9 Ways To Get Rid of Woodpeckers Pecking at Your House


ways to get rid of woodpeckers

Woodpeckers come in a range of sizes, from the smallest downy woodpecker to large crow-sized pileated woodpeckers. As much as seeing them is inspiring and fascinating as their drumming echoes in nearby woodlands, they can have a destructive effect on your home.

Deterring woodpeckers from drilling into the slats of your house can be done with different options from reflective tape, holographic predator bird balloons, deterrent mesh, and destress call sound machines. Avoid natural stains, and opt for a more brightly finished color coat can also help.

How To Get Rid Of Woodpeckers?

Nobody wants big gaping holes in their walls, but getting rid of woodpeckers can be done humanely with a few different innovative products.

Although we may consider them a pest, they are protected by environmental laws for the benefits they bring to the ecosystem.

Here are 9 ways to that can help you get rid of woodpeckers pecking at your house.

1. Determine The Reason Why You Have A Woodpecker Problem

Determining why you suddenly have a woodpecker problem is the first step in understanding the reason for their visit and how to go about removing the issue.

Woodpeckers hammer for three main reasons

  • Drumming is a social behavior for the woodpeckers and a way to let others know of their presence and mark their territory during the mating seasons.
  • Drilling for food and insects in wooden cavities or perished wood.
  • Or nesting by carving out cavities to make a comfortable nest for their family.

Determining why a woodpecker has taken a liking to your home will help you determine which of the below steps to take or a combination of them.

2. Remove The Food Source

Carefully inspect your house for any small cavities harboring insect nests, either old or new. These may be why the woodpeckers are having a banging old time with your house.

If woodpeckers are hammering your walls for food sources, then you will find small holes either horizontally or vertically on your walls; removing any old nests that attract them should curb their eagerness to peck at your house.

Woodpeckers love feeding on termites, ants, and carpenter bee larvae, so ensure you don’t have an infestation or nest in your walls. If you find any insect nests, you should have them removed.

You can do so yourself or get a company to do it for you, but make sure to use pesticides that are targeted at insects and are fairly harmless for birdlife and animals.

3. Use Decoy Woodpecker Feeder

Woodpeckers are dependent on woodlands and old trees to forage for food and build nests; with the destruction of forests and woodlands, the woodpecker’s habitat has become smaller, and they adapt to their surroundings in search of food, so your house is as good as any source.

Add a decoy feeder for the woodpeckers, strategically placed away from your house to lure them away from your home.

Place suet bird feeders to give the birds an alternative feed source. Woodpeckers are omnivorous and enjoy berries and fruits, planting berry bushes and fruit trees away from your house will still attract the woodpeckers to your yard but will entice them to stay away from your walls.

Only do this if you have dealt with the insect problem first, they may be omnivorous, but their favorite foods are worms and larvae.

4. Use Woodpecker Deterrent Sounds

Woodpeckers have different sounds for communication, and placing a woodpecker deterrent sound device near where they are wreaking havoc could help scare them away.

These little devices work better than constantly making a raucous yourself to scare them away. The devices play a series of recorder woodpecker warning and distress calls, normally followed by the sounds of a predator, confusing and alarming the woodpeckers.

Hopefully, with enough agitation, the woodpecker will decide to move on to better environments without all the distractions.

This is an effective solution that doesn’t create unnecessary noise pollution and can be most effective when coupled with decoy predator statues or moving objects.

5. Install A Woodpecker Decoy Predator

There are several ways to add decoy predators to your home and yard to outwit the woodpecker.

Add cutout owls or hawks and place them in trees and branches near where they are causing damage. The movement of the cutout will unsettle the woodpeckers and cause them to fly off.

You can add statues of hawks or owls in and around your garden to create an unwelcoming environment for them, but be sure to move the decoys every couple of days, or the woodpeckers may get smart to your decoys and realize they pose no threat.

6. Install Woodpecker Nets

Making use of bird netting could be the best solution to your woodpecker problem. Closing off the affected area with bird-friendly netting or burlap will prevent the woodpeckers from further damaging your home.

When using this method, make sure to place the netting at least three inches away from any surface so the woodpecker cannot reach the surface and ensure the sides are closed off to prevent birds from getting trapped under the net.

7. Use Reflectors To Scare Away Woodpeckers

Using reflectors can help alarm woodpeckers and cause them to fly off. There are different ideas to use here, and they can all be effective to some degree. Sometimes this, coupled with other solutions, yield a high success rate.

Make sure you use a material that will move and shimmer, such as;

  • Reflective tape
  • Aluminum foil strips
  • Mylar balloons
  • Wind chimes

Hang these objects near where woodpeckers roost or damage your walls and allow them to move with the wind.

Woodpeckers rely on their sense of sight and hearing, so sudden flashes of light or sounds will make the woodpecker jittery and, with enough encouragement, may decide that it’s too risky to stick around.

8. Repair Holes In Your House

If you spot holes in your walls, make sure to fix and fill them up. Holes are great spots for insects to make their nests that will definitely attract woodpeckers.

Holes in your wooden slats can also perish and become brittle with time as weather conditions deteriorate the wood. This makes the perfect spot to drill into and for making nests easily.

9. Install A Woodpeckers Nesting Box

You may think this is counter-effective, but with woodpecker habitats being destroyed to make space for more urban areas, the woodpeckers find it harder to find good nesting spots in rotted trees where they can excavate nests for the breeding seasons.

Maybe you got rid of some old barren trees that didn’t fit in with the landscaping, removing the woodpecker’s nesting possibilities, so the next best thing is your house.

Adding a nesting box can provide an ideal spot to raise the family.

Conclusion

The destruction of woodlands and forests has created a love-hate relationship between humans and woodpeckers. They are wonderful to behold but can be a costly pest if they take a liking to your home. Finding ways to deter them is important for your sanity and theirs.

Investigate the reason for their intrusion and use methods related to the reasons to get rid of the birds to prevent further damage to your home.

References

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-do-woodpeckers-like-to-hammer-on-houses-and-what-can-i-do-about-

https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Woodpeckers

Donald Bergeson

I have always been fascinated by the skill, strength, and beauty of birds.They help in maintaining a balance of ecological environment. At Best Bird Guide, I share all of my experiences and discoveries that I have got so far and inspire more devoted fans.

Recent Posts