Nutley Uses Pain-Causing 'Fog' To Chase Away Birds

Nutley will continue its “bird fogging” around the DeMuro Park area this week, utilizing a unique ingredient - Methyl Anthranilate – in an attempt to rid the area of its excessive avian population.

According to Nutley Recreation Commissioner Mauro Tucci, Methyl Anthranilate – a naturally occurring flavorant that is classified as “Generally Regarded as Safe” (GRAS) by the U.S. FDA – works by triggering a pain response in birds’ trigeminal nerves, which are found in the throats and mucus membranes of the beak and eyes.

Bird control service Nixalite describes the sensation as “a sensation similar to eating a hot pepper.”

Bird Doctor Nationwide will be conducting this week’s fogging operations, which will take place during overnight hours from Monday, Sept. 14 to Thursday, Sept. 17.

The treated area will border Bloomfield, Margaret, Van Winkle and Wilson Avenues. In addition, DeMuro Park will be closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on the above dates.

Township officials recommend that residents refrain from using the park or going near the area while fogging operations are in progress.

“Although we have been assured that the process is safe we want to be over cautious to avoid any contact with residents or pets,” Tucci stated.

The township conducted an earlier fogging in 2014, which was “very successful in clearing these areas,” according to Tucci.

Nutley has also recently experimented with other methods of bird control, such as chasing them away with border collies.

• See related article: Nutley Uses Border Collies To Scare Geese From Parks

“Although the birds have not returned in the same magnitude we are going to treat these areas again to hopefully alleviate the problem entirely,” he stated.

In August, township officials told NorthJersey.com:

“This fogging method will not kill the birds; it will simply cause them to not like coming to this area anymore.”

Residents with questions about the fogging process should contact 973-284-4966.