How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers

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Woodpeckers can cause hundreds of dollars of damage each year to homeowners.  They can also be a nuisance, hammering all day on the side of your home, telephone pole, tree or other noisy area.  It seems that woodpeckers hammer for several reasons: to attract mates, establish or defend their territory, create a nesting or roosting site and to search for insects for food.  They will drum on all types of substrates including wood, metal, plastic and stucco.  They seem to love the loud sounds that they produce.   All of this drumming can create costly damage for homeowners and building management.  Woodpeckers will frequently damage cedar, rough pine and redwood siding and even some synthetic stucco finishes; causing hundreds of dollars in damage each year.

Woodpeckers are migratory birds and are thus protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treat Act.  This means you must be very careful when choosing a method of deterring woodpeckers.   You must choose a non-lethal method.  Luckily there are many non-lethal woodpecker deterrents available on the market. Some of these include visual repellents, loud noises, and exclusion.  It is very important to take immediate action to reduce the damage, as woodpeckers are not easily driven from their territories or pecking sites once they have become established. There is no "standard" approach to dealing with woodpecker damage. Evaluate each individual situation separately to determine the most effective woodpecker control measures. Often more than one technique (for example, using both visual and sound repellents) may provide the best control.


Methods for Deterring Woodpeckers:

Exclusion

Netting is one of the most effective methods to get rid of woodpeckers from damaging wood siding beneath the eaves is to place lightweight plastic bird-type netting over the area. A mesh of 3/4 inch is generally recommended. At least 3 inches of space should be left between the netting and the damaged building so that birds cannot cause damage through the mesh. The netting can also be attached to the overhanging eaves and angled back to the siding below the damaged area and secured taut but not overly tight. Be sure to secure the netting so that the birds have no way to get behind it. If installed properly, the netting is barely visible from a distance and will offer a long-term solution to the damage problem.  Once the birds have moved to another area, the netting can be taken down.

Visual Repellents

The best way to get rid of woodpeckers from destroying valuable trees and wood sidings is to discourage them from pecking using a visual repellent. You can use Mylar FlashTape, Scare Balloons, or even hanging CD’s. These devises cause a visual distraction that bothers the birds and they will move on to an area that is more “pleasant” to them.

Noise Repellents

Using loud noises like rock music or bird distress calls is also an effective way to discourage the birds. You can find tapes or even sonic devices on the market that play distress and predator calls of birds.  Remember to use these techniques as soon as damage begins and continue them for at least 8 days. Understand that when the birds leave one site they simply move to another one.  Just hope that the new site is on something other than your home.

In most cases you can get control quickly and effectively if you use an integrated approach: put up visual woodpecker repellents, use a chemical repellent and harass the birds with noise.  Once the woodpeckers have moved on, you can remove the woodpecker deterrents, but save them because you can be assured that they will be back next year!