Look up at the illuminated sign above your storefront. Do you see straw sticking out of the letters? Or maybe you’ve noticed birds flying in and out of the “O” or the “A”?

If so, you have a House Sparrow infestation. While these small birds might seem harmless, their nesting habits pose a significant fire and electrical risk to your business.

House Sparrows are cavity nesters. In the wild, they look for hollow trees. In a strip mall or commercial center, the hollow “channel letters” of your sign are the perfect substitute. They are warm, dry, protected from predators, and high off the ground.

The Hidden Dangers

1. Fire Hazard This is the most critical risk. Sparrows are industrious builders. They pack their nesting cavities with dry grass, straw, paper, and twigs.

• The Heat Source: Illuminated signs contain transformers, neon tubing, or LED wiring that generate heat.
• The Fuel: The dry nesting material acts as tinder.
• The Spark: A short circuit or an overheating transformer can easily ignite the nest, causing a fire that can spread to the building’s façade or roof.

2. Electrical Failure Bird droppings are acidic and conductive. When birds nest inside a sign, their waste accumulates on the electrical components.

• Short Circuits: Droppings can bridge electrical connections, causing shorts that blow fuses or damage expensive transformers.
• Corrosion: The acid eats away at wiring insulation and metal connections, leading to flickering lights or total sign failure.
• Cost: Repairing a neon or LED sign is expensive. Constantly replacing transformers because of bird damage is a drain on your maintenance budget.

3. Aesthetic Damage A sign filled with straw looks neglected. Droppings streaking down the front of your sign and onto the sidewalk below create a negative impression for customers.

Why They Get In

Most channel letter signs have plastic faces (the colored part you see) and metal backs.

• Drain Holes: Small holes are drilled in the bottom to let condensation drain out. Sparrows can squeeze through holes as small as 3/4 of an inch.
• Missing Trim: Storm damage or age can cause the plastic face to separate slightly from the metal can, creating a gap.
• Open Backs: Some signs are open raceways where wires run, providing a ledge for nesting.

The Solution: Clean and Exclude

Simply pulling the nest out with a stick won’t work. The birds will rebuild immediately, often within hours. You need a professional, permanent solution.

Our Process:

1. Access: We use bucket trucks or ladders to reach the sign safely.
2. Removal: We remove the sign faces to access the interior. We clean out all nesting material, debris, and droppings.
3. Sanitization: We clean the interior components to remove corrosive waste.
4. Exclusion: This is the key. We seal every potential entry point.
   • Mesh Backing: We install wire mesh behind drain holes to allow water out but keep birds in.
   • Sealing Gaps: We use clear, weather-resistant silicone to seal gaps between the face and the metal can.
   • Netting: For open-structure signs, we may install discreet bird netting to block access to the entire support structure.

Don’t wait for a flickering light to turn into a fire. If you see birds in your sign, call Critter Removal of Louisville to protect your business.