Pigeons will stay away from garden with nifty kitchen item hack

Daily Record

20-05-2025

Pigeons can destroy a gardener's hard work, but it's easy to keep them away
If pigeons are being pests and ruining your planted flowers, fruit and vegetables, there is an easy, yet nifty hack that can keep them at bay. And it uses something you will likely already have in the kitchen drawer so you can take action immediately.
All gardeners know the perils of birds and animals who take advantage of this time of year to explore and eat. Pigeons, however, can cause chaos thanks to pecking plants and leaving droppings in the garden which can be a source of disease and can even attract other pests.
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But the solution could well be in your kitchen as experts say tin foil is the key to keeping them at bay this summer.
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This cheap and very simple way to rid them from the garden is advised by gardening expert Adeel ul-haq who told Country Living that the foil will scare the birds meaning they're less likely to attack plants and defecate in your outdoor space.
Adeel said: 'Pigeon droppings are highly acidic and can corrode everything from paint to metal surfaces in your garden.
"Not only this, but these droppings can also attract other pests such as rats, which can cause further damage to your home.'
He suggests scrunching up tin foil into balls to be hung from trees like Christmas decorations could prove to be an effective deterrent to the birds, reports The Express.
He added: 'When the light hits the foil, it reflects and scares the pigeons away.'
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Adeel said pigeons are sensitive to bright reflective surfaces meaning that the reflection of the sun off the tin foil could be enough to encourage the birds to leave your garden alone.
He continued: 'The best way to keep pigeons out of your garden is to make it as unwelcoming as possible without harming them, and a cheap way of doing so is using a roll of foil from the supermarket.'
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Tin foil is a multi-use item common in most kitchens that can be purchased cheaply online, with Amazon selling rolls for as little as 61p.
It will also deter Magpies.
Magpies are another nuisance for gardeners as they scavenge and are known to dig holes in lawns. They are also intimidating to smaller birds that you might enjoy visiting.
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Tin foil balls are a cheap and simple way to deter pigeons from your garden.
Despite their reputation for being attracted to shiny things, tin foil balls will disorientate them and make them uncomfortable.
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Another novel technique to protect plants is to place plastic forks around the garden to further deter pests, according to Gardening experts Farm Flavour.
They said: 'Before you toss that box of unused plastic forks from last year's holiday gathering, consider using them in your garden.
'Placing forks in the soil around your plants will discourage animals like raccoons, cats, squirrels and deer from wandering into the garden and helping themselves to your crops.'