Hey WW you sound so desperate! Worry no more. All below, tried and proven successful.


1 if you know that an owl is in the BH during the day, ie residing inside or has entered. Note that Owls can and do fly during the day.


a) Prepare by buying fine fishing(prawn) net or bird trapping net, all usually available at fishing village hardware store. You'll need about 4 times the width of your in out hole.The height is standard about 2 metres or more.

b) For each in out hole, you'll need 2 x long bamboo poles or aluminium pole as used for harvesting oil palm, long enough to reach over the top of your in out hole. If you have an exceptionally high in out hole then stand on top of your 4WD vehicle

c) tie the nets to the top of the poles so that you can stretch it out to cover the in out hole.

NOTE that you must stretch the net over the hole LOOSELY, not tight, or the owl will escape.

d) cover the in out hole or holes, you'll need one person on each pole.

e) when everyone is ready, open the BH door and enter with a bright torch and 5ft rotan.

Usually as soon as you open the door the owl will rush out, otherwise the light will also cause it to rush out. There may be some stubborn ones that need to be caned ! One stroke on the wing and it becomes Wasted Wing....

f) as soon as the owl hits the net, bring the poles together and it will become well and truly stuck in the net. Some people say owl stew is very tasty.

Free the owl from the net wearing leather welding gloves or you'll be badly hurt. You'll usually have to destroy part of the net to get the owl free. Be careful of the sharp claws and beak, fully capable of penetrating ordinary gloves.

Take a drive about 20 miles at least before releasing the owls.


2 To prevent new owls from entering the BH.


a) You must install 2 x (.25inch)thick brass or stainless steel rods, placed about 1 inch apart, all around the side and bottom of the in/out hole. These must be supported by porcelain or glass insulators. Older electrical shops will have porcelain insulators/separators. The rods must also be close to the surface so as to encourage the bird to stand on it.

b) for those with airwell type holes, you must install these on the roof near the edge of the hole. All 4 sides.

New owls will always stand on the edge before entering a new place.

c) you will need to purchase a HT transformer from KHIND, these are used for their fly zappers, about RM80 each.

d) you will need some HT wire available from good electrical store or Neon advertising sign maker. You can also use automobile spark plug wires but must be the all copper/metal wire type and NOT the suppressor/carbon fibre type. The metal wire type is much cheaper

e) get a waterproof box to house the transformer and make up the out put connection posts and the input mains(240v). Note that the output wires should be kept more than 2 inches apart to prevent arcing. Included a switch and mains fuse. Remember to keep the two output wires apart.

The boxed transformer should be as close to the in out holes as possible but must be kept dry.

f) connect to the rods using the HT wire, you must use a crimp or solder as HT ac has a habit of becoming loose.

g) turn on the power and check for any arcing or sparks. If the wires are placed too close together it will spark. just switch off and move the wires apart.

Note: The transformer outputs about 4500v ac but the current is very low, not high enough to kill an adult but can cause burns. it will burn insects, cicaks and the feet of owls.

Rain will not harm the circuit so long as it dries up. Dead carbonised cicaks will make the system less effective, so it needs cleaning. Switch off first or you'll have standing straight hair!


BTW to deter humans, I use a neon transformer. It outputs 15000v ac and good enough to knock a large person over but not kill. It's a long fall from my in out hole.

Some owls, especially the smaller type , will learn to attack returning swiftlets by hunting them in the evenings as they return. There is no option but to shoot these.

Having NO trees taller than the in out holes, closer than 100m or 300ft. also helps prevent owl attacks as they need a high point to look out from.

Have fun and remember to report.

LOL.... many of us tried chasing the owls away. Some even to the extent of hiding inside the BH and trying to scare the owls. Scarecrows inside and outside. Flash guns fired as the owl attacks, auto lights and lights on all night. In the end the owls get smart and ignore the humans or come when they humans are not there.

Owls can hear and see very very well. A rat at 100m is no problem. It can detect if it is a real live human or just a sound. All it takes is time and they'll have learnt. It also recognises people and vehicles. Nowadays I never get a chance to go near one when I carry a gun. They'll fly when my jeep arrives, but not my other car. They will not take a bait when I have a 'invisible' net above, but take it when the net is not there.

So far electrocution works and it does not kill them. Owls learn very quickly. I have had times when electrocuted owls return but avoid stepping on the wires.

Hi, This BH has a major problem with it's flight path. It has too many restrictions. The birds have to make many 90 and 180 deg turns to enter the BH nesting area therefore will take a very long time to populate.

The simplest will be to cover the whole area that is at present in front of the in/outhole. ( the whole building becomes a box) Turn this into a roving room and then have 2 windows/in-out holes on the new walls.

Make a new entry to allow the birds to enter top floor directly from the roving room without having to make 90 deg turns. Remove unnecessary partitions.

You did not include the dimensions of the building, which is important to determine a smooth flight path. The age of the building and the construction material would be also useful.

Simplest modifications.

1 Building a roving room and adding 2 new in/out holes. Flat roof is sufficient. It is best to have the in/out holes higher than existing roofs.

2 top floor using existing doorway.

The proposed secondary entry in blue should be better but allows more light in, so restrict the size to be about the same as the in/out holes, about 3ft x 2ft.. If using the proposed blue doorway, the older doorway should be closed using a door for easy access.

Tweeters should face the directions the birds are coming from to attract them to the furthest corners.

Tweeters should also lead birds down the stairs.

Having a roving room the full width of the BH will be best but not entirely necessary unless the competition around the area is very high. Then you can have 3 in/out holes for the birds to choose from any direction.





