STS-24

We had been having a really bad time trying to discouage birds from nesting around our house. From doves, to pigeons, to robins, and finches ... they ALL were really persistent! (and messy!) We're fine with them nesting in our trees and bushes, but do not like having to clean up the porch and patio areas. The stainless steel spikes (when used alone) worked well enough to keep the larger doves away, but the robins actually sat in between the tynes! At one point, I momentarily considered getting a "pet" Falcon! (Not really, but you get the idea.) Amazon to the rescue! I purchased the Bird-x Bird Spikes, both in the PLASTIC version (it has bendable tynes) and the STAINLESS STEEL version (for strength), so that the two could be "nested" (pardon the pun) in such a way as to create a nicy, sturdy, "pin-cushion" effect. Both versions can be bended and snapped to desired length. I found that simply bending one of the steel tynes over the plastic strip was quite sufficient to hold it all together. This way, ALL sizes of birds would be discouraged. One goal was that the spikes stay securely in place, the other goal was that they COULD be taken down if desired (say, to sell the house). Not wanting to affix the plastic-steel spike combos with nails, glue, or caulk, I hit on a FANTASTIC IDEA: INDUSTRIAL VELCRO! I found it at a local craft store, where it listed being good to secure planting boxes onto porch rails, indoors or out. I cut the Industrial Velcro into small pieces, and left them fastened together. Positioning the velcro with the thicker side against the spike-unit, a simple bit of pressure allowed the whole thing to be safely, and securely affixed to the top of the pillars, and beneath of couple of roof gables, too. This way, if I ever chose to take them down, then later put them back up, I wouldn't have too much of a challenge remembering what went where. As long as the velcros were all facing the same way, all I would have to focus on would be the length of the strips. I did this all around the house in just about an hour. (This included positioning the ladder, climbing up and down, and so forth). BTW, I am a 60-year old gal and not particularly good with tools, but THIS was easy AND it didn't damage my manicure! For the record, the next day we had a windy hail storm and the spikes held in place! I still hear the birds chirp, but they are NOT nexting on MY house!

If you happen to only need 12 feet, or just over 24 feet, well... you probably want to look at different offerings than this as you're buying in a pretty big increment with this 24-foot (in two foot increments) choice. There seem to be many choices in the 2, 6, 12 and 14 feet ranges. If you're buying in bulk however, this is your huckleberry. I give 5-Stars because 1) It works for a variety of bird sizes, 2) Is the cheapest I can find in practical amounts, and 3) There is nothing I can think of that I really dislike about it. If you need more than 2 to 6 feet of this stuff, you're going to start caring about how much it costs. The Amazon pic is awful. You don't see the plastic center-spike (very important so little birds don't just land in the middle mocking you). I've uploaded a couple of pics to help you better see what these spikes look like. Also, beware of super-cheap polycarbonate spikes. Besides being ugly (and oddly enough more expensive in most cases than stainless) if a worker swings a tool across them, they are toast and snap off. Not so with stainless. When you install this stuff, just make sure you have a clean surface (dust is bad - at least wipe the wood/stone down with a rag), squirt some adhesive down, and squeeze it into place. You're done. ......Notes: ......*Does NOT come with adhesive but any good "outdoor adhesive" bought here on amazon or at your local box store will suffice ......*You don't need to go nuts with the adhesive... just a few dobs here and there ......*If you're putting it up in a "heavy doo-doo area" bring a strong spatula to make the job much easier ;-) Lastly, watch your shipping costs when you buy. As of this writing (7/28/11) Amazon sells these spikes and a few others you might choose from so that's probably where you want to buy from instead of outside choices. (For most of you Amazon-stocked items probably means free shipping of one kind or another.) Otherwise the shipping really influences your total price-per-foot cost. Other points: 1) This works for birds large and small 2) It's among the cheapest price-per-foot I can find, especially with Amazon Prime shipping 3) Can glue or nail (although nailing through those holes might be a pain) 4) 5.5 inches wide x 4.5" high (not 6" wide as claimed in description) 5) Can easily snap/break the plastic base into desired lengths (comes in 2 foot sections) - Note that some of the other cheaper options you're looking at have all-metal bases that are harder to work with 6) If you're trying to decide between spikes and some other deterrent like plastic owls and spray... just buy the spikes and save yourself some time. Those other deterrents are barely more than gimmicks. ------------------- Update (5/24/2012): Recently rec'd a comment on this review that someone rec'd a product that looked a little different from the pic I uploaded, but seemed to be a legit product otherwise. I don't know if this is a good thing or bad, but be aware they might have redesigned the product since I bought it last.

