Question: I have had pigeons on my roof hanging out in a corner section for approx. 5yrs. I need some advice on how to solve this problem. The area is approx. 3ft wide and 5ft long. Help.    

Answer: If you have had pigeons in the same spot for five years, they are most likely nesting there and will be very difficult to displace. Pigeons are notorious for holding their ground, especially when they are allowed to inhabit the same spot for years. First things first, the birds will have to be scared away.

After the birds are gone… you will want to extensively clean the area. Bird droppings do carry disease, so if you are planning on cleaning this up yourself, you should take precautions. Wear gloves and makes sure you wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning the area. If you are living with a compromised immune system, I would recommend hiring someone else to do the cleaning. People will wet droppings down, and then scoop them off surfaces. Once the droppings and nesting materials are cleared away, you will want to disinfect the area. You can use a simple bleach and water or ammonia and water solution for this. Once the cleanup is done, you will have to block the birds from the area. This is the only way to keep them from returning and trying to rebuild nests. People use netting, or screen to block birds out. You will want to make sure that the edges are secured tightly so that the birds cannot easily pull out the screen (They will try). If all this sounds like too much, you can consider calling out a local pest control company, most deal with pest bird problems