Monty Don shares the best way to drive pigeons out of your garden with one junk item
Pigeons may seem harmless but they can destroy a year's worth of garden as they carry diseases which can damage plants, but there is a simple and cruelty-free way to get rid of them without spending any money.
Pigeons are docile birds but they can be particularly annoying in summer during harvest season as they are known to peck away at garden plants, fruits and vegetables.
These pesky birds also carry parasites such as salmonella which can pose a health risk to humans if their droppings or feathers contaminate garden soil.
It can be disheartening to have all your hard work in the garden destroyed by pigeons, but Monty Don from Gardeners' World has shared that the best way to keep pigeons away is by simply hanging up old junk items with reflective surfaces.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Monty explained: “When I was a child, pigeons were enemy number one and the vegetable patch was strung with milk bottle tops in an attempt to deter them.
“I remember we painted cola bottles bright red and stuck them on bean sticks, although I'm not sure a red bottle is the most terrifying thing to a passing pigeon.”
Monty added: “In the 1990s all the freebie CDs that came with almost every newspaper got recycled as pigeon scarers, and old cassette tape was excellent strung between canes.”
It may sound strange but sudden flashes of light from reflective surfaces catching in the sun will confuse pigeons as they will be preserved as a potential threat or predator.
Pigeons are very cautious creatures so any unknown movement will scare them and discourage them from going into a garden without harming them.
You can use old CDs, DVDs or cassette tapes you may have in your home but you can also buy shiny reflective tape which will flutter in the wind and has been designed to scare off pigeons.
However, if you are worried about CDs making your garden look unsightly then you can also make a traditional scarecrow, or even buy a modern scarecrow designed to look like an owl or hawk as they are natural predators of pigeons.
Monty said: “None of these added to the beauty of the garden. A scarecrow would do the trick very well and have much more style.”
Bird netting can also be used to protect any beloved plants or even entire sections of the garden as it acts as a physical barrier that stops pigeons from accessing an area.
However, Monty shared that nettling will only work if put up properly as pigeons can be clever and will try to find ways around it if they can a easy access to food.
Monty said: “Cabbages, cauliflowers, sprouts, broccoli, chard and lettuces have to be protected beneath netting.
“Even this is insufficient if it's not put up firmly enough as the birds learn that their body weight will push the netting down so they can peck the leaves through the mesh.”
Make sure to use bird netting with a finer mesh to also stop cabbage white butterflies and other pests from taking a bite out of your crops.
Monty said: “It's worth making sure that the supports are high enough to be clear of a full-grown cabbage because the butterflies will land on the netting and lay their eggs through the mesh if they can reach.”
