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Have they laid eggs in the nest yet? I once had this problem, but they had already laid eggs and I didn't have the heart to kick them out. I did lose the plant because I couldn't water it with the bird family in it. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience, but mine weren't pigeons.

My grandmother told me that if you stick a few long dowels or pencils in your pots it will obstruct the area and make it undesirable or impossible to build a nest in. This is completely untested, so it may be the mad ravings of an old lady, but worth a shot I supposed. Good luck!

You live in Los Angeles and the air is a toxic waste dump. Health isn't a major concern from the pigeons. You're probably exposed to far more dangerous health issues everytime you take a breath or eat a salad at a restaurant. Let them build their nest. After the fledglings leave, hose the area down, and make the pots unwelcoming. But don't let them keep you from your patio. Since they're guests, they'll have to live by your rules.

P.S. lice are very discriminating. Most can only live off their designated hosts. You probably run little risk of coming in contact with them unless you handle the birds. Just hose of the entire area and you should have no problem.

I don't know about lice etc, but pigenos suck! I know it may sound a bit extreme, but I invested in a small b-b gun a few years back, and would shoot it in their (and some Crowe's) GENERAL AREA (not directly at them, or with the intention of hitting them!!!)and this worked wonders for me. It took a few weeks, but after a few sessions in the AM they soon learned that they were unwanted and found other neighborhoods to menace. Perhaps you dont even need to put BB's in, and the sound alone would scare them off?

i once had pigeons take up residence in the cozy corner between an air conditoner and the window it was in. I'm not sure how long they were there, but eventually i noticed very tiny white bugs creeping around the window which just happened to be right above where i slept. long story short my back ended up coivered with itchy welts. i don't know for a fact that they were flee bites, but thats what i've always assumed they were. you probably won't find youself in this scenario, but i agree with DL pigeons suck and i'd say get rid of them before they get rid of you. just being dramatic with that last statement, but seriously they suck.

I would worry less about the lice than the pigoen droppings which may carry all kinds of harmfull disease organisms or serve as a comfy environment for a variety of fungal and bacterial badums. I would especially caution anyone with respiratory issues to avoid exposure to their droppings, etc.

I can't say this will work for pigeons but it's worth a shot...

My mom would douse a rag in ammonia and tack it up wherever swallows and hornets tried to build a nest on the overhang of our house. The ammonia would drive them away.

I had pigeons take up residence on my front porch in an old chandelier, at a particularly rough patch in my life.
I took it as an auspicious "sign", and enjoyed watching the mating pair come and go and take turns nesting on the eggs.
Finally, the eggs hatched, the babes grew, and eventually left the nest. I was said to see them go.
They never hurt anyone or anything, and I was kind of proud that they had the good taste to choose my front porch.
They have returned 3 times since that first hatching, and I am always glad to see them return.

Instead of a BB gun, try a water pistol.

There's always rat poison. I always found it odd that folks have no problem laying rat traps, rat poison, glue traps for rats and mice, but heaven forbid we should do that to a bird.

When the reality is, rats and mice, being mammals, have more highly evolved brains than pigeons, who's brains are more an extension of reptiles. Once you've dissected enough critters in biology lab, you start to get less sqeamish about the whole cute fuzzy critter thing.

You could also bread them and deep fry them for Kentucky Fried Pigeon.

I'm with Dave. Kill them and fry them up!!!

There are way too many pigeons around anyways.

I agree with Smallcitybeth, most places it is illegal to shot a fire arm with in the city. You may not be intending to hit anyone or the bird, but if you did....

Who cares, pigeons are cute! I'm surprised everyone has such a big problem with them. It is so unlikely that these birds will give you any lice/disease etc, unless you are handling them, or sleeping with them right next to your head, which you're not. And even if you did, it's unlikely that they have lice in the first place.

I very much doubt pigeons have any more disease than any other city bird, such as sparrows, and everyone likes other birds! There's nothing wrong with pigeons. They'll go away after they have their baby birdies anyway.

Unless you are willing to commit to a lifestyle that permenently involves pigeons, get rid of them now.

Pigeons have been the burden of my life since moving into an apartment complex that is completely infested with them over a year ago. I have a large balcony I can't even use anymore because it has become so over run with them. It started with just a few during the day, then more came and would sleep under a table at night. After a few weeks everything on the balcony was covered with bird droppings - tables, chairs, a $300 bicycle- all ruined by pigeons.

My first attempt to get rid of them was enclosing the balcony with cheap outdoor curtains from Ikea but one pigeon quickly found a way in and actually layed eggs directly on my shag rug without even building a nest. Being an animal lover I decided to give up my rug and let nature run its course. While it was kind of cool watching the life cycle of a pigeon, after a couple of months I couldn't even see the rug anymore it was so encrusted with bird droppings. Since they can't fly for several weeks the baby pigeons shit, piss, and eat all in the same place so be prepared for a huge mess and a super unpleasant smell. Once they finally left I was glad to see them go, tossed the rug and sanitized the balcony once and for all. About two weeks later another egg appeared in the same spot, this time just on the cement. It was then I realized I had been too kind and carefully picked the egg up with a papertowel and placed it in a protected corner behind the building. I still continue to find eggs every few weeks, and now they go straight to the back of the building every time.

I've tried everything from fake owls and cactus plants to poison gel and nothing works. They keep coming back and have pretty much destroyed the balcony. My landlord couldn't care less so I've bascially given up using the balcony what so ever.

I view them now as disgusting vermin, worse than rats because at least rats are smart. Pigeons are dirty, thoughtless creatures that have made my life miserable, so I urge you not to be tolerant of them unless you are willing to put up with a huge mess.

hey there little bunny

you need yourself a scarecrow grampy out there. pigeons hate scarecrow grampies.

yg

Thanks for all the comments and tips! We'll pass on the Kentucky Fried Pigeon but we removed the nest, dismantled the shelf temporarily and gave the patio an eco-friendly vinegar bath. Success! Though the pigeons look confused, they are no longer roosting on the patio.