Prompt, Affordable Same-Day Pest Control in Melbourne – Starting From $129.
One recurring pattern our team sees in older Melbourne suburbs, particularly in the inner north and the west, is homeowners who installed solar 5 to 8 years ago and never had bird proofing fitted. By the time they call us, the panels are producing well below rated output. The damage is visible to the eye but was entirely preventable.
A second pattern that comes up frequently, particularly in newer housing estates in Melbourne’s outer south-east and north-west growth corridors, is panels installed with a gap between the mounting rail and the roof surface that is wider than the installer’s standard clip would cover. Birds find these wider-gap systems faster. The entry point is not at the panel edge; it is at a corner where two panels meet, or where the array steps around a roof feature like a skylight or vent. These corners are the first place our technicians check, because that is where the nesting almost always starts.
Trying cable ties or shade cloth from a hardware store. These do not seal the full perimeter and leave gaps that birds slip through. We remove improvised barriers on almost every job before fitting a proper mesh system. The issue is not the material; it is the fact that a non-purpose-built barrier almost always leaves a gap at the corner or where it meets the roof surface, and pigeons find that gap within days.
Installing bird spikes along the roof ridge but leaving the panel perimeter open. Spikes work well on flat ledges, but they do nothing to stop birds going underneath the array. Our team regularly finds spike installations that cost the homeowner several hundred dollars sitting unused while a full pigeon colony lives directly under the panels they were meant to protect.
Waiting until panels are already installed to think about bird proofing. The best time to fit mesh is at the point of installation. The second best time is right now, before nesting becomes established.
The species our team most commonly removes from Melbourne solar installations are pigeons (feral rock doves), Indian mynas, and starlings. Pigeons are the worst offenders. They breed up to six times per year, produce large quantities of highly acidic droppings, and build persistent nests that return season after season once the location is established.
On jobs where birds have been present for more than two seasons, our technicians regularly observe pitting on the panel frame at points where droppings pool and sit in the same spot repeatedly. The frame corrosion is cosmetic at first but progresses to structural degradation of the seal between the frame and the glass, which then allows moisture ingress. Water inside a solar panel is a serious performance and safety issue.
Our technicians use an infrared thermometer on the underside of panels during inspection when nest material is present. On infested arrays, the temperature differential between a clear panel and a panel with a packed nest underneath is consistently 12 to 20 degrees Celsius on a warm Melbourne day. That temperature gap translates directly to lost output every single day the nest stays in place.
On jobs with established pigeon colonies, our technicians find chewed wiring on roughly one in three Melbourne properties. The chewing is not always done by the birds themselves. Rodents, particularly rats, are attracted to the warmth of an occupied bird nest and follow the same access point under the panels. A pigeon nest under your solar array frequently becomes a shared space. By the time our team arrives, the nest material, the droppings, the rodent activity, and the chewed wiring are all part of the same problem that started with one pair of pigeons finding an unsealed gap.
Melbourne’s commercial and industrial areas, particularly the western suburbs, Dandenong corridor, and Port Melbourne precinct, have significant ongoing bird pressure from pigeons and starlings. These birds settle in loading bay overhangs, above roller doors, on rooftop plant rooms, and in structural voids that are difficult to seal by any other means.
A recurring finding on commercial sites is that previous bird control attempts using netting have failed because the original installation used netting with the wrong aperture for the target species, or the net was tensioned incorrectly and sagged inward over time, creating gaps large enough for birds to push through. When our team assesses a commercial site where netting is already present, the inspection focus is on tension, fixing points, aperture size, and whether the perimeter is fully sealed or has access gaps where the net meets a structural element like a steel column or a downpipe.
Netting is sized to the target species. Pigeon-proof netting uses a different mesh aperture to starling-proof netting, and getting the sizing wrong means birds still get through. Our team selects the correct specification based on the species identified during inspection.
Commercial enquiries: Call Tom’s Pest Control Melbourne on (03) 9034 5957 to arrange a site assessment and written scope of works.
The facilities manager of a warehouse in Laverton North contacted Tom’s Pest Control Melbourne after a routine WHS audit identified a bird contamination issue. Feral pigeons had established a roost inside the warehouse roof void, accessed through open eave vents along the northern face of the building. Droppings were accumulating on pallet racking in the storage area below, creating both a contamination risk for the goods stored there and a slip hazard on the warehouse floor.
