Each year homeowners spend hundreds of dollars cleaning up and repairing the damage caused by pest woodpeckers. Woodpeckers are also a nuisance with their hammering on the sides of homes, telephone poles, trees and other noisy areas.
Woodpeckers hammer for several reasons: to attract a mate, establish or defend their territory, create a nesting or roosting site and to search for insects for food. They will “drum” on all sorts of surfaces including wood, metal, plastic and stucco. No home is really save from the damage caused by these hole-digging birds. They frequently damage cedar, rough pine and redwood siding, but will even attack synthetic stucco finishes.
Homeowners must be careful when choosing a method of deterring Woodpeckers, as the US Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects them. Be sure to choose non-lethal methods of bird control. There are many options a homeowner has to humanely get rid of pest woodpeckers. There are visual bird repellents, loud noise sound bird deterrents and exclusion methods of pest bird control. There is not one sure-fire method of woodpecker control. A combination of several of the methods described may have to be used.
Methods for Getting Rid of Pest Woodpeckers
- Visual bird deterrents work well in trees and under the eaves of homes. The visual deterrents such as flash tape, diverters or scary balloons, create a visual distraction zone that the birds stay away from. The “shiny” surface will sparkle with the sunshine and cause the birds to fly in another direction and stay away from that area. Even hanging old CDs from string in trees or along the side of the home can work as a visual bird deterrent
- Sound deterrents work to engage the woodpecker’s natural instincts. Sound deterrents play the distress calls and predator calls of the target birds. They usually play for about 2 minutes and then break for about 10 minutes, so the birds do not get used to the sound. The woodpeckers hear this and naturally leave the area as they instinctually sense fear and danger. It is important that a bird deterrent is used as soon as damage is noticed or before the birds ever arrive. Once a woodpecker has established its territory it will be almost impossible to get rid of.
- Exclusion is the best method for keeping woodpeckers away from homes and other areas they like to drill. Netting can be hung from the eave of a home or building about 3-4 inches from the wall where the woodpecker is causing damage. A sturdy plastic bird netting is perfect for the job. Netting can also be hung from the edge of the roof and attached to the building wall below where the woodpecker damage is, this keeps them from being able to get back to their drilling area. Installed properly, the netting will be invisible and unobtrusive.
The best way to get rid of woodpeckers is to do something before they arrive. If a certain area of a building is attacked every year by woodpeckers, put up the bird deterrent before they return. This will keep the woodpecker from establishing a territory and move it on to a new area. Once the birds have moved on and established themselves somewhere else, the bird deterrents can be removed until next year.
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