USING PLASTIC OWLS TO SCARE AWAY PESTS

I can’t count the number of plastic owls that I have seen at client’s homes and businesses. Ironically, if I see a plastic owl at a client’s home or business, it probably means that it wasn’t very effective. I have even seen one with bird poop that has dripped down its face - what an insult to the plastic owl! Be kind to the plastic owls and save them the shame and leave them in the store.

Great Horned Owls, which is the species that most plastic owls are patterned after is our largest local owl species. It preys on proportionally-sized animals, taking rabbit-sized to mouse-sized animals. It is a nocturnal hunter and rarely feeds during the day.

One the flip side of the coin, prey animals are genetically tuned to avoid predators and understand very well what predators are. They are programmed for escape. Their major focuses in life are to eat, procreate, and escape being eaten. For them to confuse a static, plastic, never moving owl with a real owl is unrealistic. They may be confused for a while at the appearance of the “guy on the block” but that won’t last for long. Predators, run, fly, chase, peer around, etc. and don’t spend weeks on end sitting on the same post. Save your money.

A Better Alternative

There is always an alternative to the useless plastic owl and the Wildlife Company knows what options would be most effective. Regardless of the challenging situation, we have probably faced it before. We have the needed gear, know the pertinent laws, are properly trained and can set things in order so just give us a ring.