Public ‘terns’ on greedy gulls...

WHEN you’re in the middle of a pandemic and are being battered by storms, all you need is a plague of thieving seagulls to complete the hat-trick.

And such is the aggressiveness of the winged nuisances in their daily quest to steal food of late that there has been a surge in calls to pest control experts Rentokil.

August is when there is most nest activity, as seagull chicks begin to start flying and the adult birds can become extremely boisterous and protective of their young.

Seagulls are most likely to harass or steal food from people and raid bins at this time of year.

Rentokil’s Richard Faulkner said: ‘We encourage members of the public to treat seagulls with caution and keep their distance from them where possible, as they are at their most aggressive at this time of year.’

He added: ‘To discourage the presence of seagulls and other pest birds from your home or business, keep any possible food sources well hidden and ensure bin lids are secure and rubbish bags are not left in the open.

‘Gulls have sharp beaks that will make short work of bin bags.’

The four counties where there are most callouts to deal with pest birds are Dublin (49%), Cork (12%), Meath (8%) and Kildare (7%).

Rentokil controls pest bird species in accordance with the EU Birds Directive and the Irish bird derogations, and uses non-lethal methods to control all other species of birds if they become public health pests.

Droppings from pest birds like seagulls contain bacteria including e.coli and salmonella, and can lead to the spread of infections through surface contamination, inhaling bacteria from dried droppings, or being transferred by bird mites, which can bite both people and birds.