I recently bought a set of these stainless steel bird barrier spike strips because I've had robins building nests on my new 4" x 3" downspouts. I don't have a problem with wildlife per se, but I wanted to discourage nest building so that, when I'm performing my lawn maintenance, I wouldn't disturb the birds as they were feeding their newly hatched offspring. The strips came bundled together in one box and I separated them gingerly so that I could prepare them to be installed. Two of the individual "V" shaped spike wire units were already separated from the plastic mounting hardware and were loose in the carton. I'm sure it takes a special piece of equipment to reinstall these once they come out, so you have to exercise some degree of care when handling these strips to avoid dislodging the spikes. In MY case, I used white vinyl clothes line to secure the strips in place onto the surface of the downspout under the soffit where nest building annually takes place. The strips can be easily trimmed to fit any area or the foot-long strips can be joined together if you have an area that's longer than 1 foot in length. The results: the robins won't go anywhere near these sites now that the strips are in place. The same cannot be said for small birds such as purple finches, who will build their nests on top of light fixture finials if given a chance. I have observed attempts at nest building within the spikes by these crafty little guys and proceeded to pull down the twigs before they had a chance to get settled in. A more dense array of spikes would probably be called for in order to ensure that no birds of any size could settle wherever these spikes are deployed. Overall, I rate these as practical and useful. Robins create a more massive, dirty mess to clean up once they get their nests built and I feel good that these deter them without injuring them. The price seems reasonable and I could not find these at my local home improvement stores, so once again Amazon came to the rescue. For a more permanent installation, the instructions recommend mounting these strips either with screws or adhesive. I recommend this product; just be careful not to dislodge any of the spikes while handling the Bird-X STS-10-R Stainless Bird Spikes Kit strips and you're pretty much good to go!

Easy to use and they are working. Wife wants to tell everyone again since the birds have return we continue to have a 100% success rate. Easy to install.

I used them on a tree to prevent squirrels from building nests and chewing on tree branches. So far reduced squirrels from climbing on to trees!

These come fully assembled unlike others that require you to put together each spike into a frame. The ends are male-female so the pieces will click together to extend the length to your need. I have them on my window security grill where a lot of wild birds would perch and wait to be fed - yes, I feed our wild birds but don't appreciate the mess they leave on my window sills, and the birds look much nicer waiting in the trees and shrubs than on my windows. The width is small enough that even finches and sparrows can't sit in between so it works well for larger birds like pigeons and doves too. I use zip ties to secure these on the security grill so if you are planning to use them on a projecting surface like a window sill you'll have to figure a way to secure them - something like U shaped nails would probably work. The spikes are thin and the frame is clear plastice so these really aren't noticable and won't make your windows or roofline look like prison wire.

The birds think it’s a great place to secure a nest!🙈

This was our first spring in a newly built house and we were having multiple robins building multiple nests under our second story deck. These spikes worked great for keeping robin-sized birds from making nests. We cut the spikes into one foot segments and used gorilla glue to adhere them to the ledge of each of the14 spaces under our deck. Quite a chore! But after several months, the spikes have not come off. Since our problem was with robins, we didn't anticipate that a couple of weeks later, we would have the same problem with smaller birds. Unfortunately, these spikes were not effective for keeping tiny wrens and sparrows from making nests. Thise birds fit right in between the spikes. We learned, through an internet search, that sometimes birds are scared off by shiny objects. So, we tried weaving aluminum foil in and out of the spikes (see picture). While not all that attractive, to date, this fix had worked. I'm not sure if it's because it's a shiny object or just a physical barrier, or both. Overall, the spikes are a good product. I would just recommend buying strips where the spikes are placed tightly together if dealing with birds smaller than a robin.

Excellent, keeps American Robins off that side of my house above bedroom at 4:20am. Recommend to use stainless screws with rubber washers, and caulk under the strips to prevent water penetration. I just wish these were slightly more affordable.

Lo compré para evitar que las palomas caminaran en y alrededor de mis jardineras en una terraza. Buscaban anidar. Hasta ahora es el único producto que logra el objetivo. Pero tuve que poner muchas piezas, muy juntas. Prácticamente no dejar espacio entre ellas y entre las plantas. Si queda un espacio sin cubrir, las palomas logran posarse para anidar.

I wish I would've thought about checking out Amazon years ago. No more pigeons and the mess they leave .. YAYYY!!

Facile à installer. Jusqu'à présent aucun oiseau....Il reste à déterminer si ce sera résistant après un hiver.....

product works well