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Woodpecker family pecking at my house. How do I get them to stop?

Last year we had a woodpecker who poked holes in our siding in a couple of places around the house. We kept chasing him off, but he'd come back. We had peace over the winter, but he returned this spring with company...presumably grown babies from last summer. Help! How do we get them to stop? They're digging some nasty holes in the siding in several places.

9 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Is your siding wood? They are after bugs, i cant see them returning all the time if there is no actuall food source for them. If your siding is wood is most likely best to upgrade your siding. If it is not then this is weird.

    THe whole reason they peck at trees is too get at the bugs that are hiding under the bark. There is somthing there if they keep returning. I would check into removing a couple peices of siding and seeing what is going on under there. If they are just plain dumb birds then call your local wild life office and they will be able to assist you in your problem. THey will most likely be very interested in what kind of pecker you have and why they are behaving like this. Good luck! Sorry about your house.

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    this bird is after bugs that are either in the siding or below the siding. He will continue to peck and make holes in the house until you have it sprayed and the bugs eliminated. The treatment is expensive but the damage a woodpecker can do will cost a lot more to repair once he gets his fill and leaves. By the way, he may continue pecking for months.

  • 1 decade ago

    Your siding is hosting some kind of insect. You likely need to find a pest professional and have your house inspected for termites and similar bugs. That is why the woodpecker has returned. You may have to treat your home to rid yourself of the bugs before the woodpeckers will cease the destruction.

  • 1 decade ago

    you may have a larger problem. woodpeckers have excellent hearing, that's how they pick a place to peck. they apparently hear insects crawling around. if they're not peckong for food, then they're trying to create a nesting cavity, in which case you may be able to divert them by building, or buying, a house for them, and locating it nearby. you'll need to research the requirements. it will need to be a specific size, and the entrance hole hust be properly dimensioned.

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  • 1 decade ago

    i've had that problem before as well, and it has been known like most birds, the woodpecker is afraid of owls so what i did was carved a wooden owl(im sure you can buy one somewhere) and installed it around the area where the woodpecker/s often visit. it worked for me

  • 1 decade ago

    Wow ...cute birds ! You should enjoy them...

    Find a largish dry old tree with branches and plant it in the yard near where they frequent, to make a nice show, hang some potplants on it etc...They should bang away in it and leave your house alone.There are probably not enough dry trees around for them to practice on.

  • shorty
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    I've heard that if you put metal sheeting where they do their pecking helps, they don't like the metal or I have also heard that if you get an owl decoy that scares them for some reason.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    make em a nice house, just the kind they like

    then patch the holes in your house if they bother you

    Source(s): opinion, siding is nasty
  • 1 decade ago

    shot gun will get rid of them

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