Crow Control

Crows are among the most intelligent birds anyone in this industry deals with. They will work out how to get into closed containers in search of food, and they learn a site quickly. That intelligence cuts both ways, though: because crows will not stay somewhere they find uncomfortable, a well-run deterrent program tends to move them on faster than it would a more stubborn species. Take away the food, take away the shelter, and make the area unpleasant, and crows will relocate.

Below are the Flock Free products we recommend for crows and other corvids — ravens, magpies, jackdaws and rooks respond to the same approach. If you would rather understand the problem first, the full guide continues underneath.

Shop Crow Control Products

LIQUID BIRD REPELLENTS

GELS & UV PAINT

OZONE

BIRD SPIKES

BIRD NETTING

HAZERS & AUTOMATED SYSTEMS

SPECIALIZED DETERRENTS

Prices shown as listed at the time of publication. See each product page for current pricing and availability. Shipping restrictions apply to certain Flock Free Bird Repellent products in CT, IN, MD, MT, NM, RI, WI and DC — see the individual product page for current availability and shipping information. Other products on this page are not affected.

Not sure which of these fits your site? Call 732-987-5400 and we will talk it through — or keep reading below.

Continue Reading: How to Control Crows

Why Crows Become a Problem

• They get into things. Bins, containers, sacks and covered waste are all worked open, which spreads refuse across a site.
• Communal roosting. Corvids gather in numbers, and a roost concentrates droppings and noise over whatever sits beneath it.
• Damage and interference. Crows probe, pull and lift — roof materials, equipment covers, vehicle trim and crops all suffer.
• They learn. A deterrent that is not maintained gets tested and dismissed faster than with most species.

Where Crows Gather

• Waste and dumpster areas, including covered and enclosed ones.
• Roofs, parapets and rooftop equipment used as lookout perches.
• Trees and tall structures used as communal roosts.
• Parking lots, service yards and loading areas.
• Agricultural ground, where the loss is to the crop rather than the building.

Why crows keep coming back

Crows return for food, and they remember exactly where it was. Any program that leaves the food source in place is fighting the bird’s memory rather than its habits. The good news is the reverse also holds: crows learn a treated site is not worth the effort, provided the treatment is consistent enough to teach that lesson.

How to Control Crows

Hazers with Flock Off UV Paint

This is the pairing our own field guidance leads with for corvids. Hazers work particularly well on crows because they spend a great deal of time in flight, and the effect is reinforced by Flock Off UV Paint: the paint is invisible to us but visible to the birds, so they quickly associate a visual marker with an area they would rather avoid. That association is what makes the deterrent stick with an intelligent bird.

Use a portable Moby hazer where you need to move between locations, or a fixed Tweet Zilla on a larger commercial site. UV Paint is available in a 4 oz dauber and a 1 gallon size.

Bird repellent on the surfaces they use

Alongside the hazer program, our guidance is to treat the surfaces themselves — roofs, paths, trees, vehicles and equipment — using the Misting System or sprayers. The repellent is plant-based, exempt under FIFRA 25(b), and makes treated surfaces and the surrounding area uncomfortable enough that the birds move elsewhere. Use the Ready-to-Use spray for small areas or the 1 gallon concentrate at volume.

Ledge and perch protection

Where crows are using specific perches, treat the surface. Stainless Steel Bird Spikes suit parapets and wide ledges, Surface Pro Tack covers profiles a spike cannot follow, and Bird Proof® Gel works on horizontal surfaces that are shaded rather than in full sun.

Shock systems with UV Paint

Transparent Shock Tape on exterior ledges gives a mild, startling pulse on landing. As with the hazer program, our guidance is to combine it with UV Paint outdoors so the birds can identify the treated run and learn to avoid it. Add a 110V Charger or an HD Solar Charger depending on power.

Deal with the food

With crows this is not optional. Secure bins properly, clear spillage, and close the containers they have learned to open. Everything else on this page works better once the reward is gone.

Bird Bombs — spot treatment for enclosed spaces

Flock Free Bird Bombs are a scent repellent that gives you a long-lasting spot application. Each Bird Bomb is a highly absorbent pod designed to be saturated with Flock Free Bird Repellent, so the treatment stays put instead of needing to be re-sprayed.

Soak the Bird Bomb in the repellent solution — the mix rate is 50% concentrate to 50% water — then place it wherever you need to deter birds. They mount easily with zip ties or any other fastener.

They are designed for small, enclosed spaces: garbage cans, dumpsters, warehouses and small industrial facilities. On a crow job that usually means the dumpster enclosure, the waste compound or a storage building — the enclosed spots the birds keep working for food. The Bird Bombs cause irritation that suppresses the birds’ desire to feed and creates a sense of danger in that space.

The 5-pack is supplied on its own and needs Flock Free Bird Repellent separately. The Bird Bomb Bundle includes a single Bird Bomb with a 4 fl oz bottle of concentrate to soak it in.

Choosing the Right Approach

With crows, start with the food, because that is almost always what is holding them. Secure the bins, clear the spillage, close whatever they have learned to open. Do that and the rest of this page starts paying off; skip it and you are arguing with a very smart bird that knows exactly where dinner is.

Next, work out whether you are dealing with a roost or a raid. A flock roosting in trees over a parking lot is an area problem, and that is what the hazer and repellent program is for. Birds coming in during the day to work the waste area is a food-security problem with a few perches attached.

Where there are defined perches — a parapet, a run of rooftop equipment, a beam they always sit on — treat those surfaces directly. Wide ledges take spikes, awkward profiles take Surface Pro Tack, and shaded horizontals suit the gel. Outdoors, pair the treatment with UV Paint so the birds can see what they are avoiding; with a species this quick to learn, the visual marker is what turns one bad experience into a habit.

Above all, be consistent. Crows test a deterrent that is not maintained and dismiss it faster than almost any other bird. Since 2007, Flock Free has been running these programs on commercial and agricultural sites — call 732-987-5400 if you would like help planning one.

Related Bird Control Resources

• Bird Control Tips by Species of the Birds — our guidance across the other species we treat.
• Hazers and Sprayers — application equipment.
• UV Paints and Gels — Flock Off UV Paint and Bird Proof Gel.
• Liquid Products — the bird repellent range.
• Shock Systems — shock tape, connectors and chargers.
• Bird Spikes — the full range of spike products.
• Commercial Bird Control Services — for larger sites and managed programs.

Shop by Bird

Flock Free guidance for the other species we treat:

• Pigeon Control
• Goose Control
• Seagull Control
• Starling Control
• Woodpecker Control
• Sparrow Control
• Swallow Control
• Grackle Control
• Vulture and Buzzard Control
• Blue Heron Control
• Cormorant Control