facility Management Association’s World Workplace 2011 Conference & Expo.  IFMA’s annual conference is a global, multi-disciplined conference on workplace trends, challenges and best practices that will highlight the new products and services impacting the workplace throughout 2012 and beyond.

The World Workplace expo will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27. Access to this year’s expo is free for all who wish to attend.

To learn more about World Workplace 2011, or to register, visit www.worldworkplace.org.  Members of the media may register at no cost by emailing communications@ifma.org.  For more information on OvoControl or Innolytics, please visit the company website at www.ovocontrol.com

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The new label allows for the incidental exposure of OvoControl to English House sparrows and European starlings at treatment sites.  Both of these pest birds can feed alongside pigeons on rooftop locations.   

When fed to birds, OvoControl prevents fertilization of the eggs. Communities and businesses around the United States are increasingly adopting this cost effective technology to manage pigeons in larger areas without having to resort to avian toxicants and their associated risks.     

Click the link to see the complete new label. 

Established in 2003, Innolytics, LLC is a privately held company that focuses on developing humane population management technology for wildlife.  For further information, see the company website at www.ovocontrol.com.

For example, did you know that earthworms did not exist before 1492?  Before the Europeans arrived, the upper Midwest, New England and all of Canada had no earthworms – they were wiped out in the last Ice Age.  The arrival of worms in these new areas changed the entire ecosystem. 

In the same fashion, feral pigeons were also introduced by the early European settlers that brought the birds on ships — some intentionally for food or communication – although some probably came inadvertently as well.  These birds are now considered one of the most populous nuisance species in the country, and around the world. 

In the Wall Street Journal Essay, Mann provides many different fascinating insights to the how the early voyages of Columbus changed our ecosystem — some in good ways, others with often unanticipated consequences.  See the link for a copy of the complete essay.

A flock of just 100 pigeons excretes approximately 4,800 pounds of waste annually. The bacteria, viruses, funguses and ectoparasites contained in bird droppings and nesting materials represent the starting point for contamination and over 60 different transmissible diseases, including histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis, and toxoplasmosis and even the West Nile virus.

No less dangerous is the fecal dust drawn into the plant through rooftop heating, ventilation and air-conditioning ducts.  Birds often build nests around air handling equipment, ducts, compressors and other vented pathways.  Dried by wind and the sun, this contaminated dust gets drawn into HVAC systems. The fine particles can quickly spread pathogens throughout a plant.

Facility managers should also be aware of the visual impact bird droppings, nests and other debris can have on a plant’s image and attitude of employees at the plant.  Evidence of birds sets a poor example for reducing the risks of contamination in the products produced at the plant.

 New FDA Rules, Requirements and Authority for Food Safety

 The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) signed into law in January 2011 gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wide ranging new powers and responsibilities in food processing and inspection.  Food processing firms are subject to increased regulatory scrutiny and action.  FDA is empowered with recall authority based on a relatively modest hurdle – a “reason to believe”– rather than the identification or discovery of actual contamination. 

Additionally, the FDA, as mandated by FSMA, has launched a new searchable recall database to provide transparency to consumers for food safety issues – www.fda.gov/safety/recalls.  This database provides even greater pressure on industry to ensure the safety of their products as the potential for widespread brand damage increases.

Pest birds living in or on a food plant are as much of a concern as rodent or insect infestations.  FDA does not require evidence of direct contamination for a plant to be cited.  Simply the evidence of pests, even without contamination may constitute a potential hazard and could result in an FDA citation. Food inspectors are often on the lookout for feathers, nesting material or fecal matter.

Bird Control Alternatives and Programs 

Food processing facilities and plants are somewhat limited in their choice of pest bird control alternatives.  Noisemaking devices including firearms, cannons or fireworks are typically out of the question.  Poisons present too much of a liability and are no longer readily available even through pest controllers.  Fortunately, safe and cost-effective bird control solutions are readily available for pigeon control at food processing facilities. 

