If you’re a siding installer, your customers will look to you to recommend ways to keep their siding damage free. One major source of damage is birds—specifically woodpeckers. And while aluminum and vinyl sidings in lighter colors are less likely to be damaged by woodpeckers, the birds will peck at them to generate sounds that attract mates. While doing so, their sharp little beaks will deface and in some cases permanently mar the siding.
 
Anticipating this problem and offering your customers a solution will leave you with a grateful customer in the long run—a customer who will recommend you to their neighbors and friends. Large corporate customers will be equally grateful that you spared them the future expense of repainting and repairs.
 
Here are three effective woodpecker deterrents recommended by today’s bird control professionals:
 
BeakGuard™ Woodpecker Deterrent
 
This scientific breakthrough has been shown to keep woodpeckers away from siding and other painted surfaces. Known as BeakGuard, it covers virtually any latex-painted surface—including wood, fiber-cement, stucco, aluminum or vinyl. After it’s applied, the elastomeric acrylic finish communicates a warning signal to woodpeckers that says this surface is unwelcome and not worth the trouble to peck. The specially formulated compound is harmless to woodpeckers or other birds.  It’s also durable and long lasting. And it resists dirt pick up. Harsh weather won’t affect it either. BeakGuard establishes a tough, vapor permeable, flexible membrane that is colorfast. Best of all, it's easily applied using a brush, roller, paint pad or conventional spray equipment. One gallon will protect about 180 square feet.
 
3/4” Mesh Woodpecker Netting
 
Developed to deny woodpeckers access to siding and other vulnerable wood surfaces, Woodpecker Netting provides a proven effective barrier deterrent that blocks woodpeckers doing any damage. The 3/4-inch mesh netting is made of durable UV-protected polypropylene, which means it will last for season after season of harsh weather. Woodpecker mesh netting is lightweight, easy to handle and install. And something your customers will like is that this netting is practically invisible, so it blends aesthetically with its surroundings. Woodpecker netting comes in 14 x 100-foot rolls and is quickly installed using Poly Clips or staples.
 
Woodpecker Deterrent Kits
 
Ideal for discouraging woodpeckers from coming around,Woodpecker Deterrent Kits come with a Bird Repeller Balloon, a 50-foot roll of Flash Tape, and all the hardware you need to easily affix them to virtually any surface. Flash Tape Banners snap and pop in the breeze and reflect sunlight, which will convince woodpeckers to move on to someone else’s house. Bird Repeller Balloons display big “predator eyes.” When the balloons bob and weave in the wind, woodpeckers get the feeling that they are being “eyeballed” for a meal and won’t want to hang around. To ensure woodpeckers don’t get used to these visual woodpecker deterrents, it’s a good idea to move them around frequently.

With bird season right around the corner, the one bird you definitely want to deter is the woodpecker. While it’s interesting to watch them hammer holes in trees, it’s not so interesting when they’re turning your home siding into Swiss cheese. Or when they’re pulling the insulation out of your exterior walls to make room for nests.

The time to install woodpecker deterrents is before the birds arrive, not after. Once your siding and decorative beams are riddled with holes, you’re left with expensive replacement costs. And like a woodpecker, you’ll be beating your head against the wall for not being proactive about woodpecker control.

Your neighbor may have told you that woodpeckers are looking for harmful bugs when they peck holes in your siding.  But according to the experts, this is the case less than 10 percent of the time, and when they do dig for bugs, the insects are usually harmless to wood or siding.

Woodpeckers are not too particular about what they peck. They’ll “ventilate” mahogany siding, plywood, beams, plastic guttering, light posts, even synthetic stucco finishes.

You may be tempted to shoot the little peckers, but be warned: destroying their nests, or using poisons are cruel methods are illegal in many areas. Here are some woodpecker deterrents that are both humane and effective:

Lightweight Plastic Bird Netting

Ideal for physically denying specific areas of your home from woodpecker attacks, Lightweight Plastic Bird Netting has been proven to work in homes and businesses around the country. This bird netting comes in a number if mesh sizes. For woodpeckers, the 3/4-inch mesh netting is most often recommended. This netting even comes in a variety of colors to match the exterior color of the structure. Used as a woodpecker deterrent, the netting is best installed in overhanging eaves, patio covers or other elevated areas of a structure. 