The facility had previously had bird spikes installed along the external roof ridge by another contractor approximately 18 months earlier. The spikes had not resolved the activity because the pigeons were not entering from the ridge. They were flying directly into the open eave vents, which the spikes did not address. The facilities manager needed documentation of the treatment for the WHS audit response and required work to be completed outside of business hours to avoid disruption to warehouse operations.
Our technician conducted a full site assessment from the ground and from an elevated work platform. The inspection confirmed 14 open eave vent openings along the northern and western elevations, each wide enough for a pigeon to pass through without difficulty. Two of the openings had active nesting material visible from the EWP.
Inside the roof void, accessed through a service hatch, the technician identified three established roosting areas along the northern purlin line. Fresh and accumulated droppings covered the purlins and the insulation batts across a span of approximately 12 metres. Droppings had penetrated through gaps in the ceiling lining in two locations, which explained the contamination reaching the racking below.
The eave spikes installed by the previous contractor were intact and in good condition but positioned on the external fascia face, not across the eave vent openings. They had not deterred entry at all because the birds were flying directly into the vents rather than landing on the external fascia surface.
The work was carried out across two nights to avoid disrupting warehouse operations during the day shift. On the first night, our team accessed the roof void and removed all nesting material and droppings from the three roosting zones, working in full PPE. Waste was bagged and removed from site. The ceiling lining penetrations were identified and flagged in the written report for the facilities manager to arrange repair by a building contractor.
All 14 eave vent openings were fitted with stainless steel bird-proof mesh fixed to the internal face of the eave structure, allowing ventilation to continue while physically blocking pigeon entry. The aperture specification was selected for feral pigeon exclusion. Each fixing point was secured to the structural frame, not to the lining, to ensure the installation remained intact under normal building movement and wind load.
On the second night, a UV-stabilised polyethylene netting system was installed across the full span of the northern roof void interior as a secondary barrier, suspended from the purlin line at the eave wall junction. This created a belt-and-suspenders approach: the vent mesh as the primary exclusion point, and the interior netting as a secondary line of defence if any vent mesh fixing were to work loose over time.
A written scope of works, before and after photographs, and a signed completion report were provided to the facilities manager the morning after the second night’s work, in the format required for the WHS audit response.
All eave vent openings sealed. Nesting material removed from roof void. Interior netting installed as secondary barrier. Written compliance documentation provided within 24 hours of completion. No further pigeon activity reported at three-month follow-up.
Commercial bird control enquiry: Call (03) 9034 5957 for a site assessment, written scope, and after-hours scheduling across Melbourne’s industrial precincts.
The primary target of solar panel bird proofing in Melbourne. Feral pigeons are not native and have no protection under Victorian wildlife law. They breed prolifically and return to established nesting sites year after year. Our technicians see pigeon colonies of 10 to 30 birds on a single residential rooftop, with all the associated droppings, noise, and damage.
One consistent field observation: the first pigeon nest our team finds under a residential array is almost never the only one. On systems with more than 10 panels, there are typically two or three separate nesting zones, each at a different stage of build, indicating multiple pairs using the same array.
Aggressive, territorial birds that outcompete native species. They nest in roof voids, fascia gaps, and under solar panels. Indian mynas are particularly common in Melbourne’s middle-ring suburbs including Dandenong, Springvale, Werribee, and Sunshine. Their nests are made of straw, leaves, and debris that creates significant fire risk. Our technicians note that myna nests tend to be looser and bulkier than pigeon nests, and they pack into roof cavity gaps above the ceiling line, creating mite infestations inside the roof space that homeowners then notice as itching and skin irritation.
Fast-moving, social birds that nest in large groups. Starlings are a particular problem for commercial warehouses and agricultural buildings on Melbourne’s outskirts. Their droppings are highly acidic and their roosts degrade building materials rapidly. A starling roost of 50 birds on a steel-framed warehouse roof generates corrosive droppings that will begin visibly degrading unpainted steel within one season.
A problem for properties near Port Phillip Bay, including Williamstown, Altona, St Kilda, and Brighton. Seagulls nest on flat commercial rooftops and create serious contamination issues for food industry premises. Unlike pigeons, seagulls are protected under Victorian wildlife law, which means their active nests cannot be disturbed without a permit. Our technicians advise clients in coastal Melbourne suburbs to address proofing before nesting season begins in spring, to avoid the legal complications of dealing with active nests.
Commonly found nesting in roof cavity gaps around ventilation bricks and under tiles. Less damaging than pigeons but still a source of noise, droppings, and mite infestations inside roof spaces. On jobs where sparrows are the primary species, our technicians frequently find that the entry point is not the solar array at all, but a missing ventilation brick or a gap in the fascia that the homeowner was unaware of. Addressing both entry points at once is always part of the recommendation.
