Clear leaves and nesting material from between the pins once or twice a year
Shipping & returns
Tracked delivery anywhere in France. It is free on orders of €35 or more, and a flat €15 below that. Allow 10 to 18 business days, after a 2 to 5 days processing time.
Under the EU consumer rights directive you have 14 days from delivery to cancel for any reason, and a further 14 days to send it back in resaleable condition. We refund the price you paid, including standard delivery. You cover the cost of returning it unless the item is faulty.
If it arrives faulty, damaged or not as described, we put it right at no cost to you under the two year legal guarantee of conformity that applies across the EU, return postage included.
Clear leaves and nesting material from between the pins once or twice a year. Enough debris packs down into a platform and a bird will stand on that instead.
Stainless Steel Pins1.3 mm pins that do not rust, inland or on the coast
Sold By The 50 cmNo minimum order, so you buy the run you actually have
Sized For Larger BirdsA 70 mm protected band, which is a pigeon and upward
We Will Say NoIf netting is the right answer for your bird, this page says so
About this product
A wren is smaller than a sparrow.
Which makes this the one page on the site where we can say, with no hedging at all, that a spike strip is not the product you want.
The wren is one of the smallest birds in Europe, around 9 to 10 cm and under 12 grams.
Our spike strip protects a band about 70 mm wide with pins spaced for a pigeon. A wren does not interact with that geometry at all.
Wrens also nest in domed cavities in ivy, sheds, porches, log piles and gaps in brickwork, which is a closure problem rather than a perching problem.
If you have landed here looking for a wren spike, the useful product is fine mesh over the opening, and the useful timing is outside the breeding season.
The strip itself is still a good product. It is simply aimed at a much bigger bird.
It is worth being clear about what a spike strip cannot do rather than implying it does everything. This one takes a flat perching surface out of use for a bird heavy enough and wide enough to need that surface. A wren weighs less than a two euro coin.
Wrens are also almost entirely insectivorous and they are not a fouling problem in the way pigeons and gulls are. Where they cause trouble it is nearly always a nest tucked into a porch, an outbuilding or dense ivy on a wall, and the honest fix is to close or change that space when it is empty.
If you are here because a bird is nesting somewhere inconvenient and you were not sure which species it is, send us a photograph. Getting the species right is most of the work and it is free.
Fitting is the part that decides whether it works. Clean the surface first, because old droppings and moss stop adhesive keying to anything, and a strip that lifts at one end is a perch rather than a deterrent.
Cover the whole surface, not most of it. Birds are entirely willing to use the bare half metre at the end of a run, and a gap teaches them exactly where to stand. Round the number of strips up, never down.
Once it is on, there is nothing to do but clear leaves and nesting material out from between the pins once or twice a year. Enough debris packs down into a platform, and then a bird can stand on that instead of on the spikes.
Still deciding?
Not sure yet? That is fine.
You can change your mind. Under the EU consumer rights directive as it applies in France you have 14 days from delivery to cancel for any reason, and a further 14 days to send it back in resaleable condition. We refund the price you paid, including standard delivery.
If it turns up faulty, damaged or not as described, that is on us. The two year legal guarantee of conformity covers you across the EU, we pay the return postage, and you can have a repair, a replacement or your money back. Read the full detail on our refunds and returns page, or ask us anything before you order.
No. A wren is around 9 to 10 cm and under 12 grams, and our pins are spaced to deny footing to a pigeon. There is no overlap.
Then why does this page exist?
Because people search for it. The most useful thing we can put here is a clear no and a description of what does work.
What is the actual product on this page?
Our standard stainless steel strip, 500 mm long, €5, sold with no minimum. It is a good product for larger birds.
What do wrens actually do that is a problem?
Almost always it is a nest somewhere inconvenient: a porch corner, a shed, ivy on a wall, a gap behind a bracket. They are insectivores and they do not foul a facade.
How do I stop them nesting in my porch?
Close or change the space when it is empty. Mesh over a gap, or thinning the planting if it is ivy.
When is it legal to do that?
When the nest is not active. Outside the breeding season, or after the young have fledged. An occupied nest is protected.
How can I tell if the nest is occupied?
Watch for twenty minutes from a distance. Adults carrying food in and out settles it.
A male wren builds several nests. Does that change anything?
It means you may find an empty one and an occupied one nearby, so check each before assuming a nest is abandoned.
What mesh size do I need?
Small enough that the bird cannot pass. A 2 cm garden net is too coarse; the finer galvanised mesh we sell for solar panels is the sort of thing to look at.
Is expanding foam a reasonable fix?
No. It fails, it looks poor, and it can seal a bird inside. Mesh fixed at the edges.
Would a sound device move them?
Not once they are committed to a nest site, and we would not sell you one for this.
Am I sure it is a wren?
