# Forum Home Renovation Roofing  Help Please! Sparrow proofing roof to stop birds nesting - mites!

## Hardz

Hi everyone and TIA for any useful suggestions ...
I have tried for almost a year to locate and remove sparrow nests, as I have a bad infestation of Bird Mites! And they are absolutely awful, with two young children even worse.
The sparrows must be roosting as the mites never completely left or died, and now are bad again with the current nesting season.
I have lifted half the corrugated iron roof sheets around the edge, installed gutter guard, but can't locate the problem nest/s.
We found and removed one nest almost a year ago.
Using miticide etc is all well and good, but unless the birds are kept out then they will return.
I am now thinking of creating a skirt of bird netting around my roof, a few metres wide and attaching to the roof sheeting and house walls. I don't care about ugly, obviously.
I have considered expanding foam, but don't want to risk missing access points. Sparrows can access 25 mm spaces.
A crawl through the ceiling space wasn't helpful as I can't reach the edges or corners well.
Any ideas about a mass protection on the netting scale would be appreciated, as would any other useful ideas. Specifically, what type of netting (other than size), material suggestions etc?how could i attach the netting to keep it flush and so it stays on? I am in qld, so it may have to deal with some weather soon. this may be a basic question, but i have no real building knowledge.
I have tried many and thought of others, and simply scaring sparrows etc is not easy at all. And to reiterate, mites are awful and not something to be lived with long term. Trapping sparrows etc is a separate issue, but again won't ensure others or the same birds won't nest in the future.
thanks again in advance, I hope for some useful advice.

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## ringtail

Apart from providing adequate fixing for the roof sheeting at the ends, one reason for a screw at every crest was to prevent the sparrows getting in. If you don't have a screw at every crest on the last baton it could be a good place to start. Next for me would be the internal and external corners. Big gaps are often left there and are partially hidden to the eye by ridge capping and valley flashings.

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## cyclic

Agree with Ringtail, roof nail or screw through every corrugation at the gutter line provided the gutter batten is hard against the facia hence not allowing sprags to get in there. 
Bird wire rolled up to about 50-75mm dia x about 300mm long placed under the ridge at the gutter line and also at the valley gutter at the ridge line ie anywhere the little buggers can get in. 
Also look at the suffits if it is an older home with slat type suffits as well as dutch gables and overhangs..

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## olmeri

Go to www.shedblog.com.  You can get profile cut metal flashings that seal off the profile spaces along the edge of your roof.  There are a number of types, the website gives lots of information on where and how to use.

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