How to Deal with Woodpecker Damage around your Home
Viking Product Supply is based in Southwestern Ohio. This part of the United States is home to seven woodpecker species (Downy, Red-Bellied, and Pileated Wood-Peckers are the most notorious house damagers in Ohio), and they often don’t peck on trees alone. When woodpeckers decide a home is ripe for the pecking, they will attack it and cause extensive damage. Many factors revolve around why woodpeckers target certain houses. This article will discuss the main reasons why woodpeckers peck and how to deal with woodpecker damage at your home.
Woodpeckers Pecked this hole to make a nest inside the wall cavity.
Viking Product Supply and How We Became Experts at Woodpecker Control Strategies
Viking Product Supply “V.P.S.” was formed by several professional wildlife control operators dealing firsthand with controlling woodpeckers. After realizing current pest control products on the market were not ideal for long-term control, V.P.S. decided to add bird control products to their product line. After a decade of research and years of prototyping and field testing various methods, the Bird Banisher was created. The testing was quite simple. We would produce various products built with different components and install them on customer’s homes. If they broke, we trashed them; if they worked and held up under extreme conditions, we continued evaluating them. This went on for several years until we found green to be the most frightful color to native woodpeckers, and the components used on the device would hold well to wind, rain, and sunlight (UV Damage). We then learned the correct locations and methods for long-term woodpecker control, and the rest is history.
Why are the Woodpeckers Pecking on Your House?
Several good articles on the internet lay the framework for good woodpecker control. However, many are filled with bad advice. The majority of these sites list products and prescriptions for success that are not complete and have many flaws. Here is the truth on How to Deal with Woodpecker Damage:
Seldom ever does a home have an insect infestation such as ants or termites actively sought out by woodpeckers. If the woodpecker attraction to the home’s wood paneling, siding, or fascia, then the most common issue is carpenter bee larvae. Woodpeckers may attack the wood as a food source, and Talstar Pro is not the best option for gaining control of this insect, as many places recommend. You would be better off with an insecticidal dust “Tempo” or a liquid spot treatment with Taurus SC or Termidor (Fipronil is Toxic to bees).
Woodpeckers drum and peck repeatedly on the house siding to establish their territory, attract mates, ward off competition from other woodpeckers, search for nesting cavity locations, and find food. Finding suitable nest sites is a common springtime activity for woodpeckers. The most noticeable activity by far is woodpecker drumming on homes to declare territory and seek out mates. The least common woodpecker action is searching for food on homes.
The Do’s & Dont’s of How to Deal with Woodpecker Damage
Many bird control websites will advise you to use “For The Birds” Repellent Liquid; this is a horrible recommendation for woodpecker control. It would have to be spread over the home’s entire siding and fascia and cause more harm than good. A similar product is called the JT Eaton Bird Repellent Gel. These repellent gels are made for roosting birds, not woodpeckers.
The Birds-Away Attack Spider is a great deterrent idea for woodpeckers; however, it is so poorly made I would never recommend it for long-term control. This device requires batteries, so expect constant maintenance, and the quality is so bad it may break before it is ever installed.
Anti Bird Protection Netting is probable the worst recommendation someone could recommend for woodpecker control. Bird Netting is expensive and would cost tens of thousands of dollars to do this over the entire house. It would also not be aesthetically pleasing and, therefore, a bad choice.
The best woodpecker deterrent on the pest control market is the Bird Banisher. When this woodpecker flasher device is installed in areas near woodpecker damage, the chances of success are high. Installing this visual deterrent along the edge of the roof in areas with good sunlight and wind are key factors for winning the battle against these pest birds. The Bird Banishers spin and emit green light reflections across the home’s siding to trick the woodpeckers into thinking something is attacking them. This constant aggravation creates an uncomfortable environment for the birds, and they eventually will leave the areas. Sometimes this works as soon as it’s installed, while other times can take a few weeks. The thing to remember with woodpecker bird control is this: “The deterrent device has to be stronger than the attraction.” This means that if the birds desire to return to your home is so great that it will take unusual chances to continue its routine. For instance, if the woodpecker has a nest and the young chicks are within the nest, the chance of deterring this bird is very low. A mother’s instinct is to protect and raise their young, and therefore they will jeopardize their safety to return to the nest.
Two Bird Banisher woodpecker frightening traps installed above woodpecker damage to scare them away from the area.
These devices will have a stronger fright response under normal circumstances than the bird’s attraction to return. When this happens, the woodpeckers will move on to safer areas. For that reason, be sure to install several Bird Banishers per side of the home to provide complete protection. Most homes will require 12-15 devices, and the lifespan is several years under normal weather conditions. Bird Banisher requires no batteries and the only maintenance is to occasionally oil the bearings with any spray lubricant. This is only necessary if you find the devices not spinning normally. Please do your research and make sure to choose the best products for your woodpecker problem. If you need ordering information for the Bird Banisher device, then click SHOP HERE.