Pesky Ideas

Wingo Bird Repellent

Tony Overbeek hates birds. They crap on his farm equipment, cause havoc in the sheds and are a serious health hazard for his farm and his animals.

Frustrated by the costly and largely ineffective bird control solutions available on the market, Tony was on the look-out for something he could use that would also be safe for use in the milking shed – a certified food processing area that is closely monitored by Fonterra, thus ruling out the use of poisons or bait.

“For the first trial I actually used less than the recommended dosage but still covered all the milk lines in the shed,” explains Tony. “The gel started working right away and 18 months later we still didn’t have any birds in the shed.”

Although the gel had turned solid and was gathering dust by this stage, the smell of the cinnamon was continuing to deter the birds from the shed.

“Now that I understand its effectiveness, I use it more strategically and simply put an application on selected posts, branches or specific entrance areas to sheds,” he recommends.

Since his first trials with the Wingo back in 2012, Tony has been kept busy fielding calls from other farmers in the region keen to try out the product. He’s also receiving interest from childcare centres, local businesses and home owners looking to protect their outdoor eating areas and property from damage caused by birds in the area.