This post has been edited by tuckfook: Jun 4 2013, 08:52 PM

Not true! Old myth. AF can fly either way and don't seem to have a preference. They do follow the leader though.

No, the only processing I do is for own consumption. Have friend who is processing but only small quantities without govt. requirements. Usually for local sales, which is less problematic and better profit but small volume.

3D drawing would be helpful. If the BH is as drawn with in/out hole at the same level the you are very lucky to even have so many nests.

This drawing is much better.

Seems to me the simplest solution is to open up a hole, about 2ft x 3ft. about 2ft from the ceiling, on the partition wall facing the dog house in/out hole. This will allow the birds an almost straight path into the nesting room.

Because the 2 holes are not in line, one is higher then the other, there will only be a little sunlight let through. The second hole should have tweeters to guide the birds into it and must have more tweeters along the furthermost wall to make the birds fly all the way to the end. These tweeters of course play the same outside sound.

This way, no need to change direction of planks and no need to do anything else to the existing partitions.

This post has been edited by tuckfook: Jun 7 2013, 06:22 PM

Once an owl gets used to a BH it'll enter just like the AF without stopping at the ledges. This is why prevention is better then cure.

The best way is to get rid of the owl by using a net to catch it as it leaves the BH or otherwise get someone to shoot it. Not eliminated, it will always try to get in because of easy availability of food.

The vertical railings should have made it stop before entering and that should have got it electrocuted unless your wires were not placed correctly.

Horizontal railings about 4ins apart are usually used to stop the owls as they cannot flap their wings to get through. Just like louvre windows(Naco)

Good idea but I think the type of owl that is attacking this BH is the smaller species which is about the size of a crow. This species will only eat small birds and mice.

The Bigger barn Owls will eat chickens or their babies, but their favourite is also fish.

Much easier to have someone shoot them.

This post has been edited by tuckfook: Jun 11 2013, 05:27 PM

If the spring is tuned to lower power, it sometimes does not activate fast enough and the owl escapes. At highest power the owls' leg may get smashed.

Usually, a small rat is placed as bait.

This trap has to be specific for small or large owls.

Once an owl sees another trapped by this, it will not go anywhere near the trap.

Why pity the owl when it does not pity your swiftlets.

BTW owls may be totally protected and the possession of a trap or snare is illegal under the latest Wildlife protection act. Whereas, shooting protected wildlife which is causing damage to agriculture is provided for.

The size difference between the common owls we find is quite significant. The large barn owl is about 3 times the other so the large trap will close over the leg or lower body of the large owl but may completely miss the smaller. Worse(for some) it will decapitate the smaller owl.

Smart owls will avoid the trap whilst catching your swiftlets, inside or outside the BH.

Wildlife act does not allow the use of traps under any circumstances. Shoot Ok if it's a pest.

Now I've got a major problem. The owls around my BH do not go into it nor land on the building. They fly around and catch the returning birds in the evening. What's worse, they recognise me, my car and if I'm carrying a gun so do not come when I'm around or fly away as soon as I arrive. Sometimes attack the swiftlets right in front of me when I don't have the gun. These clever owls are usually the small type.

Yup that's the smaller type for smaller owls. Useful if you sre thinking of preserving the birds. Most people will just put an end to their misery.

These are in fact more effective than electric wires as they do not die from electrocution.

Several nights wait and the yet no owl shot at my place. I hope it will not return but usually that's unlikely.

I'm still alive but too sad to post, just read.

Somebody trying to break into my BH, so far cutting the fence and probably deterred by my other preventive methods. (not to be discussed).

Harvesting nests and cannot sell, is the major headache.

Power blackouts is not a problem. Buy computer UPS system with a large battery. 2 x 7 Ah should run the internal sound for an hour. If your blackouts last longer then you need more batteries, just parallel with the UPS battery.

If you already got about 500 birds, no sound for a little while is not a problem.

Now back to my sulking.

Yes you are right. Not at the price I would like. At this rate I will take at least 10 yrs(est.) to recover my capital and interest. So sad.

Now burglars targeting my house too.

Take this 'news' with a pinch of salt.

Sometimes it's just talk and often it simply doesn't work for various reasons.

Like so many businesses in Asia, those involved cannot work together.

On Fendona, we use it because it is approved for use in establishments handling food for human consumption. Not all insecticides are harmful to humans. Which is why it is so expensive.

Use carbaryl for floors and sides. It is more effective, much cheaper and safe.

termites are very difficult to eradicate. Dedicated termite poisons should be used as the colony can be 30m or more away.

You are all welcome as such information is to share.

Fendona is not without poisonous effect to humans but it is not lethal. Skin and other irritation is common and subjective. If you are sensitive, use protective gear.

However I believe fipronil is of a different class. Please read the labels.

You are all welcome as such information is to share.

Fendona is not without poisonous effect to humans but it is not lethal. Skin and other irritation is common and subjective. If you are sensitive, use protective gear.

However I believe fipronil is of a different class. Please read the labels.

Who are the manufacturers of Legend 5.0 (Fipronil)?

This is strange as Legend is also the name of a well known insecticide similar to Fendona and relatively harmless to humans and the environment. These are approved for use in places that prepare food for human consumption.

Fipronil is a harmful insecticide that many countries are banning because of it's destructive effects on Honey bees. It is used in flea collars for pets, eg 'Frontline' as well as a termiticide due to it's slower effect on insects thereby allowing the insect to die within it's colony and friends eating the carcass will also die. But Firponil is not in the same class as the other Legend and Fendona.

I'm surprised as having 2 "Legends" would be confusing and potentially dangerous.

Straight to the point. I have yet to find one that works as advertised.