Summary:
Why Suffolk County Has a Serious Goose Problem
Suffolk County’s urban and suburban areas have created perfect conditions for an explosion in resident goose numbers. Your manicured lawn, nearby water features, and lack of natural predators make your property a goose paradise.
These aren’t just casual visitors—Canada geese mate for life, live over 35 years, and return to the exact same nesting spots every year. Once they’ve chosen your property, they consider it home.
The numbers tell the story. New York State sees estimated harvests of 50,000-100,000 resident geese annually, but that barely makes a dent in the growing population affecting properties like yours.
Health Risks You Can't Ignore
Goose feces contain E. coli bacteria, a dangerous pathogen that poses real health risks to your family. Goose droppings carry harmful bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and avian influenza that can contaminate the spaces where your children play.
Children, elderly family members, pregnant women, and anyone with compromised immune systems face the highest risk from parasites in goose feces. These droppings typically contain parasites including cryptosporidium, giardia, coliform, and campylobacter.
E. coli becomes more prevalent during warm summer months, exactly when your family wants to enjoy outdoor spaces most. Children can become infected by accidentally ingesting contaminated material or swimming in water contaminated with goose droppings.
The health department takes this seriously. Nassau County Department of Health concluded that elevated bacteria at beaches was most likely due to Canada geese. For heavily frequented areas, weekly or bi-weekly cleanup is recommended to prevent health hazards.
You’re not overreacting—these health concerns are legitimate and require professional attention.
Property Damage and Ongoing Costs
Goose feces contain E. coli bacteria, a dangerous pathogen that poses real health risks to your family. Goose droppings carry harmful bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and avian influenza that can contaminate the spaces where your children play.
Children, elderly family members, pregnant women, and anyone with compromised immune systems face the highest risk from parasites in goose feces. These droppings typically contain parasites including cryptosporidium, giardia, coliform, and campylobacter.
E. coli becomes more prevalent during warm summer months, exactly when your family wants to enjoy outdoor spaces most. Children can become infected by accidentally ingesting contaminated material or swimming in water contaminated with goose droppings.
The health department takes this seriously. Nassau County Department of Health concluded that elevated bacteria at beaches was most likely due to Canada geese. For heavily frequented areas, weekly or bi-weekly cleanup is recommended to prevent health hazards.
You’re not overreacting—these health concerns are legitimate and require professional attention.
Legal Goose Removal Methods That Actually Work
In many areas, geese are protected and removal requires permits or compliance with local regulations. Canada geese are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, making it unlawful to pursue, hunt, capture, kill, or sell them without authorization.
For nest and egg destruction, you can register online through the USFWS Resident Canada Goose Nest and Egg Registration Site without needing special DEC authorization. Farmers dealing with crop damage or managers overseeing areas where geese pose direct health threats must obtain written authorization from local DEC Wildlife offices.
The most effective legal approach combines multiple humane strategies rather than relying on single-method solutions that consistently fail.
Why Border Collies Are the Gold Standard
The most effective way to scare geese away is with trained goose-herding dogs, as herding dogs convince geese they are not safe from predators. This should only be done by specially trained dogs working with a handler, according to The Humane Society of the United States.
Border collies are exceptionally effective at hazing geese thanks to their wolf-like appearance, teaching geese that a location is unsafe for return. We use highly trained staff with Border Collies and radio-dispatched vehicles to quickly rid geese from properties before they leave behind messes.
Only the use of highly trained handlers and Border Collies provides year-round control of Canada goose problems. Other methods like scarecrows, flags, noise makers, fencing, and sound machines don’t provide effective, natural, long-lasting solutions.
Our professional border collies chase geese off property without catching or hurting them—the geese simply decide your property isn’t safe and relocate elsewhere. Our professional handlers average over 10 years of certified service, ensuring both reliability and expertise.
This natural predator-prey relationship creates lasting behavioral change rather than temporary displacement.
Comprehensive Prevention Strategies
Removing geese is only part of the solution—comprehensive prevention strategies including barriers, visual and auditory deterrents, and landscape modification make properties less attractive to geese. Habitat modification makes landscapes less appealing to geese, effectively discouraging new flocks from settling.
Professional egg addling requires DEC permits and involves waiting for parent geese to abandon treated nests naturally—the most humane nest destruction method. Alternative approved methods include removing and burying eggs with nest destruction, providing faster results since parent geese no longer have eggs to incubate.
Effective strategies include habitat modification, visual and audio deterrents, repellents, wire exclusion, fencing, and other deterrents that comply with Migratory Bird Treaty Act requirements. Geese can return after removal, making preventive measures like habitat modification essential for discouraging their return.
We evaluate situations free of charge and structure programs meeting specific property needs, offering short-term intensive programs, longer-term maintenance, and combination approaches. Our comprehensive process includes property assessment, customized planning, and methodical implementation using humane removal and prevention techniques.
The key is creating an integrated approach that addresses both immediate removal and long-term deterrence through environmental modification.
Protecting Your Suffolk County Property the Right Way
Effective goose removal requires understanding both the legal requirements and proven methods that create lasting results. We understand the importance of adhering to legal regulations while providing humane control across New York.
We solve Canada goose problems with compassion and efficiency, providing the most effective and humane solutions. The combination of trained Border Collies, habitat modification, and comprehensive prevention strategies offers the best path forward for protecting your property investment.
Don’t let geese control your property enjoyment or put your family’s health at risk. Jones Tree and Plant Care provides the expertise and humane methods needed to reclaim your outdoor spaces while staying fully compliant with all regulations.
