According to the U.S. Forest Service, Minnesota’s forest land contains an estimated 14.7 billion trees. Despite that, woodpeckers still insist on jackhammering your home’s siding, soffiting and roofing with their pointy little beaks.
Frustrating, isn’t it? And not just because you’re not especially fond of hearing ratta-tatta-tatta while you’re trying to unwind and watch the Vikings game – or sleep. Whether they’re pecking at your home because they’re looking for food, a place to nest, or a way to signal other members of their species, woodpeckers are doing real property damage!
What Kind of Damage Do Woodpeckers Do?
We can’t really blame woodpeckers for all the destruction they create. The little guys would much rather hammer away at dead and dying trees, but those are frequently removed from landscaping and roadsides for aesthetic and safety reasons.
Despite their innocent motives, woodpeckers can wreak havoc on any building. By boring little holes into exterior surfaces, they create ideal points of entry for carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and other insects which can inflict even greater damage to your property. Woodpecker holes also allow moisture infiltration which can lead to mold growth. And if a woodpecker is feeling especially ferocious toward your home, they may even peck through plumbing and electrical lines concealed behind its siding.
What Does Woodpecker Damage Look Like?
Woodpeckers leave plenty of evidence behind at the crime scene (i.e. your home’s exterior). Signs of woodpecker activity include:
- Foraging holes – Narrow, deep, and typically arranged in perfectly horizontal or vertical lines, foraging holes mark locations where woodpeckers once sought out insects.
- Drumming holes – Small, shallow, and typically arranged in tight clusters or wider conic depressions, drumming holes are created by male woodpeckers who are looking for lady woodpeckers. Drumming holes are commonly found on metal surfaces, but they can occur anywhere on a home.
- Excavation holes – These deep, round holes are often bored through siding and insulation by woodpeckers who are seeking shelter. Look for the telltale upside-down L-shaped hole – a sure sign that a woodpecker has nested (or at least thought about nesting) in your home.
How Can You Stop Woodpecker Damage?
Let’s immediately rule out the most obvious tool for preventing woodpecker damage: the shotgun. As migratory birds, woodpeckers are protected species in the state of Minnesota. Shooting one can land you in prison, and you don’t want to know what your fellow inmates will do to you once they find out you are a woodpecker killer.
Woodpeckers are pretty neat animals, so you probably didn’t want to shoot one anyway. Let’s review some of the pacifistic solutions to preventing woodpecker attacks on your home instead!
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- Scare balloons – You’ve probably already seen these before. They are usually black, white or yellow, and they are surrounded by big, intimidating eyes that make birds extremely uncomfortable. Not exactly aesthetically pleasing, but effective nonetheless!
- Scare tape – We’re not talking about A Nightmare on Elm Street on VHS. We’re talking about reflective mylar tape, which has a sparkly, disorienting surface that makes birds feel uneasy. You can arrange scare tape in horizontal rows across the area that woodpeckers are targeting, or tack 6′ to 8′ lengths of it up so they flap around in the wind.
- Pie tins – Tie reflective aluminum pie tins to the ends of strings so they can flap around in the breeze. You can also use old CDs (too bad America Online doesn’t hand out thousands of them for free anymore).
- Owl decoys – Woodpeckers are terrified of owls – and for very good reason. You can exploit that fear by purchasing a realistic plastic owl and placing it on a post 10′ to 15′ off the ground, or on top of your roof or deck railing. Take care that other birds are terrified of owls as well, which is why a decoy may vacate your bird feeders.
- Woodpecker bongo – There’s two words you probably thought you’d never see together. A “woodpecker bongo” is just a long, narrow wooden box nailed to a tree. Once woodpeckers discover the perfect percussive instrument for drumming, they may just leave your siding alone!
What Should You Do If You See Woodpecker Damage?
If you have already noticed woodpecker damage on your home, then you can take three immediate courses of action:
- Linseed oil – Dabbing this oil into holes in your exterior won’t actually deter woodpeckers from boring there. What it will do is kill any insects that might have crept inside your siding, which can also help dissuade woodpeckers from exploring any deeper.
- Small rocks – Tired of hearing drumming? Fill any holes woodpeckers have made with small rocks, which will help to dampen the loud, hollow resonations.
- Immediate repair – Any type of woodpecker damage can quickly lead to wood decay. That’s why it’s so important to schedule professional repairs as soon as you notice woodpecker damage: doing so will allow you to make minor repairs now instead of paying for extensive ones later down the road!
If woodpeckers have punched holes into your home or commercial property in the greater St Cloud, Little Falls, Alexandria or Brainerd, MN area, then the exterior remodeling professionals at Exterior Pro are at your service. Contact us today and we’ll undo all the bird-brained vandals’ damage!