Often people are not. Wren, dunnock, robin and juvenile sparrow get confused constantly. Send us a photograph and we will tell you.
Do wrens come back to the same place?
They often reuse good sites, yes, which is why closing it once matters more than deterring them repeatedly.
Is there any harm in the birds being there?
Usually none at all. It is worth asking whether the nest is genuinely a problem or just unfamiliar.
Can I move the nest somewhere else?
Not while it is active, and a moved nest is usually abandoned. Wait.
What about gaps under my roof tiles?
That is a bigger job and it is worth a roofer looking at it, because a lifted tile is a water problem before it is a bird problem.
Will your netting work for this?
The knitted garden net has a 2 cm mesh, which is for fruit and vegetables rather than for excluding a small bird. The solar mesh is finer and more suitable.
Do you sell a small bird spike?
No. Nobody makes a spike that stops a bird that small, because the mechanism does not scale down.
€15, or free if the order is over €35. On a single €5 strip that is worth knowing before you order.
Can I get advice before buying anything?
Yes, and we would prefer it. Email theteam@birdspikes.direct with a photograph.
Do you ever tell people not to buy?
This page is us doing exactly that.
How much is delivery and how long does it take?
Delivery across France is free on orders over €35, and €15 below that. We process an order in 2 to 5 days and delivery then takes about 10 to 18 business days. A tracking number is emailed as soon as it ships.
Which payment methods do you take?
Card and PayPal. Both go through the checkout on this site and neither of us ever sees your card details.
Can I change my mind after ordering?
Yes. You have fourteen days from delivery to tell us you want to cancel, and a further fourteen days to send the goods back, under the EU consumer rights directive. Nothing we sell is made to your measurements, so the right applies to the whole range.
What if the order arrives damaged or faulty?
Tell us and we will replace it or refund it. That is separate from changing your mind: a faulty item carries a two year legal guarantee of conformity across the EU, and it is not shortened by anything on this site.
How do I track my parcel?
The tracking number is in your dispatch email, and there is a tracking page on this site. If the number has not moved for a few days, email us and we will chase it.
Do you sell to trade and in bulk?
Yes. There is a wholesale page on this site with a quote form on it. Tell us the run length or the quantity and we will price it.
Are the prices shown with tax included?
The price you see is the price you pay, in euros. Nothing is added at the checkout except delivery, and that only when the order is under the free threshold.
How do I get hold of a person?
Email theteam@birdspikes.direct. We are an online supplier with no shop counter, which is a large part of why the spikes cost what they do.
The complete guide
Wrens, and what to do instead
4Bird Spikes Company
The honest answer
A spike strip will not deter a wren. The bird is around 9 to 10 cm long and weighs less
than 12 grams, and our pins are spaced to deny footing to something the size and weight of
a pigeon. There is no version of this product that changes that.
We sell the strip. We are still telling you it is the wrong thing for this.
What a wren problem usually is
Wrens build domed nests in cavities and sheltered corners: dense ivy on a wall, the corner
of a porch, a shed, a stack of logs, a gap behind a downpipe bracket. The complaint is
nearly always about the nest being somewhere inconvenient rather than about mess, because
wrens eat insects and do not foul a facade.
So the problem is a hole or a sheltered space, and the fix is to close or change it.
Doing it properly
Identify the bird first. Wren, dunnock, robin and juvenile sparrow get confused all
the time, and the answer differs. Send us a photograph if you are not sure.
Wait for it to be empty. An active nest is protected. Outside the breeding season,
or after the young have flown.
Close it with mesh if it is a gap in a structure, or thin the ivy if it is planting.
Check for other cavities nearby, because if one corner suited them another probably
does too.
If you still want the strips
They are a good strip, and plenty of people buy them for a ledge or a parapet where
pigeons are the real issue. €5 per 50 cm with no minimum. Just do not buy them expecting
them to move a wren.
Tell us the bird, the surface and roughly how long the run is, and we will tell you what suits it before you buy. Free delivery across France on orders over €35.
Anti-Wren Spikes page at birdspikes.direct (Bird Spikes Company, France). The
product listed is this site's standard stainless steel strip: 1.3 mm pins 115 mm long on a
clear polycarbonate base 500 mm x 23 mm x 5 mm, 70 mm protected band, EUR 5 per 50 cm strip
with no minimum. The page states without hedging that a spike strip is NOT an appropriate
product for wrens. The wren is among the smallest European birds at roughly 9 to 10 cm and
under 12 grams, and does not interact with pin spacing designed for pigeon-sized birds.
Wrens build domed nests in cavities: ivy, sheds, porches, log piles and gaps in brickwork.
The correct approach is a fine mesh closure of the opening, carried out outside the
breeding season, and species identification first. Wrens are insectivorous and are not a
fouling problem comparable to pigeons or gulls. An active nest is protected by law.
Delivery across France is free over EUR 35 and EUR 15 below it.