Woodpecker Deterrent Kits

Packed with everything you need to get rid of woodpeckers, Woodpecker Deterrent Kits include a Bird Repeller Balloon, 50 feet of Flash Tape, and mounting hardware. The Flash Tape Banners rattle in the breeze and reflect sunlight to constantly distract and annoy the birds. Bird Repeller Balloons are covered with large Cyclops “predator eyes” and whip about in the breeze to further distract the birds. All  you have to do is move these visual deterrents around from time to make woodpeckers believe they constitute a real threat.

BeakGuard Woodpecker Deterrent

An innovative development from bird control experts, BeakGuard Woodpecker Deterrent is an elastomeric acrylic finish that conveys a warning signal to woodpeckers that discourages them from pecking your wood. The compound is harmless to woodpeckers and other birds. BeakGuard covers latex-painted surfaces, wood, fiber-cement, stucco, aluminum or vinyl. It leaves a durable, color fast, vapor permeable finish that resists dirt and harsh weather. It’s easily applied with a brush, roller, paint pad or power sprayer. And one gallon covers about 180 square feet.

by Alex A. Kecskes

You take great pride in the appearance of your home. You paint it, replace or repair the siding, and maintain the shutters. After all that work and expense, you don’t need woodpeckers defacing your home with holes and unsightly marks. But it can happen--if you don’t implement effective woodpecker deterrents.

As many homeowners have painfully learned, woodpeckers can drill holes into wood siding, window frames, eaves, trim and fascia boards. They often hammer cedar and redwood siding until it looks like the surface of the moon. If you have a façade or decorative fir, pine or cypress, they’ll attack that too. Regrettably, woodpeckers prefer new construction and rustic, channeled plywood with cedar or redwood veneers. Many a homeowner has been saddened to discover the tell-tale narrow horizontal line of holes on the side of their home as woodpeckers forage for insects. These birds will even go after the plastic parts in your rooftop solar panels. Without effective woodpecker controls, your home is at the mercy of these pests.

As if damage to your home wasn’t enough, woodpeckers can drive you crazy with their incessant drumming--especially in the springtime. They seem to love to bang away at the hollow areas where their drumming makes the most noise. That includes your metal rain gutters, downspouts, chimney caps, TV dish antennas, rooftop plumbing vents, and metal roof valleys. Ask any homeowner with a woodpecker problem: these birds will drum all day long, week after maddening week.

It’s enough to make you want to whip out the BB gun or even bird poisons. Unfortunately for you and fortunately for them, woodpeckers are migratory, non-game birds that are fully protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In fact, the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) and the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) are both listed as Endangered Species and cannot be touched without incurring the penalty of law.

Fortunately for you, there are a number of effective and humane woodpecker control measures you can use to solve most woodpecker problems.

One widely used woodpecker deterrent is lightweight plastic bird netting. This method works because you’re physically excluding pest birds from specific areas.  Birds simply can’t get at your property. Plastic bird netting typically comes in several mesh sizes to block out various size birds. For most woodpeckers, you’ll need a 3/4-inch mesh size. If you’re concerned about the appearance of bird netting, high quality netting is now available in various colors to match your home's exterior.

When installing the netting, be sure to leave a 3-inch space between the netting and the area to be protected. You don’t want the birds to drum their beaks through the mesh. You can also install bird netting to the overhanging eaves, then swing back to your exposed siding. For best results, secure the netting tightly to prevent birds from getting behind it.

To streamline the installation of bird netting, one manufacturer offers a bird netting kit. These kits include bird net hardware to help match any job. Things like perimeter cable, which can be set up around the area to be netted off to ensure that there are no gaps for birds to enter, and that the netting stays taut. The kits may also include netting hardware--items like cable crimps, turnbuckles, intermediate attachments, hog rings, and accessories and tools to ensure a correct and lasting installation.

It’s sometimes best to add additional deterrents to your home (in addition to netting). Combined, two woodpecker control approaches create an effective solution to the woodpecker problem. For example, consider installing some visual deterrents like banners that crinkle in the breeze and reflect sunlight. Or balloons emblazoned with large predator eyes to intimidate pest birds. For best effect, visual woodpecker deterrents should be moved around often so birds don't get used to them.

Above all, it’s important to be proactive and install these woodpecker controls and deterrents before the birds arrive.  Once these birds have “set up shop,” it’s pretty hard to get rid of them.