Woodpecker damage
Questions and Answers
Asked by R. McNally on woodpecker damage
How can you keep a woodpecker from making holes in cedar siding? The woodpeckers are making holes at the corners of the house.
Hello Mr. McNally,
I have been called upon to repair woodpecker damage many time over the years. The best (and cheapest) solution I have found to discourage woodpeckers from damaging your siding is with a rubber snake. Procure a cheap rubber snake (or several if required) at a toy store. Get one at least a couple of feet long and tack it to the siding or place it on a window sill near where the damage is occurring. Birds have an instinctive fear of snakes and will usually avoid areas where a snake is visible.
Besides looking for a place to nest, woodpeckers create holes in trees and houses looking for insects and insect larva. One of their favorites is carpenter bee larva. See Bee Observant for some insight on controlling carpenter bees.
Good luck,
Tony
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Great tips here. Thanks for another heulfpl tutorial! Caulking is more important than most DIYers know. It makes a huge difference on inside trim the difference between a custom look and an incomplete job. I’m a professional housepainter, and one of the first things I do when painting interiors is make sure all joints, where trim meets the wall, or trim meets trim, are caulked. That means tops of baseboards, around all doors and windows, and the corners of window and door trim. The exceptions are when there is wallpaper or unpainted wood paneling on the walls, or when the trim is stained instead of painted.Thanks again for all the good advice.
Thanks for mentioning using a rubber snake to scare away woodpeckers. It makes sense that they would stay away if they thought there was a predator around. I am dealing with woodpeckers damaging my siding, and I really want to get rid of them. I will give this a try and see if it helps, thanks for sharing!