Woodpeckers Pecking Your House? It's Not Just Noise

HWCS Expert Team

Waking up to the sound of a jackhammer on the side of your house is alarming. Woodpeckers can cause thousands of dollars in damage to siding, cedar shake, and fascia boards. But to stop them, you have to understand why they are doing it.

Reason 1: Drumming (Communication)

If the woodpecker is pecking rapidly on a metal chimney cap, gutter, or vent pipe, he isn’t trying to make a hole. He is making noise.

  • The Goal: To attract a mate or mark territory. Metal makes the loudest sound.
  • The Solution: This is usually temporary in spring. Visual deterrents like reflective tape or owl decoys can sometimes discourage them.

Reason 2: Nesting

If the woodpecker is excavating a large, round hole into wood siding or stucco, they are trying to build a nest cavity.

  • The Solution: Exclusion. We must ensure the hole is empty and then seal it with metal flashing or hardware cloth that they cannot peck through.

Reason 3: Foraging (The Insect Problem)

This is the most destructive behavior. If the pecking is erratic and leaves small, shallow holes in wood siding, the bird is hunting.

  • Carpenter Bees: Woodpeckers love carpenter bee larvae. If you have carpenter bees drilling into your fascia, the woodpecker will tear the wood apart to get to the juicy larva inside.
  • The Solution: You have to treat the insect problem first. Treating the wood for bees or beetles removes the food source.

Professional Deterrents

Woodpeckers are federally protected, so we cannot harm them. We use a combination of:

  1. Visual Deterrents: Reflective streamers and scare-eye balloons.
  2. Tactile Deterrents: Painting the wood with a sticky substance (like Tanglefoot) often discourages them, though it can be messy.
  3. Repair and Seal: Filling the holes immediately discourages them from coming back to the same spot.

If your house is becoming swiss cheese, call HWCS to diagnose the root cause and protect your siding.