How to stop the woodpeckers from pecking your home:
Posted on December 7, 2020
Almost 20% of the homes we work on in the Boston area have woodpecker holes. Of course, our carpenters can fill the holes with wood putty so water doesn’t get inside your wood siding and trim and cause the wood to rot, but here, we’ll explain how to prevent woodpeckers from drilling holes into your home and how to fix the holes if you already have them.
Why are woodpeckers pecking my house?
Do you have a woodpecker hole in your house? Here are some reasons why:
Woodpeckers peck to attract a mate: The woodpeckers love to hear their beaks’ drumming sound and use it to attract a mate. Fall and Spring are the most common times you might hear them pecking. They also might drum against metal gutters because they find that sound pleasing.
Woodpeckers might be nesting: If the hole you see in your home is round and large, woodpeckers are pecking your home to roost or nest. Nesting holes are usually built in the Spring. If you need to remove the woodpeckers nest from your home, try to do it after the nesting season.
Woodpeckers peck for food: if you suspect the woodpecker is preying on insects such as bees or termites inside your siding or trim, you may need to call an exterminator. If your home has shingles or shakes, insects often lay their eggs in the spaces between each piece of wood, attracting woodpeckers looking for food.
Important to know: In our experience, “pecking for foods/insects” is rarely seen on South Shore and Boston-area homes.
Shelter: If you notice larger holes, the woodpecker may be building a nest in your home.
Whatever the reason, you must stop the woodpecker from drumming on your home.
Woodpecker deterrents:
Use chicken wire or metal flashing to cover the area: Place the barrier so the woodpecker’s beak can no longer reach the house. Be sure to cover the area completely, as woodpeckers are skilled at finding tiny openings to peck through.
Woodpeckers hate metallic and flashy items so hang some metallic tape or discs near the pecking spot. Because woodpeckers hate sudden movements, it’s important that the metallic discs or tape swing in the wind. Many people try making their own using old compact discs, but we’ve found that CDs and aluminum pie tins don’t work nearly as well as these metallic discs made specifically for deterring woodpeckers.
Sonic deterrents: Devices that emit high-frequency sounds are unpleasant to woodpeckers. These devices can be effective at scaring woodpeckers away, but in our experience, you may need to be combined with other methods to be truly effective.
Woodpeckers are scared of owls – hanging an owl statue often works to deter woodpeckers and other birds, and hanging the owl so it swings works even better than a static owl statue because woodpeckers are startled by sudden movements.
Trim back large trees from your home (try methods 1-3 first; this is the last resort).
Never use sticky “repellent,” like Tanglefoot Pest Control, Roost-No-More, or Bird Stop, outdoors. Sticky repellents can injure or kill the woodpeckers.
We can fix woodpecker holes on your home:
Our carpenters can fix woodpecker holes as long as they are not too large or replace the wood boards on your home that have been pecked.
To fix the woodpecker holes yourself, fill them with wood putty and sand, then prime and paint the hole so it’s not noticeable.
Important: Keep your owl statue or metallic discs on your home even after fixing your woodpecker holes.
Note that the woodpecker may leave one side of your home and start pecking on the other side, so you may also have to add a deterrent on the other side of your home.
If you have any questions about preventing woodpecker holes, feel free to email [email protected]. We’re happy to answer your questions even if you’re doing the painting project yourself.
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Our carpentry services fix your woodpecker holes or rotted wood.
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