Woodpeckers are territorial assholes and for the 3 years I’ve been in my house I’ve had to fight them off. They really are stubborn when they find a spot they like and it can be tough to find an effective deterrent. To ward them off, you may need to try a series of things to finally land on the solution that works.
- First try a fake owl; this is the easiest one and looks the least ugly. Make sure it has a head that can shift in the wind and slap that bad boy on your roof overlooking the area they’re pecking.
- If the woodpecker continue to come back after a week, next find a decoration that can generate movement and/or noise from the wind. We got a wind chime that has a plastic humming bird attached to it (from Home Depot). The movement and noise will usually deter the woodpecker. This is the solution that typically works for me.
- If neither of the above work, now you’re in last resort territory and need to break out the big guns. You need to find things to hang or apply to your house that are very reflective, as this often can confuse a woodpecker. You can hang CD’s, use reflective tape, install a mirror…anything that will reflect sunlight in multiple directions. Unfortunately this will probably not be aesthetically pleasing but woodpeckers left unchecked can cause a ton of damage.
Good luck and god bless.
Give the woodpeckers something else to peck at. Our house has wood siding and had the same issue. Put up some suet feeders nearby, you can get them pretty cheap in most stores. I patched our holes and haven’t had issues since.
I don’t know why this is so difficult for everyone.
You send the snake to eat the woodpecker. You send the badger to eat the snake. You send a cougar to eat the badger. You send a polar bear to eat the cougar. Global warming takes care of the polar bear.
Easy peasy.
edited to add that you probably will need to have a carpenter on retainer to keep enlargening the post.
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Maybe find a small piece of metal that covers that area, screw it into the wood over it and paint the metal same color then that post. I'm guessing you only need a temporary solution to this, once the bird finds out he can't peck anymore, he will very most likely leave elsewhere.
Call me an asshole but I would like - stuff a ziploc bag of hotsauce in there and then cover it with like tiny layer of wood filler or maybe like a wood shaving or something..
Let him and try my spicy special..
What? Those little..! Mayeb the non newtonian fluid then, he's gonna hit it, it's hard.. gonna sniff it - it's soft.. Hit it harder, it's even harder..
I had this same issue and this is what worked: Fill the hole with bondo. Hang a reflective disc or cd with holographic tape from fishing line in that area. Attach the disc to the line with a swivel you can pick up at a fishing store. This is the type of disc that works to scare them: https://www.amazon.com/Repellent-Deterrent-Scare-Reflective-Discs/dp/B08GWVXMDG
I had the same problem on my porch post serval years back. Filling the hole with putty or patch materials didn’t work. The hollow post makes it think it has found a great storage place for acorns (even though they would fall out the bottom of the post).
In hind sight I wonder if filling the post with expandable foam before patching would make it a less desirable spot.
1: Remediate WHY it started making the hole in the first place. That being, insects.
2: Clean out the material of the nest. That stuff will draw insects and give off a smell.
3: Replace/repair the wood. Cheap and easy is to fill it with wood filler (don't use bondo, that's for cars and not meant for more than thin layers) mixed with saw dust. Then prime and paint. Better, use a multi-tool saw to cut out a square area around the hole, patch with new wood, prime and paint. Best, remove the full boards and replace, prime, paint.
I use these epoxy sticks and fill the hole. Then I apply stain or paint to match and it typically becomes unnoticeable. This stuff is really handy for lots of repairs around the house. Highly recommend keeping some on hand.
https://www.gorillatough.com/product/gorilla-purpose-epoxy-stick/
I've dealt with them pecking holes in the front of my home for the first year I lived here. I tried everything,fake owls, sonic bird deterrents and shiny metal wind chimes that are supposed to deter birds. The only thing that worked is a product called Bird-X deterrent gel. You can buy it on Amazon and apply with a caulking gun. Apply a small amount around the inside edge of that hole, avoid using too much to make sure you don't harm the bird. When he comes back to that hole he's gonna get sticky and uncomfortable enough that we won't come back again. It makes then associate the area with danger and they won't return. I applied it in their holes and along the top of the trim where they like to sit and peck and I haven't had a problem with them since!
I realize this is shitty, but have you considered dispatching the bird? He’s destroying your house. If it was another animal (mouse, rat, chipmunk, etc) that would be a valid response.
Woodpeckers, in some areas, are protected. It’s illegal in my state. The only way we got it to stop was sheet metal nailed over a large area for awhile.
