Woodpeckers drilling holes in my sunroom siding
#1
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Thread Starter
Woodpeckers drilling holes in my sunroom siding
Hello. Recently woodpeckers have started to drill holes in the wood siding of my sunroom. I had all the trees removed from the immediate area but there are a lot more trees in the woods behind my house. How do I keep them away from damaging my property? Also how do I repair the damage that's already been caused? I hope I can patch up the holes because I don't want to replace the whole piece of siding unless I absolutely had to. It's starting to get cold out so I want to get this problem taken care of ASAP. Thanks in advance!
Last edited by PJmax; 02-11-19 at 09:00 AM. Reason: resized pictures
#2
Forum Topic Moderator
I don't know about keeping the woodpeckers away but I've repaired siding from their damage before. Maybe the best way to patch is fill the hole with spray foam, then when dry use an exterior filler to finish it off. You can get creative with the filler and somewhat replicate the wood texture for holes that are in highly noticeable areas.
#3
I suspect that the Woodpeckers are hearing something moving around underneath the siding, like a Powder Post Beetle or a Carpenter Ant or a Termite et cetera . . . . and they are showing you that there's something alive down there that's worth their pecking away at in order for them to eat it.
They don't usually just peck for the heck of it.
It might be worth digging deeper, in some least obvious location and look to see what evil lurks within ?
They don't usually just peck for the heck of it.
It might be worth digging deeper, in some least obvious location and look to see what evil lurks within ?
#4
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Those hoes seem quite large....like trying to make a nest. I had a lot of small woodpecker holes in my red cedar clapboards. The info I found said they were probably after Carpenter Bee larvae. I was going to hang visual deterrent strips to scare off the woodpeckers....can also hang a predator bird or owl cutout that will move in the wind.
#5
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My old man hung some foil-like stuff on the back of the house and the woodpeckers leave his cedar siding alone now. It looks like the foil liner you might find on a canister of food - I'm thinking of a can of Stovetop stuffing as an example. It hangs in such a way that it can move with the wind.
#6
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https://www.birdbgone.com/woodpecker-deterrents
I used one of their "Scare Balloons" for a while and I think it helped. If you use one of these, attach it really well, cause they like to fly away :-)
It's true that the woodpeckers are often looking for food. They can also get confused if they hear any electrical "crackling".
Honestly, the woodpeckers were a prime motivator in my choosing to re-side my house with James Hardie fiber cement planks (still a work-in-progress).
Good luck!
I used one of their "Scare Balloons" for a while and I think it helped. If you use one of these, attach it really well, cause they like to fly away :-)
It's true that the woodpeckers are often looking for food. They can also get confused if they hear any electrical "crackling".
Honestly, the woodpeckers were a prime motivator in my choosing to re-side my house with James Hardie fiber cement planks (still a work-in-progress).
Good luck!
#8
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Thread Starter
marksr - I think that could be the problem. There is some styroform insulation behind the boards. Since it's been cold out I haven't been hearing the woodpeckers but I know they will be back.
As far as repairing the holes they've already made, should I use spray foam insulation to fill it? Once filled, what type of wood filler product/brand do you recommend to put over the foam to blend in with the siding?
As far as keeping them away, I will try to look for some sort of a sound deterrent. The scare balloon seems like a reasonable price and I see they also have some kind of tape you can hang up. Is there any value to hanging up some kind of tin foil as well? Unfortunately replacing all the siding isn't an option right now due to the cost associated so I need to figure out a way to keep them from destroying it!
As far as repairing the holes they've already made, should I use spray foam insulation to fill it? Once filled, what type of wood filler product/brand do you recommend to put over the foam to blend in with the siding?
As far as keeping them away, I will try to look for some sort of a sound deterrent. The scare balloon seems like a reasonable price and I see they also have some kind of tape you can hang up. Is there any value to hanging up some kind of tin foil as well? Unfortunately replacing all the siding isn't an option right now due to the cost associated so I need to figure out a way to keep them from destroying it!
#9
Forum Topic Moderator
I've used both caulking [small holes] and Durham's RockHard Putty for repairing woodpecker holes prior to repainting. Not sure one exterior wood filler is better than another. It's hard to make the bigger repairs blend but you can rake across the wet filler a little to try and mimic the wood grain.
#10
Member
Unless you actually saw a woodpecker making the hole, I think it is a squirrel. This is based the pictures showing the chewed bevel around the holes and the removal of the bottom of the clapboard above the hole. The squirrels are going after the same food as the woodpeckers. If their chewing exposes a cavity, they will try to make a winter home. I have covered holes to cavities created by squirrels with hard aluminum (used for trim work) and they have chewed the aluminum away trying to get to the cavity. Good luck.