Wondering how to get rid of woodpeckers?

Here at American Standard Roofing, we get a lot of questions from homeowners who are inquisitive about woodpeckers. While everyone enjoys the birds singing, flowers blossoming and bees buzzing, no homeowner wants woodpeckers pecking on the outside of their home damaging it. The most frequently asked question is the most important one: how to get rid of woodpeckers. Homeowners in particular are interested to knowing about preventive measure that can be taken to limit the damage caused by woodpeckers. Another most frequently asked question we get is why these woodpeckers hammer on the outside of the houses.

Our experts have done some research on how to get rid of woodpeckers. We will discuss all of these important issues and give some tips and advice on how to keep your home woodpecker free and how to get rid of woodpeckers the safe way.

Why do Woodpeckers peck on the outside of my home?

In order to learn how to get rid of woodpeckers, readers first need to learn on why woodpeckers hammer on the outside of the house. According toCornell Lab Study published in the journal Human-Wildlife Impacts there are four main reasons why woodpeckers peck on the outside of your home

1. The bird is trying to mark it’s territory by making a loud noise.
2. Because the woodpecker wants to create a nest. In that case the hole they make will be round and large.
3. The woodpecker might be feeding off on insects living on the inside of the sidings and trimmings.
4. The bird might be storing food. Different breeds of the bird are known to store acorns in those holes they peck.

Our roofing experts would also like to point out that the most common culprits in the Michigan area are the Acorn, Downy, Hairy, Pileated, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

Preventive Measures:

So what kind of deterrents and preventive measures will work when it comes to how to get rid of woodpeckers? Here is a list of things compiled by our experts.

Lighter Colors:

The same Cornell Lab Study cited earlier also points out that aluminum and vinyl sidings that are lighter in color are less likely to be pecked and damaged by woodpeckers. The drawback however is pretty obvious. If they continue hammering, it can get loud and frustrating for homeowners. Woodpeckers usually stop hammering in the spring time when they start breeding. This is because they mostly hammer to attract a mate and to mark their territory. If you want to see results in how to get rid of woodpeckers, go for lighter color sidings.

Wood gets more damage:

How to get rid of woodpeckers? This is a big one. Wooden sidings and trimmings compared to metal or aluminum, get damaged more if woodpeckers hammer on them. A good measure would be to switch to metal or aluminum, depending on the area the home is built in.

Commercial areas get less damage:

Homes built near wooded areas are obviously more vulnerable to damage caused by woodpeckers. Comparatively, homes in commercial areas are less prone to damage caused by the birds. This is because wooded areas are more of a natural habitat for the bird.

Call the Exterminator:

If the pecking is due to woodpeckers looking for food, the holes made on the outside will be small and irregular. This is opposite of when they are making a nest (in which case the hole will be round and large). If you see irregular holes, the problem is more than likely insects inside your trimmings and sidings. Woodpeckers eat larvae of insects. An exterminator will know how to get rid of woodpeckers and be able to get rid of the insect problem permanently.

Other Methods:

According to a study published in Journal of Wildlife Management, there were six preventive measures tested to see how to get rid of woodpeckers. They also were tested to see if they could prevent long-term damage from woodpeckers. These methods included using life-sized plastic owl and fishing lines with plastic eyes (to give the scare-crow effect), using reflective streamers with shiny coating, sound system with calls of a hawk to scare woodpeckers and roost boxes among others. Test results showed that scare crow effect techniques only worked in the beginning. Later on the woodpeckers got used to them. The only effective method was using the streamers whose color and wind effect kept woodpeckers from doing damage.

In addition to above deterrents, our experts also suggest that they have heard of some success with homeowners using reflective tape and strips of aluminum foils along the places where there is damage. Sometimes windsocks and pinwheels work too. Sometimes people use bird nets for gardens to get some extent of effectiveness. Unfortunately nothing works 100% all the time, and homeowners need to engage in variety of tricks to keep woodpeckers at bay.