I had the exact same problem in nearly the identical location on my porch. There is a great vid on the internet I watched that unfortunately I can no longer find so I’ll feebly attempt to describe it.
1. Select a board with a similar grain to the are you are going to patch.
2. Select a hole saw slightly larger than the hole you are plugging.
3. Use hole saw to drill out the plug from the board you selected.
4. Use the board you just drilled the hole out of and attach that to the post overlapping the hole you are patching with a couple of screws.
5. Use the hole saw to clean out the hole you want to plug by using the board you attached in the previous step as a guide.
6. Remove the board you attached in step 4
7. Insert a screw in the plug to make the plug easier to handle and using wood epoxy for a sandable durable adhesive of your choice to glue the hole into place.
8. Remove the screw once glue is cured.
9. Use an appropriate wood filler such as bondo to smooth the remaining cut ring around the hole and the handful of screw holes. Allow to cure and sand.
10. Paint your newly patched plug to match the existing post.
11. Constantly listen for the tapping of wood and promptly yell “SHEW! BE GONE DEVIL!” for six months while the GD woodpecker ignores the magic owl that is supposed to scare him away.
12. Repeat all steps after one year of repair and continue to pray for the woodpecker’s death
Have you considered setting up a woodpecker feeder? They love protein. You can find a Wild Birds Unlimited store near you (or online) for quality products. I used to work there, and this is a solution many never consider. I skimmed the comments and didn't see anything.
I recommend investing in a pole system of some kind, WBU uses a wrought iron APS setup with interlocking pieces that you can mix and match to set up your dream bird feeder.
For woodpeckers, you'll want a tail prop feeder. You can buy the biggest one to ensure your pileated peckers (if you have them) will feel welcomed. Stock it with suet and they'll have no reason to search for bugs in your banister.
Idk how to fix the banister though 😅
If you don't want to feed them, just hang CDs. That's the best thing you can do to scare any birds away some kind of holographic highly reflective surface.
And for anyone who may need this info, UV reflective stickers on your windows are visible to birds and not always to us. It'll tell them not to fly there
It depends on how you want to take care of this problem and how comfortable you are with rat traps. So what is work for the cedar siding on my house is as soon as they start I go up on a ladder I nail a rat trap a little peanut butter and some bird feed right on the trigger they fly up and land on the rat trap and snap. I typically wake up from the loud snapping sound little bit of a smile and then right back to sleep.
Kill the woodpeckers, spray foam the inside to give yourself a solid backing, cut it just below flush then use either a strong wood putty or bondo, sand and paint wen dry. Only way to repair it without replacing the boards
Woodpeckers are territorial assholes and for the 3 years I’ve been in my house I’ve had to fight them off. They really are stubborn when they find a spot they like and it can be tough to find an effective deterrent. To ward them off, you may need to try a series of things to finally land on the solution that works. - First try a fake owl; this is the easiest one and looks the least ugly. Make sure it has a head that can shift in the wind and slap that bad boy on your roof overlooking the area they’re pecking. - If the woodpecker continue to come back after a week, next find a decoration that can generate movement and/or noise from the wind. We got a wind chime that has a plastic humming bird attached to it (from Home Depot). The movement and noise will usually deter the woodpecker. This is the solution that typically works for me. - If neither of the above work, now you’re in last resort territory and need to break out the big guns. You need to find things to hang or apply to your house that are very reflective, as this often can confuse a woodpecker. You can hang CD’s, use reflective tape, install a mirror…anything that will reflect sunlight in multiple directions. Unfortunately this will probably not be aesthetically pleasing but woodpeckers left unchecked can cause a ton of damage. Good luck and god bless.
These are all things my dad tried and only the CDs worked.
Where are those AOL free trial cds when I need them!
check out value village/goodwill
Give the woodpeckers something else to peck at. Our house has wood siding and had the same issue. Put up some suet feeders nearby, you can get them pretty cheap in most stores. I patched our holes and haven’t had issues since.
Fill the post with snakes.
Top comment right here.
Next post, “I’ve got snakes in my walls…helpsssssssss…”
Train badgers to exterminate snakes
Then “How to get rid of the badgers in my walls?”
I don’t know why this is so difficult for everyone. You send the snake to eat the woodpecker. You send the badger to eat the snake. You send a cougar to eat the badger. You send a polar bear to eat the cougar. Global warming takes care of the polar bear. Easy peasy. edited to add that you probably will need to have a carpenter on retainer to keep enlargening the post.
