Bird Spikes

Written and reviewed by Elaine Bliss, Technical Manager, PestFix
Last reviewed 25 September 2026

To fit bird spikes, you clean and prime the ledge, run a bead of spike adhesive about 8mm wide along the underside of each strip, and press it down firmly so that the tips overhang the front edge by about 10mm. You choose the spike by the width of the ledge, snap strips to length at the moulded grooves, butt them together with no gaps, and then leave the adhesive for 24 hours to cure. Gutters, pipes and opening windows are different, because they take clips or cable ties rather than glue.

This guide takes you through each step. If you would rather not work at height, you can request an installation quote further down the page.

Choose the spike by the width of the ledge

The ledge decides which spike you need, not the size of the bird. Measure the width you want to protect, then pick the spike whose range covers it. Gulls are the exception, because they need the taller seagull spike rather than simply a wider one, and pigeon spikes will not stop them.

Ranges, sizes and prices are taken from each product page and were checked on 25 September 2026. All prices include VAT.

If your ledge is wider than one spike covers, you lay two or more rows side by side, which is explained in the spacing step below.

What you need

• The spikes, from the table above, with a little extra to allow for ends and corners.
• Spike adhesive. Fix All Crystal adhesive is £7.93 a tube. Its product page says one tube lays 8 metres of bird spikes, while the stainless steel spike pages allow one tube for every 10 metres, so for a long run it is worth having a spare. The polycarbonate Defender spikes need more: one tube for every six metres of Defender 4 and every five metres of Defender 8.
• A cleaner for the surface. Surface Cleaner (£10.25) degreases the surface before you glue. On polished or non-porous surfaces such as metal, plastic and coatings, Surface Activator (£18.95) cleans and primes in one, and dries in about five minutes.
• Clips or ties where you cannot glue. Gutter clips for half round or ogee gutters (£2.70 for six, enough for a metre), window clips for opening windows (£4.04 for six) and 430mm cable ties for pipes (£1.30 for six).
• For cleaning off droppings, a disinfectant such as PX Ornikill (£22.75 for 1 litre, diluted 1:50 with water), plus gloves, eye protection and a P3 face mask.

For bigger jobs, the spike and glue bundles include the adhesive and cost less than buying both separately, and the pigeon spike window kits come with 5 metres of spikes, adhesive and 30 window clips.

How to fit bird spikes, step by step

1. Clean the surface

Preparing the surface is what makes spikes stay put, so do not lay them onto a dirty or untreated ledge. If there are droppings, spray them with a diluted avian disinfectant first so that they are damp and dust does not become airborne, then scrape them off while wearing a P3 mask. Use Surface Cleaner on greasy surfaces and Surface Activator on polished metal or plastic. The ledge needs to be dry and sound: spikes will simply fall away from flaking paint, rusty metal or rotten timber, so repair those first.

2. Measure and mark out

Measure the width of the ledge to confirm your spike choice, and measure the length to work out how many strips you need. On a long straight run, especially one that people look down on from windows above, mark a centre line for each row before you glue so that the spikes sit straight.

3. Cut the strips to length

You do not need tools to shorten a strip. The bases have grooves moulded across them, so you simply snap off as much as you need. On the Defender 8 polycarbonate spike, each V-shaped spike can be snapped off on its own, which is useful for filling a small gap.

4. Prime and apply the adhesive

The EnviroGuard installation guide recommends priming the surface with a brushed coat of adhesive where the base will sit, using masking tape around it if you want a neat edge. Then run a bead of adhesive about 8mm wide along the underside of the strip’s base.

5. Press the strip down

Press the strip down firmly onto the primed surface, so that small rivets of adhesive push up through the holes in the base. These act like nails once they set. Position the strip so that the tips overhang the front edge of the ledge by about 10mm, which stops birds getting a first foothold as they land. Leave the spikes undisturbed for at least 24 hours while the adhesive cures, and do not fit them if heavy rain is forecast within that time. Fix All Crystal will grip brickwork and stonework that has not fully dried after rain, but it still needs those 24 hours.

6. Space the rows

Where one row does not cover the ledge, lay parallel rows. The installation guide allows a gap of up to 65mm between the outer tips of neighbouring rows of pigeon spikes, and up to 100mm for seagull spikes. Keep to those gaps, because too wide a gap gives birds somewhere to land between the rows.

7. Close the joints, ends and corners

Butt each strip up to the next so that there are no gaps along the run. Take the spikes right to the end of the ledge, snapping a strip down to fit, so that birds cannot land beside them and walk up to the spikes, because birds that can reach them may pull them off. At corners, run the spikes into the angle and fill any gap with a short snapped-off section.

8. Gutters

Spikes fit to the outer edge of a rainwater gutter with gutter clips, choosing the half round or ogee type to match your gutter. The installation guide fits one clip at each end of a 33cm strip, and the pack of six covers a metre. You clip the spike base into the clips and slide them over the outer edge of the gutter, with no glue. You can lift the spikes off to clear the gutter and put them back without new clips.

