A peaceful Central California residential street lined with single-family homes — Los Altos, California service area

Bird Exclusion

Bird Netting & Control in Los Altos, CA

Name: 101 Exterminators Inc.
Address: 635 Sanborn Pl Ste 12, Salinas, CA, 93901, US
Telephone: (831) 500-1613
Price range: $$
Rating: 5

101 Exterminators installs bird netting in Los Altos for downtown storefronts, rooftop equipment and residential solar arrays, licensed in California under SPCB Lic. #9119 and working Santa Clara County since 2005. Exclusion is physical, not chemical — netting, stainless ledge spikes and wire keep pigeons and starlings off a surface rather than removing them from the neighborhood. We survey which points they actually use, then close those.

(831) 500-1613Free pest evaluation · no obligation

Local Context

The Gap Under a Rooftop Solar Array Is the Best Roost on a Los Altos Roof

A solar array sits a few inches above the roof deck on standoffs, and that cavity is shaded, dry, sheltered from wind and completely out of reach. Pigeons and house sparrows treat it as purpose-built nesting space. Los Altos has a visible rebuild market — modern two-story custom houses standing between 1950s ranches on the same block — and rooftop arrays came with a lot of that work. Once birds are under the panels, nesting debris migrates down the roof plane and blocks the drainage path, and droppings collect on the shingles beneath.

Downtown is the other half of the work. The two blocks of Main Street and State Street are built the way pigeons like: awnings, recessed entries, deep signage ledges and parapet caps, with food service on the sidewalk all day. State Street Market, the covered walkways at Rancho Shopping Center and the storefronts at Loyola Corners give birds a feeding ground and an overnight roost inside the same few hundred feet, which is why deterrent devices scattered on one ledge tend to just move the flock to the next one.

The damage is not cosmetic. Uric acid in droppings breaks down roofing membrane, paint and metal finishes over time. Nesting debris blocks scuppers and roof drains on the flat commercial roofs along El Camino Real and San Antonio Road, and water that cannot leave a roof finds a seam. Accumulated droppings also carry Histoplasma and Cryptococcus, so cleanup is done with biosafety precautions rather than a hose.

How We Work in Los Altos

We survey the building at the hours birds actually use it, separating roosting perches from active nesting sites, because those get different hardware. UV-stabilized netting closes HVAC wells, loading areas and covered walkway ceilings. Stainless ledge spikes go on parapets, signage and window ledges. On Los Altos houses with rooftop solar we fit a clip-on mesh skirt around the array perimeter so the panel gap is sealed without penetrating the roof. Active nests are removed and droppings cleaned with appropriate protective equipment, and downtown work is scheduled outside business hours.

Los Altos Climate

Los Altos has a warm Silicon Valley climate with summer temperatures reaching 84–92°F and mild winters with 15–17 inches of rainfall. Its central valley position gives it consistent temperatures without the hillside extremes of Los Gatos or Saratoga. The mature tree canopy throughout the city creates a slightly cooler, more humid microenvironment at the street level that maintains Argentine ant activity and soil moisture year-round.

Housing Stock

Los Altos is defined by its 1950s–1960s ranch homes on well-maintained lots throughout virtually the entire city. These homes — now 60–70 years old — represent the heart of the drywood termite risk in Los Altos: original wood framing, original window trim and exterior siding, and crawl spaces that have been aging for decades. Custom and newer construction exists in smaller quantities near the hills adjacent to Los Altos Hills.

Why Local Expertise Matters

Los Altos' uniformly established 1950s–1960s housing stock means the entire city faces a similar generation of termite vulnerability simultaneously — we see this reflected in the consistent inspection findings throughout the city. Our 20 years of service in Los Altos gives us a thorough understanding of where drywood termite activity concentrates in this specific housing era.