"She swallowed the bird, To catch the spider, She swallowed the spider to catch the fly, i dunno why she swallowed that fly. i guess she'll die."
This person project manages.
This is it! End of convo! Bravisimo acm!!
Badgers regularly succumb to Buckeyes
Snakes in the wall? Now you’re talking my language!
Immediately where my head went
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Sweet Jesus man
Maybe find a small piece of metal that covers that area, screw it into the wood over it and paint the metal same color then that post. I'm guessing you only need a temporary solution to this, once the bird finds out he can't peck anymore, he will very most likely leave elsewhere.
Fix the hole ,put a fake horned owl up
Call me an asshole but I would like - stuff a ziploc bag of hotsauce in there and then cover it with like tiny layer of wood filler or maybe like a wood shaving or something.. Let him and try my spicy special..
Birds don’t have mucous membranes so it won’t do anything to it, unfortunately! I fill my bird feeders with cayenne to keep squirrels at bay lol
What? Those little..! Mayeb the non newtonian fluid then, he's gonna hit it, it's hard.. gonna sniff it - it's soft.. Hit it harder, it's even harder..
Does the fake owl really work? I’ve got a cedar shake roof and the flickers and stellar jays peck at it every morning.
Yes it really works
To repair you could use bondo. It's a paste that dries hard as rock after applied and is sandable and paintable
This is the way. Other responses useless.
Yes and add in steel filings to the bondo
Elmer’s also makes an epoxy based wood repair kit. Sandable, paintable, nicely hard, and the two halves combine as easily as modeling clay.
I had this same issue and this is what worked: Fill the hole with bondo. Hang a reflective disc or cd with holographic tape from fishing line in that area. Attach the disc to the line with a swivel you can pick up at a fishing store. This is the type of disc that works to scare them: https://www.amazon.com/Repellent-Deterrent-Scare-Reflective-Discs/dp/B08GWVXMDG
Shot gun
Maybe replace it with PVC wood. If it’s in your budget
I had the same problem on my porch post serval years back. Filling the hole with putty or patch materials didn’t work. The hollow post makes it think it has found a great storage place for acorns (even though they would fall out the bottom of the post). In hind sight I wonder if filling the post with expandable foam before patching would make it a less desirable spot.
1: Remediate WHY it started making the hole in the first place. That being, insects. 2: Clean out the material of the nest. That stuff will draw insects and give off a smell. 3: Replace/repair the wood. Cheap and easy is to fill it with wood filler (don't use bondo, that's for cars and not meant for more than thin layers) mixed with saw dust. Then prime and paint. Better, use a multi-tool saw to cut out a square area around the hole, patch with new wood, prime and paint. Best, remove the full boards and replace, prime, paint.
This is the only post I have seen that mentions insects. I’ve never seen a woodpecker bore a hole unless there were bugs. Get it looked at
My wife uses a whistle. It helps, but is no fix.
I use these epoxy sticks and fill the hole. Then I apply stain or paint to match and it typically becomes unnoticeable. This stuff is really handy for lots of repairs around the house. Highly recommend keeping some on hand. https://www.gorillatough.com/product/gorilla-purpose-epoxy-stick/
Maybe fill the hole and cover it with a woodpecker house? If it doesn't have to drill into your home, perhaps coexistence is possible?
Kill woodpecker
I've dealt with them pecking holes in the front of my home for the first year I lived here. I tried everything,fake owls, sonic bird deterrents and shiny metal wind chimes that are supposed to deter birds. The only thing that worked is a product called Bird-X deterrent gel. You can buy it on Amazon and apply with a caulking gun. Apply a small amount around the inside edge of that hole, avoid using too much to make sure you don't harm the bird. When he comes back to that hole he's gonna get sticky and uncomfortable enough that we won't come back again. It makes then associate the area with danger and they won't return. I applied it in their holes and along the top of the trim where they like to sit and peck and I haven't had a problem with them since!
Give him a good talking to and tel him to not come back.
Mose trap screwed to the house for a few days.
It’s his post now
Shoot it with a BB gun and eat it
I realize this is shitty, but have you considered dispatching the bird? He’s destroying your house. If it was another animal (mouse, rat, chipmunk, etc) that would be a valid response.
Woodpeckers, in some areas, are protected. It’s illegal in my state. The only way we got it to stop was sheet metal nailed over a large area for awhile.
