Weird pest control product

Tanglefoot bird repellent gel is this sticky goop that never dries, that you are supposed to put on building ledges and other places to keep pigeons and sparrows from perching there. The label (it is a violation of federal law to use any pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling) dictates that you apply a bead of the product with a caulking gun or spoon it out of a bucket directly onto the surface to be protected. The idea is that the birds don't want this goop on their feet, so they maybe land on it for a second and then fly away. It's available in the United States, Canada, and some other countries.


Bird Free gel is this other sticky goop that never dries that is designed to repel pest birds. The instructions for this product involve dispensing it into little dishes and placing or attaching the dishes to the surface to be protected. Presumably the birds don't want to land in the little dishes full of goop, but the company's website does not mention that. This product works (allegedly) because the way it reflects ultraviolet light, the birds see it as fire. That's so much cooler than putting non-drying glue out there to make birds' feet yucky.

According to the product website, Bird Free was "Invented by Korean bio-scientists" and is in use throughout Asia and in many high-profile places in the UK. It does not appear to be available in the United States.

I discovered this product after I posted this article on Facebook. ("Pigeons cause problems after mastering revolving door.") Pigeons in one location had learned to trigger the electric eye on an automatic revolving door to enter a building. I have seen pigeons do this with automatic doors, too. The solution in this case was to use Bird Free gel to deter the pigeons from the area.

Here's the twist: Tanglefoot Bird Repellent and Bird Free gel are the same product.

At least, they use the same active ingredient, polyisobutane or butyl rubber. The wikipedia page describes it use as a fuel additive, a roof sealer, and as an ingredient in chewing gum, but does not mention its use as a bird repellent. What's weird to me is that the American product information for Tanglefot says nothing about how this stuff is supposed to look like fire to birds. The market for humane, "green" pest control is exploding in the US (as a petroleum product, PIB is arguably not "green," but that word gets attached to any pest product that doesn't kill the target). I'm astonished no one seems to be marketing this stuff that way yet.