stopping swallows/housemartins building

Help needed quickly. Housemartins have decided to target us for a major building project. 5 sets of birds are trying to build nests. 3 over doors.

Its messy, will wreck the render. They can build on the garage just not on house especially over doors.

Anyone any tips on how to stop them . . . its just a few pellets of mud at the moment and I'm aware can't do anyting once the eggs are in situ.

If you use some of the old insulation (that used to be used in attics) - they don't like the scratchy feel of it either. Sorry can't remember the name of it. Then it is easy for you to remove at a later date once the nesting period has passed - my dad used this before and it was successful.
Hope it helps - I am sure others will have better solutions.

had same problem........brush the mud away and keep checking and brushing and they will go of somewhere else.

Its not that easy. Its a two storey house so its a good height up and some are over small extensions out!

I'm normally a nature lover but last night was being driven to desperation by the feckers.

(got a power wash out and washed what they'd done away).

Am going to make some strips/streamers of plastic and attach them up into the eves and maybe put some insulation up there too.

We cut clear plastic bags to make streamers as you said and that worked last year, they don't seem to be around our house this year but are at work in sheds, so we got decoy magpie's and have two of them hanging up in the shed and it seems to be working, we keep a check on it each day also.

I think the big draw for them to us this year is lots of eaves and peaks with windows into roof and loads of freshly tilled soil in garden.

Will have to scale ladder myself tonight with my arts and crafts! Him indoors is scared of heights!