If you’re an avid gardener like I am, you’ve probably had it with crows. Let’s be honest here, most outdoors people love birds. So, naturally, we set up bird feeders. The issue with that is we often attract unwanted visitors. And one of those is the ever-intelligent crow. Now, ultimately, I don’t hate these birds. They’re pretty and very smart. But not only are they noisy, but those smarts lead them to chase a few other types of birds away from my garden. That’s why today we’re going to discuss crow pest control.
Crow Pest Control: Overview
To begin with, crows are an issue on any type of property out there. These birds are large, jet-black, and razor-sharp. These whip-smart birds can be found on every continent outside of Antarctica, but are native to North America. I know I mentioned my garden before, but these things are a problem in anything from agricultural fields to parking lots. Even the big city reels with crow issues. Their flocks create a horrible racket, and grow so large that their feces can become a public health issue. They also strew garbage around in their frequent dumpster diving missions. And if you grow anything similar to sunflower seeds, corn, pecans, or other fruits and veggies then they’ll come through and decimate those plants.
You get enough crows in one area and they can even begin to prey on young livestock. It’s not uncommon for a newborn lamb or goat to fall victim to these birds. I’m sure you can see why crow pest control is so vital now.
Some of these birds can live up to twenty years of age, and only nest for 40 days. Young crows even help the nesting pairs protect the nest and feed the young, so they have high survival rates.
Crows gather in huge communal roosts between 200 and thousands of individuals during the non-breeding period, particularly in the winter. Usually, crows’ gatherings tend to happen near big food sources such as shopping centers and garbage dumps.
How to keep crows away from my house?
Now, to start with, a little disclosure. I am a fanatic animal lover. In no way do I think that you should harm these birds to get rid of them unless under extreme circumstances. So we’re going to do our best to stick with humane methods of pest control. Like always, we’ll start with prevention.
Crows are sharped eyed and smart. So if they see big available food sources, they’ll likely check back again and again. That’s why you need to make sure that you secure any trash on your property. Drill very small holes into the bottom of your outdoor bins so that excess water can slowly drain out and not stagnate and stink. Not only will this help with crows, but other pests as well.
And if you compost as I do, make sure you use a cover on your pile. Even if it’s as simple as laying a piece of cardboard over a finished pile, it’s still better than nothing and will help the healing process. Also, feed your pets indoors. Don’t leave food out for stray cats. And if you absolutely have to feed your pets outdoors.
And if you use birdfeeders, avoid trays or open feeders. Not only will crows flock to it, but by the time the squirrels are done with it, you’ll have no seeds left.
Crow Pest Control: The Trash
I think we should expand upon this a little because it’s both so important and so easy. Make sure you use intact and secure trash containers. Tie off your bags, make sure they’re not torn, and put them into a can with a lid that fits. An open can or piles of bags is going to attract everything from crows to bears.
And if you see trash scattered around at night, that’s not crows. That’s more likely a racoon or some other nighttime creature. Maybe a rat or possum. If you see a crow picking over the remains in the morning, just know that it likely wasn’t him that did it.
Why have crows moved to more urban areas?
If you’re an older person, you may have noticed that crows are more common in suburbs and cities now than ever before. You can probably chalk that down to a few factors. For one, crows aren’t shot in urban areas. Firing a gun in the close quarters of a city or suburb is a risk, so people aren’t just going to fire off into the air around the downtown YMCA.
Another huge reason we need crow pest control is the amount of artificial light. Artificial light not only creates huge light pollution and energy costs but also chases away owls; the main predator of crows. So you can see why having a light every ten feet is honestly not a good thing.
How do I keep crows out of my garden?
Now, for the real meat and potatoes of why you’re here. Crows are usually drawn to our gardens to eat the insects within, but that’s not to say they won’t help themselves to some of our hard-earned fruits and veggies.
To start with, you can always drape bird netting over your plants. Build a framework out of flexible tubes such as pool noodles around your fruit-bearing plants and then drape the netting over that. This simple act alone will keep ninety percent of damage from birds off of your garden.
And don’t waste time placing plastic owls and snakes around your garden. I’ve already mentioned above how smart crows are, so these are some of the least effective methods of crow pest control out there. Instead, use a device with a reflective surface that can spin or flap in the breeze. Admit it, CD’s aren’t what they used to be. Hang them from a branch in the trees above your garden, and when they catch light and spin in the breeze they can frighten crows away. Or use aluminum pie tins in their place.