Warning Signs

Signs You Need Bird Control Service in Los Altos

We install heavy-duty UV-stabilized bird netting to exclude birds from rooftop HVAC areas, loading dock ceilings, solar array undersides, and decorative architectural features. Stainless steel ledge spikes are installed on parapet walls, window ledges, signage, and other flat roosting surfaces. Electric deterrent systems, wire systems, and slope hardware are available for specific applications. We also remove active nests and clean up accumulated droppings with appropriate biosafety precautions.

Visible roosting birds on parapets, window ledges, HVAC units, or signage

Accumulated droppings on roofing, vehicles, walkways, or below ledges

Nesting materials in drain gutters, vents, soffits, or under solar panels

Noise from roosting activity — particularly pigeons' cooing in early morning

Blocked drainage caused by nesting material accumulation

Health inspection violations or concerns at food-service or processing facilities

How It Works

Our Bird Control Process in Los Altos

Every job follows the same methodical approach — no shortcuts, no guesswork. Here is what to expect when you work with us in Los Altos.

Survey & Pressure Assessment

We document all roosting and nesting locations, species present, and the structural and sanitary conditions created. We assess approach points and preferred perching locations.

Sanitation & Nest Removal

Before installing exclusion hardware, accumulated droppings are removed and affected surfaces are disinfected. Active nests are removed in compliance with migratory bird regulations.

Exclusion Installation

Netting, spikes, wire, or other deterrents are professionally installed and anchored to prevent bird access to treated areas. Installations are designed for long life and aesthetic integration with the structure.

Monitoring & Maintenance

For commercial facilities, we offer periodic inspection to confirm exclusion integrity and address any gaps created by maintenance activities or structural changes.

Why 101 Exterminators

Bird Control You Can Count On in Los Altos

Permanent Exclusion

Netting and spike systems provide lasting exclusion that doesn't require repeated chemical applications or frightening devices that birds habituate to.

Commercial Compliance

Our installations meet food-safety standards for facilities subject to USDA, FDA, or health department inspection.

Droppings Cleanup Included

Accumulated droppings are removed and surfaces are disinfected prior to exclusion installation — not just hardware on top of existing contamination.

Common Questions

Bird Netting & Control FAQs for Los Altos

Birds are nesting under the solar panels on my Los Altos roof. What actually stops it?

A mesh skirt clipped to the array frame around the full perimeter. It closes the gap between panel edge and roof deck without drilling the roof or the racking, which matters because roof penetrations can affect a roofing warranty. Spikes and visual deterrents do not work here — the birds are entering horizontally under the panels, not landing on top of them. The existing nest material, eggs or young have to be dealt with before the skirt goes on, or you seal birds in.

What can a downtown Los Altos storefront do about pigeons on its awnings and signage?

Exclude the roost points rather than trying to disperse the birds. On Main Street and State Street that usually means stainless spikes along signage ledges and parapet caps, netting across recessed entry ceilings and awning undersides, and closing any gap behind a sign face where birds are nesting. Doing one storefront in isolation moves the flock next door, so coordinating with neighboring tenants or the property manager produces a better result on a block this compact.

Will bird netting on a Los Altos building be obvious from the street?

Properly installed netting is far less visible than most people expect. It is a fine UV-stabilized mesh tensioned on a perimeter cable and specified in a color to match the surface behind it, so from sidewalk level on State Street it mostly disappears. Sagging, visible netting is an installation problem, not a product one. On storefronts where appearance is the whole business, we usually recommend ledge hardware and awning-underside netting over large open spans.

Local Pest Pressure

Common Pests We Treat in Los Altos

Every area has its own pest profile shaped by climate, housing, and geography. These are the pests we see and treat most often in Los Altos — tap any one to learn how to identify it and what treatment involves.

Drywood Termites

1950s–1960s ranch homes throughout Los Altos have original wood framing that is now 60–70 years old — prime territory for established drywood termite colonies

Argentine Ants

Supercolonies extend throughout the fully-developed residential grid, supported by the consistently irrigated landscaping that maintains soil moisture year-round

Roof Rats

Dense mature urban tree canopy throughout Los Altos provides widespread arboreal rat habitat with direct roofline access to older homes via overhanging branches