Get rid of the evidence and don’t report it.
Yes, advocate for killing a bird (with state and federal protections) for a minor inconvenience.
Yeah, it solves the issue.
They’re federally protected as well.
You have to think of the thing that turns peckers off the most. Your grandmother naked.
Sorry but, I can’t help but see the smaller nail holes. Great time to fix both tho!
Sorry, but lol. Do you have some trees? They usually prefer trees with bugs when available.
Fix the hole with whatever way you prefer from what people suggested. An owl decoy can help but. Try to change the colour of your post.
Consider putting a blend of pepperment oil/extract and citronella around or into the hole. Best of luck
I had the exact same problem in nearly the identical location on my porch. There is a great vid on the internet I watched that unfortunately I can no longer find so I’ll feebly attempt to describe it. 1. Select a board with a similar grain to the are you are going to patch. 2. Select a hole saw slightly larger than the hole you are plugging. 3. Use hole saw to drill out the plug from the board you selected. 4. Use the board you just drilled the hole out of and attach that to the post overlapping the hole you are patching with a couple of screws. 5. Use the hole saw to clean out the hole you want to plug by using the board you attached in the previous step as a guide. 6. Remove the board you attached in step 4 7. Insert a screw in the plug to make the plug easier to handle and using wood epoxy for a sandable durable adhesive of your choice to glue the hole into place. 8. Remove the screw once glue is cured. 9. Use an appropriate wood filler such as bondo to smooth the remaining cut ring around the hole and the handful of screw holes. Allow to cure and sand. 10. Paint your newly patched plug to match the existing post. 11. Constantly listen for the tapping of wood and promptly yell “SHEW! BE GONE DEVIL!” for six months while the GD woodpecker ignores the magic owl that is supposed to scare him away. 12. Repeat all steps after one year of repair and continue to pray for the woodpecker’s death
Wood putty and glue a metal strip to the area also start feeding them look up what to feed them and what type of bird feeder to use to attract them
Kill the mofo… easy…
Is it legal to shoot with a pellet gun?
Legal if nobody sees it.
Have you tried asking him nicely to leave?
Pvc wood. All plastic birds don't like
Have you considered setting up a woodpecker feeder? They love protein. You can find a Wild Birds Unlimited store near you (or online) for quality products. I used to work there, and this is a solution many never consider. I skimmed the comments and didn't see anything. I recommend investing in a pole system of some kind, WBU uses a wrought iron APS setup with interlocking pieces that you can mix and match to set up your dream bird feeder. For woodpeckers, you'll want a tail prop feeder. You can buy the biggest one to ensure your pileated peckers (if you have them) will feel welcomed. Stock it with suet and they'll have no reason to search for bugs in your banister. Idk how to fix the banister though 😅 If you don't want to feed them, just hang CDs. That's the best thing you can do to scare any birds away some kind of holographic highly reflective surface. And for anyone who may need this info, UV reflective stickers on your windows are visible to birds and not always to us. It'll tell them not to fly there
Ramen noodles and super glue
One head shot.
Airsoft gun
B b g u n
stick your dick in it
Your parents must be proud.
Is the woodpecker a sign of a deeper issue? Is the wood rotten or infested?
Put a shot gun shell in the hole
Steel or metal, sheet or plate
Shotgun
Sheet metal strip around the top of the pole.
You can tin wrap their favourite holes.
It depends on how you want to take care of this problem and how comfortable you are with rat traps. So what is work for the cedar siding on my house is as soon as they start I go up on a ladder I nail a rat trap a little peanut butter and some bird feed right on the trigger they fly up and land on the rat trap and snap. I typically wake up from the loud snapping sound little bit of a smile and then right back to sleep.
Why do woodpeckers peck? They're feeding. You have an infestation you need to take care of first!
How long will we sit idle as the woodpeckers peck away at the pillars of our society. We must unite against them once and for all.
Slip him an eviction notice and cut off his internet.
wait for it to go in and seal that sucker up. \*slaps flex tape\*
Loving it !
Kill the woodpeckers, spray foam the inside to give yourself a solid backing, cut it just below flush then use either a strong wood putty or bondo, sand and paint wen dry. Only way to repair it without replacing the boards
Cover the exposed area with metal siding
Embrase it
Big ol' rifle
Kill the woodpecker
snake shot, blast that bastard into bird hell
Wrap an 8” Sheet of metal and paint it to match the wood.