This inspection tells us exactly what we are dealing with. A property with an established pigeon colony and two seasons of nesting material requires different preparation work to a property where birds have only recently started investigating the roof.
A detail that matters on inspection day: our technicians check the condition of the roof tiles around the array perimeter before quoting. On older Melbourne homes, particularly those with terracotta tiles from the 1960s and 1970s, the tiles immediately adjacent to the panel mounting rails are sometimes cracked or loose from the original installation. Fitting mesh over a structurally compromised tile area creates problems later, so we identify these during the inspection and include them in our written report so the homeowner knows before work begins.
We do not skip this step. Fitting mesh over an existing nest does not solve the problem. It traps the material in place, retains moisture, and continues to create a fire and health risk.
On jobs with heavy accumulation, the removal stage takes longer than the mesh installation itself. Our technicians have removed over 20 kilograms of compacted nest material, debris, and droppings from under a single residential array. This is not exceptional on Melbourne properties where the bird problem has been present for more than two years without treatment.
The mesh is shaped and cut on-site to fit your specific array configuration, including any irregular angles, roof features, or panel orientations. It sits flush to the roof surface on all sides, leaving no gap a pigeon or myna can push through. The installation is low-profile and does not affect the appearance of your rooftop from street level.
One installation detail our technicians pay close attention to: the bottom edge of the mesh where it meets the roof surface. This is the point where a poorly fitted installation fails first. If the mesh is not pressed firmly against the roof surface and secured at close enough intervals, Melbourne’s wind conditions lift it over time and birds push through from below. Our team uses additional fixings along the base edge on any roof with a pitch above 25 degrees, which covers most of Melbourne’s established suburban housing stock.
Galvanised steel or powder-coated aluminium mesh fitted to the panel perimeter using a clip system is the most effective and most durable solution available. It physically seals access to the under-panel space and requires no ongoing maintenance. A properly installed mesh system lasts the operational life of the solar array.
Stainless steel spikes are effective on roof ridges, ledges, gutters, and parapet edges where birds perch before accessing the roof surface. They are not a standalone solution for solar panels because they do not seal the under-panel gap, but they form part of an integrated approach when birds are using specific landing points before going under the array. Our technicians fit spikes to roof ridges above the array on jobs where the inspection shows birds are using the ridge as a staging point before moving down to the panel gap.
Low-voltage electric track systems condition birds to avoid specific surfaces. These are used primarily on commercial buildings and in situations where mesh is not practical, such as on heritage buildings with structural constraints.
Our technicians are direct about this: acoustic deterrents and visual devices (plastic owls, reflective tape, ultrasonic emitters) do not provide lasting protection for solar panels in Melbourne. Urban pigeons habituate to these quickly. We use them only as supplementary tools in a broader commercial programme, never as a standalone solution. The field evidence on this is consistent across every job we attend where a homeowner has already tried deterrents. Without exception, the birds are still present.
A standard residential system with 6 to 12 panels on a single-storey home typically costs between $350 and $750 for mesh installation, including nest removal. Larger systems on two-storey homes, or jobs that require significant nest clearance and cleaning before mesh can be fitted, fall in the $750 to $1,500 range.
Roof pitch also affects cost in a practical way. On a steep pitch, the technician works more slowly and requires additional safety anchoring. Melbourne has a wide range of roof profiles across its suburbs, from the low-pitch brick veneer homes of the 1970s and 1980s outer suburbs to the steeply pitched Victorian-era rooftops of the inner city. Fitzroy, Carlton, and Northcote properties with 35-degree-plus pitches take longer to work on and this is reflected honestly in the quote.
Free Quote: Call (03) 9034 5957 for a free, no-obligation quote specific to your Melbourne property.
Tom’s Pest Control Melbourne is an AEPMA-registered pest management company (Membership No. 133585), fully licensed in Victoria under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. Our bird control technicians have direct hands-on experience across Melbourne’s residential and commercial property landscape, from Federation-era homes in Carlton and Fitzroy to new estates in Cranbourne and Tarneit.
We do not subcontract bird proofing work. The team you book is the team that turns up.
When our technicians arrive at a Melbourne property, they bring the accumulated experience of having seen the same problems across hundreds of local rooftops. They know which roof types in which suburbs create the conditions birds exploit most often. They know which mesh configurations hold up to Melbourne’s wind conditions and which ones fail within a season. They know how to read a nest to estimate how long birds have been present and what condition the wiring is likely to be in before the panels are even lifted. That field knowledge is what separates a professional installation from a hardware store repair job.
