As most lakeside property owners and managers know, some of the most unwelcome residents are Canada geese, who once they settle in, don’t want to leave. Year round, they devour turf, soil property, and inconvenience or even terrorize tenants, residents and customers. People chose to locate near water for the scenery, but not if geese droppings dominate the view.
With each Canada goose eating up to three pounds of grass per day, a small flock can quickly render grassy spaces stripped bare, prone to erosion, and covered with feces. The costs of repairing overgrazed lawns and cleanup of goose droppings can run into thousands of dollars. Of graver concern, the nitrogen content in the droppings can contribute to excessive algae growth in ponds and lakes, causing local health authorities to close them. Restoration of these bodies of water can cost a home owner’s association, for example, as much as ten thousand dollars.
Rather than resorting to drastic means to protect their waterside homes and businesses, a growing number of property owners are fighting back with an eco-friendly, EPA-approved goose repellent called FlightControl Plus. This spray-on solution is odorless, waterproof, and does not harm humans, vegetation or wildlife. It utilizes a naturally occurring, environmentally safe compound called anthranquinone formulated by Arkion Life Sciences (www.flightcontrol.com).
Unlike traditional scare tactics, this spray effectively protects waterside turf areas seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
It works in two ways, the first by sending a visual warning. When sprayed on turf the compound absorbs ultraviolet light, something the geese can see even though humans can't. This sends a visual signal to the geese that something is wrong with their food. Secondly, by giving the geese a stomachache. When the geese sample treated turf they experience a harmless, but effective digestive irritation, reinforcing the message that there's something wrong with the food.
The combined effect teaches geese to recognize and avoid grassy areas treated with the compound. The Canada geese "move out" in search of a better food source.
“In our area people are very sensitive to the wildlife,” said Jim Stiles of Eden Pest Services in Seattle, Washington. “Homeowners don’t want these birds harmed even if they are a nuisance. We have to have non lethal alternatives.”
Grassy areas are typically treated several times a year with FlightControl Plus to warn off Canada geese familiar with it and to teach new ones to stay away. It can also be used like a "biological fence" to herd geese away from lakeside areas.
“We have tried on other products but we did not get the results,” said Stiles. “This gives us a complete success.”
For more info, call 877-55-GEESE; visit www.flightcontrol.com; or write to Arkion Life Sciences; 551 Mews Drive, Suite J, New Castle, DE 19720.