Asked on Aug 13, 2015

Woodpeckers pecking at house, how to eliminate?

Bev
by Bev
Woodpeckers are pecking at the side of our house near the roofline, what can be done to keep them from doing?
  6 answers
  • B. Enne B. Enne on Aug 13, 2015
    Shiny metal windchimes helped at our house...we also used some kind of spray repellant from the hardware store (I don't remember the name.), but it had to be reapplied often and was a pain. The windchimes worked better. We were told that the pecking could be a sign of insect infestation and/or a mating ritual. We didn't see any insect damage. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/wp_about/control.html Strangely enough when we painted, they didn't seem attracted to the colour. The former colour was an aqua tone. Good luck!
    • Bev Bev on Aug 13, 2015
      @B. Enne Thanks for the info. I'm not sure the windchimes will work for us since it's near our roofline of two story house.
  • Kristine Kristine on Aug 13, 2015
    Holographic tape. You can buy it on Amazon. It makes noise when it's windy, but it works. The noise and the reflective light it shines deters the peckers. Cut a few 3-foot long strands of it. Use staples to create a loop on one end of each strand (don't use tape, it will come apart when it's rainy or humid). Cut a long piece of fishing line and pull it through the loop of tape you stapled together. Use the fishing line to hang the strands of tape vertically and loosely above or around the area you want to keep the peckers away from. Most people apply the tape incorrectly and have poor results, so I'm emphasizing here: Hang loose, 3- foot long strands of this tape so that it is twirling and flapping in the breeze, kind of like a wind-sock would. If you merely attach the holographic tape horizontally to your eaves or siding, it won't work. The strands must be hung loosely. We still get woodpeckers, in fact all over the yard! But they stopped pecking the house three years ago when we did this, and they haven't resumed. Good luck!
  • Cynthia S Cynthia S on Aug 14, 2015
    Hang pie tins!
  • Heather Martin Heather Martin on Aug 14, 2015
    Hang up CDs on fishing line.
  • HouseLogic.com HouseLogic.com on Aug 14, 2015
    Maybe you can redirect them somewhere else using food? Woodpeckers love this: http://goo.gl/CuxLIR
  • Elaine Glendening Elaine Glendening on Aug 14, 2015
    They are after the bugs in your wall.
    • B. Enne B. Enne on Aug 14, 2015
      @Elaine Glendening Not necessarily, could be just a mating ritual. We were told it could be insects, and we had it checked out, and there were none.