How to get rid of woodpeckers — Jonathan’s student essay

How To Get Rid Of Woodpeckers?

Its nice to wakeup to the sound of birds, unless those birds are woodpeckers. You are most likely to hear woodpeckers in the spring, during their mating season. Between their incessant tapping and tendency to damage property, they must be removed if found on property. These birds are protected by environmental laws in recognition of the critical role that they play in ecosystems.

One way to remove them is to remove their food source. One of the main reason’s woodpeckers will focus on the property is because its harboring food inside. Woodpeckers are omnivores, and a major part of their diet is insects. 

Bee, ant, and termite infestations are common motivations for a woodpecker pecking on a house. If all things point to insect infestation, then you will have to eliminate their food source to stop the woodpeckers. Use pesticides that are specific to the target insect and for heavy infestations you may need to call a professional exterminator.

Another way to remove woodpeckers is to spook them off with sound. Like most birds, woodpeckers take flight when they hear sounds. A “Woodpecker sound deterrent” can be clapping your hands, making a loud noise or turning the volume up on your speakers.

Downey Woodpecker at birdfeeder

There are also electronic woodpecker deterrents available online to put outside. They can emit bird distress signals and predator sounds that make woodpeckers that the area is dangerous. Other devices make use of high frequency sounds that can be heard by birds not humans.

Female Nuttall's Woodpecker

A good way to get rid of woodpeckers is to make them think there are predators lurking nearby. This is possible by purchasing decoy products and images of woodpecker’s natural predators, such as owls (with reflective eyes to look more realistic) and coyotes. These are found on Amazon, many local garden stores, and home improvement centers. 

Another example is a scarecrow is a fake human made of straw or cotton stuffed inside clothing. They work in the same way that fake birds work, in that the woodpeckers will think it is a real person and keep their distance. The noise or motion windchimes make may fool the woodpecker into thinking a predator is near and deter them from coming any closer. Reflective devices such as reflective tape, aluminum foil, small mirrors, CDs.

Another way to take care of woodpeckers is to hire a professional to perform a full inspection of certain trees or areas that need to be treated. Bird holes will be sealed to prevent more flocking, set up traps. Chemical repellents are also available on the market in gel or spray form usually. By applying the repellent to trees, the woodpeckers who ingest them are less likely to return.

In conclusion there are many ways to remove a woodpecker. This can be done by removing their food source, spooking them with high frequency sound or loud noise, make them think predators are lurking nearby, reflective devices, bird traps, sealing up bird holes, chemical repellent to trees, or getting a professional to remove them.

Author: Jonathan Beyer

Florida Atlantic University

Student Scholarships

Every year Thrive Pest Control hosts an essay contest and the reward is a 1-year scholarship at a 4-year university in the United States. This blog post is one of those scholarships.