1)  Exclusion

Food processing facilities are typically large in scope and geography.  For this reason, exclusion techniques and devices should be considered for at least part of the bird control solution. Options include spikes, netting, electric shock track and bird slope for landing areas. 

All exclusion devices are designed to keep birds off of selected surfaces, perching points, ledges or confined areas.  Unfortunately, in the very best case, the birds will leave the treated areas and find others in the same general vicinity.  That said, these devices are invaluable for removing high value or sensitive areas as landing points for the birds.  Bird proofing every possible surface and area at a large facility is typically not an option.    

2)  Removal

Removal options in a food processing environment are typically limited to live trapping.  Birds cannot be relocated since they will simply return to the same flock and site and must be euthanized.  Adequate food and water must be placed inside the trap.  This alternative is typically labor intensive since traps must be checked daily in most states.  Furthermore, similar to shooting or poisoning, the birds go into reproductive overdrive once the flock begins to thin out. 

3)  Contraception 

Although exclusion and removal tools have their place, pigeons are very adaptable and require an integrated program of pest management (“IPM”) for effective control. 

Pigeons have the capability to breed rapidly.  Left unchecked, just five mating pairs can produce up to 400 offspring in only two years.  And, while removal options often appear tangible and immediate, due to the bird’s rapid reproduction, these methods do not have a sustainable impact on the overall population.  In other words, removal often represents an ongoing “harvest” of birds. 

Recently developed technology now offers an effective new tool for pigeon control — controlling the bird’s reproduction.  Due to the rapid turnover of the population and relatively short lifespan of pigeons (2-3 years), a contraceptive tool is very effective in reducing bird numbers.  Data shows an 88% decline in the population over 28 months. 

Contraception should be an integral component for all large area bird mitigation programs, including food processing facilities and plants.

23 June 2011

By Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News

Urban pigeons have the ability to learn the difference between people who will feed them and those who will chase them away, a French study has indicated.

Researchers suggested that this allowed birds to limit the time spent searching for food, and maximise the time eating.

The team said the study provided the first experimental evidence of feral pigeons using the ability to maximise benefits provided by urban areas.

The findings will be published in the journal Animal Cognition.

“Considered as a plague in many cities, pigeons in urban areas live close to human activities and exploit this proximity to find food – which is often delivered by people,” the team of French scientists wrote.

Urban feral pigeons are direct descendants from wild rock doves/pigeons (Columbia livia), which are distinguished by two black bars on their wings. However feral pigeons vary in colour and patterns.

Friendly food

The birds are widespread. For example, Europe’s population is estimated to be up to 28 million, with high densities in the centre of major towns and cities.

Pigeons are not a species to miss out on a free lunch

It is considered that the birds’ success in urban areas is a result of low levels of predation, and the year-round availability of food and breeding sites.

The researchers decided to conduct a series of experiments to explore the pigeons’ ability to exploit the “human-based food resource”, while avoiding people who were hostile and viewed the creatures as “flying rats”.

They suggested that feral pigeons within urban environments probably used their “memory and categorisation abilities in their daily foraging activities”.

“The ability to rapidly detect a human feeder could be an important factor in decreasing the total time spent foraging and increasing the rate of food ingestion,” they said.

The team explained that two tests were carried out in an urban park, with two feeders – one neutral and one hostile. The hostile feeder would chase the birds away.

“In both experiments, the [feral] pigeons learned quickly to discriminate between the feeders,” they observed.

“The pigeons avoided the hostile feeder even when the two feeders exchanged their coats, suggesting that [the birds] used stable individual characteristics to differentiate between the experimenter feeders.

“Thus, pigeons are able to learn quickly from their interactions from human feeders and use knowledge to maximise the profitability of the urban environment.”

The researchers from scientific institutions across Paris said that the study provided the “first experimental evidence in pigeons for this level of human discrimination”.

Members of the team will be presenting their findings at the Society for Experimental Biology’s annual meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, on 3, July 2011.