Asked on Jun 13, 2015

How do I keep birds from nesting in my hanging baskets?

They keep rebuilding their nest in my hanging basket. How can I scare them away?
  22 answers
  • Sandra Gibson Sandra Gibson on Jun 13, 2015
    A rubber snake across the top of the plant is the only thing I've found to work.
  • HappyGrandmaGA HappyGrandmaGA on Jun 13, 2015
    Crunch up aluminum foil and put it in there. We did that on the rafters. The birds see themselves and fly away.
  • Carol Burkhardt Rask Carol Burkhardt Rask on Jun 14, 2015
    All of you, and thanks for asking Lori! I have this same problem. And what a mess the little darlings leave. I will try your ideas, something has to work! : )
  • Kaytee Kaytee on Jun 14, 2015
    Get some bamboo skewers (used are fine), and insert them points up in the soil around the plants.
  • Linda Pillon Crawford Linda Pillon Crawford on Jun 14, 2015
    The tin foil works. I have birds that tried nesting under my awnings, along the top of the windows, so I taped lengths of heavy duty foil, folded over , and taped along the top...don't bend it into the window, or they'll nest on top of it, works great! They fly in and fly out right away!
  • Ruth Ruth on Jun 14, 2015
    Rubber snakes. Aluminum foil taped to skewers.
  • Genevieve Ogle Genevieve Ogle on Jun 14, 2015
    Why would you want birds to go away?
    • See 1 previous
    • They have totally trashed my front porch. We've had to power wash twice already this spring. I tried the snakes, they ignored them and built a nest right on top! I tried the bamboo skewers, they are working around them....I just keep adding more skewers in the hanging baskets and now I will try the tin foil! I sure hope this works!

  • Swan Road Designs Swan Road Designs on Jun 14, 2015
    I've put little rubber snakes I bought at Dollar Tree in the tops of the baskets. Works. After a while the birds lose the notion of revisiting the area. Some in my region use artificial owls. Never tried that because the $1 little rubber snakes worked just fine. The birds were a problem for us, too, because they left their "signatures" all over the place - patio furniture, picnic table top, 4-wheeler seat, etc. What a mess!
  • Mariska Mariska on Jun 14, 2015
    I had the same problem until I put several large pinecones over the soil area and in the middle. It. worked.
  • Lori Hansen Dobbrastine Lori Hansen Dobbrastine on Jun 14, 2015
    Thanks everyone! The tin foil has worked!
  • Norma W Norma W on Jun 15, 2015
    I add a shiny pinwheel to the center of my hanging baskets, it reflect the sunlight and they seem to stay away from the baskets.
  • Marcie Marcie on Jun 04, 2017

    Personally, I think this would be so cool to have a nest in my flowers! (As long as they'd let me water....). I'm a woodland creature person, and love ALL the aspects of a garden, plant area. Just a thought. Sometimes we need to change our perspective to find a wonderful solution.

    • See 1 previous
    • Jennie Gautschi Gruber Jennie Gautschi Gruber on Jun 27, 2018

      How can you water a hanging basket with birds or a nest with eggs? I love nature too, but sometimes its not practical.

  • Mic33426417 Mic33426417 on May 15, 2018

    Yes BUT No! I want to enjoy my flowers. I only have just a couple personal outdoor hanging plants per year. The day I set my plants out, Mother’s Day the birds take over and Im done because I don’t want to disturb the birds that take them over. I rather they nest elsewhere. Hence my reason on here is to find best alternate to keep the nests out.

  • Lisa S. Lisa S. on May 15, 2018

    I LOVE birds (feed them, bird houses bird baths etc) , but had this problem last year with wrens. Almost killed my hanging basket (which I lovingly wintered over from the year before) . WE also did not want to use the patio as it scared them. If they have already laid eggs, leave them alone. But this year I caught them before they finished. I cleaned out the dried foliage, so it was more "see though" space- and pulled out all their moss they had put in. I added more soil. So far they have not come back. And I think for this year in my geographic area they have their nesting areas by now.

  • Jodi Struening Jodi Struening on Jun 10, 2018

    I’m currently trying large plastic straws crisscrossing within my ferns

  • Meagan Johnson Meagan Johnson on Jul 03, 2018

    How can I water a flower hanging pot if there is a birds nest in the pot

  • Juce Peterson Juce Peterson on Feb 24, 2019

    Believe me dont let them nest Bird mites got into my home last year a nightmare! I am using tin foil and anything else Noooooo thank you

  • Oliva Oliva on Feb 24, 2019

    If your hanging baskets don't provide much cover, birds may be less inclined to nest there. You might also try planting tall variety white cosmos nearby. Birds apparently view white as a danger signal. It kept them far away from my porch area!

  • Libbie B Libbie B on Jun 16, 2021

    We used tin foil laid flat in our baskets. It acts like a mirror, and when they see a bird, they move on.

  • Lindsay Aratari Lindsay Aratari on Jun 16, 2021

    Aluminum foil laid on the soil so that the birds see themselves in the reflection and fly away

  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Nov 07, 2022

    Try pinecones or aluminum foil. Another person had a bird problem where they would build a nest in her door wreathe, to solve this she used plastic strips (clear) to crisscross her wreath blocking the birds.

  • Mogie Mogie on Nov 12, 2022

    Set tooth picks in the soil sticking up so it won't be so enticing for birds to sit on.

    Put something shiny nearby or in the plant. Old compact discs or sticks wrapped in aluminum foil will detract birds. Shiny pinwheels that move in the wind is a great deterrent.

    Soak a cotton ball in ammonia, and put it in the planter. The birds won't like the smell, and won't nest there.

    Place 3 or 4 mothballs on top of the soil in the plant, and the birds will stay away.

    Put a plastic snake in the plant. Birds will not nest where they think snakes are.