What our customers in Melbourne receive:
Professional bird netting for commercial Melbourne properties involves a site-specific installation designed around the building’s structural layout, access requirements, and the bird species involved. UV-stabilised polyethylene netting is the industry standard for large spans, while stainless steel netting is used where a more durable or higher-specification finish is required.
Tom’s Pest Control Melbourne handles commercial bird netting installations across Melbourne’s industrial precincts, including the western suburbs corridor, Dandenong South, Laverton North, Campbellfield, and Tullamarine. We work around operational schedules and provide a full scope of works documentation prior to any installation.
Commercial site assessment: Call (03) 9034 5957 or request a call back through our contact page.
Remove standing water from gutters, downpipes, and any flat roof areas. Melbourne’s unpredictable weather fills gutters fast, and birds treat standing water as a resource. Our technicians frequently find gutters directly below the solar array blocked with a combination of bird-related debris and general leaf matter, creating a water reservoir that makes the roof even more attractive to nesting birds.
Keep garden trees trimmed back from the roofline. Overhanging branches within two metres of the roof give birds a direct launch point onto the panels. A branch that did not reach the roof twelve months ago often does after a season’s growth, and Melbourne’s pigeons notice the new access point quickly.
Store rubbish bins with lids locked. Pigeons in Melbourne’s inner suburbs have learned to open unsecured bins. Accessible food waste is one of the strongest attractors.
Do not leave pet food outdoors. A bowl of dog food left on a Melbourne back deck draws birds within hours. This is one of the most common contributing factors our technicians identify when asking clients about changes in bird activity in the months before the problem became serious.
Check the mesh condition once a year. Over time, clips can work loose on older or severely weathered roof surfaces. An annual check takes five minutes and keeps the installation performing as intended. If you notice any lifting at the mesh edge or find a small gap at a corner, call us to have it assessed before birds find it first.
Very friendly, provided great feedback and suggestions and explained the process well. Report was available very promptly. Certainly recommend the team and we’ll be using them again for our next check.
Roman from Tom’s pest control did the job for me and he was amazing! So patient as he had to wait for a tradesman to finish repairing inside. He was very kind and explained everything to me. I really recommend this company
Have used Tom’s Pest Control for quite a few years. Very punctual, and know what they are doing, at a fair price. Would recommend.
James came on time and quickly assured me that the previous treatment by Tom’s Pest Control had been effective. I was grateful for the prompt service and reassured by James’ written report.
Tom’s Pest Control was very professional and prompt with communicating cost & booking appointment.
Pricing was fair and no extra hidden costs!!
Highly recommend!!
Recently had a annual termite inspection from Tom’s Pest Control. Company communicated their appointment time, showed up as scheduled, completed a very professional inspection by friendly and informed rep, and provided a detailed report. No complaints
Great prices. Brendan is very knowledgeable, helpful and professional. He did a thorough inspection of my double storey house. I’m very happy with the work and will recommend friends to get their services.
I was not home but my daughter told me the gentleman who attended was very professional. She had the baby asleep and he took particular care not to make too much noise. Will definitely be using Tom’s in the future.
David did an excellent job. He was very thorough and detailed in assessing the situation in my apartment and cooperated with his team of experts to ensure he can give the best advice and solution to my pest issue. I was very happy with the whole process of engaging Tom’s pest control and appreciated their responsiveness, professionality and honesty.
Excellent, professional and great service.A thorough inspection for termites and clear communication Highly recommend them to anyone. And will happily use their service again Great Job!!
The only permanent solution is a physical barrier. Professional solar panel bird proofing mesh fitted around the full perimeter of your array seals the gap that pigeons use to access the under-panel space. Remove the nest and debris first, then fit the mesh. Deterrents alone do not work on established Melbourne pigeon colonies.
No, if the work is carried out correctly. Tom’s Pest Control Melbourne uses a non-penetrating clip system that attaches to the panel frame without any drilling. This preserves your manufacturer’s warranty in full.
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Tom’s Pest Control Melbourne covers all suburbs across greater Melbourne, from the inner city to the Mornington Peninsula, Frankston, Pakenham, Sunbury, and the Yarra Ranges. Our bird proofing technicians carry all equipment needed for same-day or next-day installations on most residential properties.
Call (03) 9034 5957 now or use our quote form to tell us about your property. We will respond promptly, provide a clear upfront price, and schedule a time that suits you.
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