Why Do People Place a One Inch Strip of Aluminum Foil on the Side of Their Houses?

Bird Nesting

• You may not be able to see a bird's nest built under the eaves on your house or tucked next to the side of a window air conditioner. However, you may have birds nesting in the exterior of your house if you hear bird chirping near roof soffits or through fireplace openings. You may also see birds flying to and fro from the eaves or window ledges. Bird mites often infest bird nests and move indoors when the birds no longer use the nests. Attach a one-inch strip of aluminum foil to the eaves where the birds are nesting. You can punch a hole at the top of the strip and thread fishing line through the hole. Tie the fishing line to the eaves, and let the bottom of the strip float free in the wind to act as a bird deterrent.

Woodpeckers

• Woodpeckers present an additional problem to homeowners. These birds drill holes with their beaks into wood used on the home to find insects to eat. Replacing the damaged wood may not prevent the woodpeckers from drilling into the new wood. Hanging aluminum foil strips near the damaged areas on the home may help scare the birds away. Actually wrapping wood trim, deck supports and handrails with aluminum foil strips may also act as a visual deterrent to prevent woodpeckers from drilling into the wood.

Sound Deterrents

• Some birds may prove very stubborn and refuse to abandon the nests they have built. Sound deterrents may help. A movement detector placed in the area on your house where birds have caused the most damage will detect when the birds are near and produce noises to frighten them away. A high-tech sound deterrent is a system of speakers mounted on the roof line that broadcasts bird distress calls followed by the calls of the birds' predators.

Considerations

• Prevent birds from nesting and damaging the exterior of your house by covering vent openings, chimneys and open roof eaves with screens. Line the outside of an air conditioner and the window sill it rests on with aluminum foil to prevent birds from nesting next to the air conditioner. Removing old nests may prevent birds from returning to make new nests the next year. However, a bird mite infestation may move indoors, requiring pesticides to get rid of them. The mites may also return if the birds nest in the same place the following year.