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WOODPECKER
REMOVAL
 Nine
species of woodpecker live in Minnesota.
The
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers and flickers are
migratory and leave for the winter, but the others live in our state
year-round. All Minnesota woodpeckers are classified as migratory,
nongame
birds and are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and
can only
be controlled with a Federal depredation permit. Territorial drumming
occurs
most frequently in spring. Drumming, the term given to the sound of
pecking in
rapid rhythmic succession on metal or wood, causes little damage other
than
possible paint removal on metal surfaces; however, the noise can often
be heard
throughout the house and becomes quite annoying, especially in the
early
morning hours when occupants are still asleep. Drumming is
predominately a
springtime activity. Drumming sites are apparently selected on the
basis of the
resonant qualities. They often include metal surfaces such as metal
gutters,
downspouts, chimney caps, TV antennas, rooftop plumbing vents and metal
roof valleys.
Drumming may occur a number of times during a single day, and the
activity may
go on for some days or months. Wood surfaces may be disfigured from
drumming
but the damage may not be severe. Once the mating has occurred the
woodpeckers
look for a nesting site, these excavated holes can be on the sides of
houses,
in your soffits or fascia boards. As a rule, woodpeckers do not dig for
food or
excavate nest cavities in sound (live) wood. So your house is a perfect
nesting
site. The nesting cavities woodpeckers drill into houses become homes
for other
creatures - bluebirds, chickadees, and squirrels. Woodpeckers will also
drill
into houses looking for insects.
 Woodpecker
Damage
Damage to wooden buildings may take one of several forms.
Holes may be drilled into wood siding, eaves, window frames, and trim
boards. Houses
or buildings with wood exteriors in suburbs near wooded areas or in
rural
wooded settings are most apt to suffer pecking and hole damage.
Generally,
damage to a building involves only one or two birds, but it may involve
up to
six or eight during a season. Most of the damage occurs from February
through
June, which corresponds with the breeding season and the period of
territory
establishment. Woodpeckers can be particularly destructive to summer or
vacation homes that are vacant during part of the year, since their
attacks
often go undetected until serious damage has occurred. For the same
reason,
barns and other wooden outbuildings may also suffer severe damage.
Woodpeckers
prefer cedar and redwood siding, but will damage pine, fir, cypress,
and others
when the choices are limited. Natural or stained wood surfaces are
preferred
over painted wood, and newer houses in an area are often primary
targets.
Particularly vulnerable to damage are rustic-appearing, channeled
(grooved to
simulate reverse board and batten) plywood’s with cedar or
redwood
veneers.
Imperfections (core gaps) in the intercore plywood layers exposed by
the
vertical grooves may harbor insects. The woodpeckers often break out
these core
gaps, leaving characteristic narrow horizontal damage patterns in their
search
for insects.
Woodpecker
Control
Woodpeckers can be very persistent and are not easily driven
from their territories or selected pecking sites. Nuisance Bat and Wildlife
Control has
great success with a noise activated deterrent. This unit operates on
batteries
and when a woodpecker starts his drilling it activates the device. If
the
woodpeckers have started a nest inside the walls of your house, we have
2
choices, wait till the young are ready to fly then use our deterrents
or apply
for a depredation permit and remove the problem birds.
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.
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