9. Pipes

Clean off any droppings, then secure each strip to a horizontal pipe with two long cable ties around opposite ends of the strip, pulled tight. A small amount of adhesive under the spike before you tighten the ties gives extra grip once it cures.

10. Opening windows

Do not glue spikes straight onto a ledge in front of a casement window that opens, because they will stop the window opening and both the frame and the spikes can be damaged. Instead, snap window clips onto the spike base, one at each end of a 33cm section, and fix the clips to the bottom of the opening window, as close to the ledge as you can. On timber windows the guide screws them in through the slots in the clip, drilling a 3mm pilot hole and using no.8 galvanised timber screws. On uPVC or steel windows the clips are glued to the frame with spike adhesive, after you offer the section up to mark the positions and clean the clip’s flat bonding surface with Surface Activator.

11. Ridges

On a triangular ridge tile, use the triangular ridge spike, whose shaped base sits over the tile and is fixed with spike adhesive. At 140mm tall it protects against both pigeons and gulls. For half round ridge tiles, the post and wire kits for half round ridges are made for that shape.

Screwing spikes down instead of gluing

Where you are able to drill, you can fix the bases mechanically through the holes in them instead: self-drilling screws suit sheet metal and wood screws suit timber. The installation guide also suggests screws or rivets for any area where spikes keep failing to bond because the surface is hard to clean.

Working safely

• Wear disposable gloves when handling the adhesive, heavy leather or suede gloves when pressing spikes into place, and eye protection when the spikes are at eye level.
• Wear a P3-rated mask whenever you disturb droppings, and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
• Do not fit spikes on surfaces less than 2 metres off the ground. Birds are unlikely to perch that low, and someone could be seriously hurt falling onto them.
• Spikes are designed for birds of up to about one kilo. Do not use them to keep out people, cats or other animals.
• If you fit spikes on window ledges, tell your window cleaner so that they are not caught out.
• Most ledges worth spiking are well off the ground. If you cannot reach the whole run safely from a properly footed ladder, it is a job that needs the right access equipment, and that is when having it fitted makes sense.

Looking after your spikes

Check each strip once a year for damage or strips lifting away. Bent, flattened or missing spikes let birds back in, so replace them as you find them. When you re-lay a strip, remove the old adhesive and prepare the surface again, and never reuse a spike that has fallen off with glue still on its base, because it will not bond properly a second time.

Spikes work best on ledges, gutters, beams, pipes and signs where birds perch or roost. Where a large number of birds are nesting in a sheltered area, bird netting is usually the better fit.

Birds and the law

All wild birds, including pigeons and gulls, are protected, and an active nest with eggs or young in it must not be disturbed. If birds are already nesting on the ledge, wait until the nest is no longer in use before you clear it and fit spikes. Our guide to bird control and the law explains the rules.

Having bird spikes fitted for you

We supply the products and do not install them ourselves, but you can request installation from us and we will arrange it through JG Pest Control, our recommended installer and a sister company in the Tyro group. A fitted price depends mostly on getting safely to the ledge: a ground floor window can be done from a ladder, while a high parapet or a roof ridge may need a scaffold tower or a cherry picker, and any droppings have to be cleared before fitting. That is why fitted work is quoted after a survey rather than per metre.

Not sure who covers your job? Our bird control installers page sets out which group company fits what.

For commercial proofing and guano clearance, Integrum Services also covers that work, and Vergo covers bird control nationally. If you are fitting spikes yourself, everything described on this page is sold in our shop.

Downloads

• Download the EnviroGuard bird spike installation guide (PDF)

Where a figure in the guide differs from a product page, the product page is current.

Common questions

How do you install pigeon spikes?

Clean and prime the ledge, run an 8mm bead of spike adhesive along the underside of the strip, and press it down so that the tips overhang the front edge by about 10mm. Butt the strips together with no gaps and leave them for 24 hours to cure.

How do you attach bird spikes without drilling?

Most ledges only need adhesive, such as Fix All Crystal, which grips steel, masonry, timber, lead and many plastics. Gutters take clips, pipes take cable ties, and opening windows take window clips, so none of them needs a hole.

Can you screw bird spikes down?

Yes. The bases have holes, so you can use self-drilling screws on sheet metal or wood screws on timber where drilling is acceptable.

How far apart should rows of bird spikes be?

No more than 65mm between the outer tips of neighbouring rows of pigeon spikes, and no more than 100mm for seagull spikes. A wider gap gives birds room to land.

How much does bird spike installation cost?

If you fit them yourself, you pay only for materials. For example, 10 metres of narrow stainless steel spike at £2.04 a metre plus two tubes of adhesive at £7.93 (one tube lays about 8 metres) comes to £36.26 including VAT. A fitted job is priced after a survey, because the cost depends on the height and access. Our bird spike cost guide compares every width and bundle.

What are bird spikes used for?

They stop pigeons and gulls perching and roosting on ledges, gutters, beams, pipes, signs and ridges, without harming the birds.

See the full bird spikes range, read our seagull spikes guide, or visit our bird control installers page to see who fits what.