Woodpecker drilling holes in house.

J

joseph

Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
1,614
Likes
1,199
Feedback: 0 / 0 / 0
It about 35 feet up and don't know how to get rid of the bastard. I wanted to put fly paper around the hole, but I don't think I can get up that high. I can not shoot it because my house is to close to my neighbors and besides as soon as it sees me it flies away. I'll have to hire someone to get up there and tack the flypaper up there. My neighbor down the street put a beach ball with large spots on it that look like eyes and he says it works. I'll have to try that also.

Any other suggestions?
 
Last edited:
my neighbor just redid the whole side of his house with that texture 9 plywood(with grooves) stuff wasnt cheap at all....a woodpecker destroyed a section of it he discovered recently...I told him I heard hangin one of those cheap pie tins on a string help scare them away when they blow in the wind etc..worth a shot
 
There's rapid drilling for insects and then there's a slow pounding called "drumming" which I think is marking their territory or calling for mates or both. If they are drumming, they like the hollow sound of the house.

I have read about people putting up drumming poles, with a wood "target" hockey puck on a hollow structure to make the drumming especially loud.

- - - Updated - - -

DonKroob said:
It would probably be illegal to take a 30 dollar pellet gun an shoot said bird.
Click to expand...

They are skittish as hell.
 
We had a few Blue Jays doing that thinking they were woodpeckers for about three weeks this past summer, all of a sudden they just stopped.

As for the woodpecker I'd put out a suet feeder and see if they went after that instead, better food for less work may get them off your house. I'd still try and get to the spot though to make sure it isn't rotting/rotted.
 
I needed a 15,000 dollar vinyl siding job to get rid of them. I tried the big beach ball eyeball, owl, and bb gun(never got a shot, they are very skiddish!)
 
My parents had that, they were pecking around where an A/C unit was going into the wall, so after fixing the holes they put up some ugly reflecting tape that kind of fixed it (the tape didn't stay well), so they swapped that for having some metal flashing put around the A/C hoses and the problem hasn't come back up.
 
As another said, you have bugs in your siding. They need moisture to live too, fix that.
 
DonKroob said:
It would probably be illegal to take a 30 dollar pellet gun an shoot said bird.
Click to expand...


Haha, yea.
I had the same problem many years ago. Eventually it went away, but I didn't know why.
Some time later in chatting with a neighbor, found out he too had the problem. Apparently he paid a neighbor kid with a BB gun a $1 a head. [smile]
When it was happening, I had started thinking about gluing some primers to the board in the area of the pecking.

But yea, it is just a symptom, likely got some bugs in there.
 
NickLeduc said:
I had this a few years back. I opened the hole to find that I had carpenter bees on that side of the house.
Click to expand...
Carpenter bees is my bet.
They bore a 3/8" hole then tunnel sideways a few inches and lay their eggs. When the larva hatch the woodpeckers come and get them. I'm told the woodpeckers are helping as much as hurting because if the larva make it out, they come back to the same board, drill a new hole and lay their eggs.

I've replaced trim boards, and have more to do. I'm going all plastic.
 
I had one, replaced the clapboards with cedar, problem solved. Insects hate cedar and no insects no woodpeckers.
 
I had this problem until, I assume, The F'er died. I hope it was lead paint poisoning. And there wasn't an insect problem or water problem. I have cedar shakes and they resist insects and decay. Unfortunately they don't resist woodpeckers.

On a side note we have deer and elk archery targets at our gun club that the woodpeckers have been punching holes in and they are solid foam with no insects in them.
 
Last edited:
Christian said:
As for the woodpecker I'd put out a suet feeder and see if they went after that instead, better food for less work may get them off your house. I'd still try and get to the spot though to make sure it isn't rotting/rotted.
Click to expand...

All that would do is attract more woodpeckers. Woodpeckers don't put holes in your house because they are looking for insects. They are doing it to mark territory.

We have a suet feeder. And we've had holes in out house and our neighbor's house.
 
I went online and found many products for this but a roll of mylar silver tape that reflects color had the best reviews. I either tacked it near the holes or hung it out the closest window and have not seen a woodpecker since. I live next to a 130 acres reservation and have had problems overs the years. I've replaced many sections of shingles and never found any water damage or bugs, I've had them go after the brand new shingles the same day i put them up which made me want to go after them with snake shot. Thankfully cooler heads prevailed and I found this tape.
 
M1911 said:
Unlikely. They are marking territory, not feeding.
Click to expand...

I'm with M1911 on this one. A few years ago I had a single woodpecker driving us nuts every morning. He constantly drummed on the same exact place. There was no sign of wood rot or moisture when my son and I pulled things apart to check.

We put up a 12" piece of this stuff and haven't been bothered since.
 
I heard drumming outside my office door. Saw the woodpecker under the railing. Went out to look and found a few of those 3/8" holes and tunnels in the wood. Need to spray into the holes, then plug them up and the problem would go away.
 
Woodpeckers are federally protected. Found out the hard way after I used bb gun. Take the siding off and see what's under there. I had carpenter bees as others did as well.
 
icyclefar said:
You have a moisture problem and insects, the woodpecker is just letting you know.
Click to expand...


This was always my understanding. The woodpecker won't peck unless he hears insects. At least that's what I've been told.


ETA: as other's said, maybe it isn't actually feeding.
 
i had one trying to drill through an aluminum flue cap. multiple times. thought my gas furnace was blowing up. one day i was outside heard it, looked up and spotted him/her. stopped doing it, never knew why.
 
My Mother had one that every morning at 7:30 it would land on the side of the metal vent for the Hot Water Heater and pound away. You could set your watch by it.

Malodave
 
Ribbon.

Older friend of mine has a 3' piece of ribbon tacked to his house (same color as his house), and I asked what gives? Told me that was an old trick used to scare off woodpeckers. Tack it up just over the spot, so it swings in the wind across the area they peck at. He showed me a couple of places that he had done so.

So, when I had the same issue, I tacked up ribbon just over the spot, sure enough seemed to work for me. Not sure why, but they don't like it.

I would guess that the silver mylar tape previously mentioned may do the same thing.
 

Similar threads

House Republicans sell us out
2 3 4
Replies
114
Views
3K
EJFudd
EJFudd
Third world holes run by power loving commies?
Replies
15
Views
503
SpaceCritter
SpaceCritter
ltc in worcester
Replies
8
Views
228
Len-2A Training
Len-2A Training
Colorado House Democrats Pass Bill Banning AR-15s and 9mm Pistols with Threaded Barrels
2
Replies
49
Views
1K
Amputee Marksman
Amputee Marksman
Going To The Nut House??? Being Forced Into The Nut House Without Losing Your Gun Rights
2
Replies
30
Views
702
GL2020
GL2020
Back
Top Bottom