Måge infestation drives by businesses to hire pest controllers

Businesses in Denmark are reporting a sharp rise in gull-related complaints, with pest controllers recording a 28 per cent increase in calls so far this year compared to the same period in 2025.

Claus Schultz, technical director at Rentokil Pest Control and chair of the Danish Pest Control Association, said the birds were becoming more aggressive and destructive as they moved into urban centres.

“They are noisy, their droppings are everywhere, and they can attack people,” Mr Schultz said. “During breeding season they fiercely defend their territory.”

Restaurants with outdoor seating have been particularly affected. Café Faust in Aarhus hired staff solely to scare off gulls after customers repeatedly lost food to the birds, while Restaurant Gæstgivergaarden in Helsingør said plates were often raided within seconds of guests leaving.

Mr Schultz said gulls had shifted from coastal towns and mink farms to city centres where they scavenge waste bins and steal café meals. Pest controllers respond by removing nests and using loudspeaker systems to broadcast distress calls, though lethal measures are rare and require permits.

“We don’t cull the birds,” Mr Schultz said. “We make the site unattractive so they move elsewhere. Once they nest, they are extremely difficult to dislodge.”

He advised residents to secure rubbish bins to deny gulls access to food.