Woodpecker Deterrent
Woodpecker Deterrent That Keeps Woodpeckers Away
The best way to keep woodpeckers away is to install woodpecker deterrents and woodpecker repellents. There are several methods for deterring woodpeckers from your property. Our bird control experts have listed Bird B Gone’s most popular recommendations below.
Woodpeckers are protected both federally and by state laws, prohibiting any harm or capturing of the bird species. This means only non-lethal, humane, and proactive methods should be used to deter them.
Why Do Woodpeckers Drill Holes
Woodpeckers drill holes for a variety of reasons, but these three are the most common.
- Creating a nesting cavity
- Mating call to attract a mate
- Looking for insect and bug larva (bees, beetles, etc.)
One of the most obvious is to excavate a cavity for nesting or roosting and another is to search for food. In the spring, woodpeckers also use a rhythmic pecking called "drumming" to establish a territory and attract a mate. Complaints of woodpeckers on houses during this period indicate that the birds are using the house as a "singing" post. Woodpecker damage typically consists of holes drilled into wood siding or trees. A woodpecker will select a tree or home for no particular reason. They will usually choose a few favorite areas and attack them repeatedly throughout a mating season. It seems they prefer softer woods like cedar and redwood siding.
Each year woodpeckers cause hundreds of dollars of damage to homes, structures, buildings and utility poles throughout the country. They will hammer on the sides of our houses and other buildings to attract mates, establish or defend a territory, excavate a nesting or roosting site, and to search for insects. Drumming sites can include wooden shingles, cedar siding, metal or plastic gutters, antennas and light posts. Woodpeckers love the loud sounds they produce. They frequently damage cedar, rough pine redwood siding and some synthetic stucco finishes; causing thousands of dollars in damage each year.
Woodpecker Deterrents
Woodpecker deterrents come in various forms such as visual and sound deterrents and even netting. Visual and sound deterrents are very accessible and easy to install. This makes them the perfect deterrents for your first line of defense. The items below are a few of the most popular items for first-timers looking for a quick fix to a new woodpecker problem. Pair sound and visuals for a better chance at scaring woodpeckers away from your home.
- Woodpecker Deterrent Kit. The Woodpecker Kit includes visual woodpecker deterrents such as the scare balloon, red/silver flash tape, and brackets to install the items. This kit is perfect for those looking to solve newly developed woodpecker problem. You can easily increase the area of coverage by adding additional rolls of flash tape and scare balloons purchases separately.
- Bird Chase Super Sonic & Solar Bird Chase Units. These units incorporate woodpecker distress calls and predatory hawk calls to frighten birds into leaving the area. They both cover up to an acre in area. Pairing these units with the Woodpecker Kit and or other visual scare tactics increases your chances of humanely driving unwanted birds away from your house.
- Woodpecker Deterrent Netting. Sometimes you need something that will do more than just scare away birds, that’s when our 3/4" Garden Netting is ideal. Why? Well it's inexpensive, durable, UV stabilized and its 3/4" mesh is perfect for stopping woodpeckers. Suspend this net from the roof down past the damaged areas. You can staple or use brackets, whichever is easier for you. This will block those pest woodpeckers from destroying your sidewalls. If you don’t mind having a net suspended temporarily until woodpeckers move on, this is hands down the best method to use. For permanent installations, we recommend looking into our heavy-duty bird netting.
Woodpecker Repellent
Woodpecker repellents incorporate taste and smell to drive woodpeckers away from your property. Unlike visual and sound deterrents, woodpecker repellents do not need to be seen or heard to be effective. They are low-profile and highly effective, making them extremely popular for residential and commercial applications. Incorporating these repellents with sound and visual deterrents will surely create a no-fly zone.
- Avian Block Pouches are a powerful grape-scented aromatic woodpecker repellent. Avian Block uses grape seed extract, otherwise known as Methyl Anthranilate, to irritate birds. Unlike other woodpecker repellent sprays, Avian Block delivers the grape extract in a granular pouch form. Hang pouches where damage has been seen to repel birds from the area. Once woodpeckers breath in the grape seed extract they quickly learn to evade the area. Each Pouch covers a 10’ x 10’ x 10’ area (1,000 cubic feet).
- BeakGuard Repellent Paint is a paint-based woodpecker repellent. When birds peck at the painted areas, the irritating taste repels the woodpeckers. Woodpeckers will quickly associate the irritating taste with the painted areas, driving them away. This paint is available in 20 different color options to match your home aesthetic.
When the season ends and the woodpeckers migrate away from your area, most of the woodpecker deterrents that you have been installed can be put away and stored for next year. It is a good idea to add woodpecker control to your list of spring activities like opening the pool or boat, putting out the patio furniture and cleaning off the barbecue.
