Woodpeckers Cause Millions in Damage Every Year

Released on: July 15, 2008, 10:58 am

Press Release Author: Fran Prisco

Industry: Environment

Press Release Summary: Woodpeckers are costing homeowners thousands of dollars every
year due to the damage they cause. They will hammer on the sides of our houses and
other buildings to attract mates, establish or defend a territory, excavate a
nesting or roosting site, and to search for insects.

Press Release Body: are costing homeowners thousands of dollars every year due to
the damage they cause. They will hammer on the sides of our houses and other
buildings to attract mates, establish or defend a territory, excavate a nesting or
roosting site, and to search for insects. Drumming sites can include wooden
shingles, cedar siding, metal or plastic gutters, antennas and light posts.
Woodpeckers love the loud sounds they produce. They frequently damage cedar, rough
pine redwood siding and some synthetic stucco finishes; causing thousands of dollars
in damage each year.

Woodpeckers drill holes for a variety of reasons. One of the most obvious is to
excavate a cavity for nesting or roosting and another is to search for food. In the
spring, woodpeckers also use a rhythmic pecking called \"drumming\" to establish a
territory and attract a mate. Complaints of woodpeckers on houses during this period
indicate that the birds are using the house as a \"singing\" post. Woodpecker damage
typically consists of holes drilled into wood siding or trees. A woodpecker will
select a tree or home for no particular reason. They will usually choose a few
favorite areas and attack them repeatedly over the course of a mating season. It
seems they prefer softer woods like cedar and redwood siding.

Woodpeckers are migratory birds and are thus protected by the Federal Migratory Bird
Treat Act. This makes it difficult to get rid of the birds and keep them from
damaging our homes. We must use a humane, non-lethal form of woodpecker control.
There are several non-lethal techniques that can be used to control pest
woodpeckers, including visual repellents, loud noises, and exclusion. It is very
important to take immediate action to reduce the damage, as woodpeckers are not
easily driven from their territories or pecking sites once they have become
established. There is no \"standard\" approach to dealing with woodpecker damage.
Evaluate each individual situation separately to determine the most effective
control measures. Often more than one technique (for example, using both visual and
sound repellents) may provide the best control.

Use the following steps to determine what control measures to use:

Check for insects. If they are present, ask your local Exterminator for assistance.
Can I prevent the bird from getting to or using the problem area?
Can I repel the bird with visual, sound or chemical repellents?
As a last resort, can I remove the offending animals safely?
Methods of Deterring Woodpeckers

Exclusion
Netting is one of the most effective methods of excluding woodpeckers from damaging
wood siding beneath the eaves is to place lightweight plastic bird-type netting over
the area. A mesh of 3/4 inch is generally recommended. At least 3 inches of space
should be left between the netting and the damaged building so that birds cannot
cause damage through the mesh. The netting can also be attached to the overhanging
eaves and angled back to the siding below the damaged area and secured taut but not
overly tight. Be sure to secure the netting so that the birds have no way to get
behind it. If installed properly, the netting is barely visible from a distance and
will offer a long-term solution to the damage problem. If the birds move to another
area of the dwelling, that too will need to be netted. Netting becomes increasingly
popular as a solution to woodpecker problems because it consistently gives desired
results. Once the birds have moved to another area, the netting can be taken down.
You can find a good U.V. Protected Polypropylene Netting at
www.absolutebirdcontrol.com. Absolute Bird Control specializes in bird control
products that are humane and do not harm the animals.

Visual Repellents
The best way to keep pesky little woodpeckers from destroying valuable trees and
wood sidings is to discourage them from pecking using a visual repellent. You can
use Mylar FlashTape, BirdBGone Scare Balloons, or Bird Diverters, all available at
Absolute Bird Control. There is also a Woodpecker Deterrent Kit available at
www.absolutebirdcontrol.com. These devises cause a visual distraction that bother
the birds and they will move on to an area that is more "pleasant" to them.

Noise Repellents
Using loud noises like rock music or bird distress calls are also an effective way
to discourage the birds. Absolute Bird Control sells a Bird Chase Supersonic device
that plays Woodpecker Distress calls and predator calls that scare the birds from
your home. Remember to use these techniques as soon as damage begins and continue
them for at least 8 days. Understand that when the birds leave one site they simply
move to another one. Just hope that the new site is on something other than the
house.

In most cases you can get control quickly and effectively if you use an integrated
approach: put up visual repellents, use a chemical repellent and harass the birds
with noise.

Homeowners spend thousands of dollars replacing the siding on their homes as well as
patching up the holes and damage done by woodpeckers. The Leading distributor in
Woodpecker deterrents Absolute Bird Control offers a large variety of products to
rid your home of woodpeckers. One Product is the Scare Eye Diverter manufactured by
Bird-B-Gone, Inc. It has a Mylar backing with a predator eye on it. When it is hung
across the eaves of your home at different lengths the movement of the Scare Eye
Diverter and the reflection scare off the Woodpecker.

Lori Kitts of Flora Vista, NM says "The woodpeckers were driving us crazy we would
hear them outside pecking away at our home. I did a search online for woodpeckers
and how to get rid of them and Absolute Bird Control was on the top of the list. We
purchased the Scare Eye Diverters they worked so well and I haven't seen them since
putting them up." Kitts says the woodpeckers moved on, but they moved next door to
her mother-in-laws house! "We purchased diverters for her home as well, and now they
are gone from her house", says Kitts. "All of our neighbors have asked where we got
the diverters. Woodpeckers have been a big issue in this neighborhood for years. We
are so happy to finally find an effective, economical product to move the birds
along and away from our homes!"

For more information on how to control Woodpeckers and products to deter them, visit
www.absolutebirdcontrol.com.

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Web Site: http://www.absolutebirdcontrol.com

Contact Details: Fran Prisco
Absolute Bird Control
www.absolutebirdcontrol.com

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