I have a couple of woodpeckers that are working on a 4x4 on our deck. I know they excavated a carpenter bee nest there from evidence I found. The holes are now patched and there are no more bees in the 4x4. Now two woodpeckers keep returning to the same spot to peck on the wood (to make a nest???).
What should I do to scare them from coming back without harming them? I thought about putting some aluminum on the post and attaching it with wire. Another option was to drape a blanket over it.
First, you have to take care of your carpenter bee problem. Those things are very destructive. If you had one hole, there are probably others you have overlooked.
Then you have to armor the hole the woodpeckers started, either with a self made solution, like hardware cloth (coarse screen) or some commercial solution (just a hit, no idea if this stuff works):
The carpenter bees are no more. The whole 4x4 has no more holes and only had one to begin with. The hole was made when the deck was stripped, because I remember the saw dust. This was only a week ago. The woodpecker came after it was stained. The fact there are two of them tells me that they might be wanting to nest. I am going to get some aluminum flashing and put it over the 4x4 with some wire. So far the towels have kept them away, but I think the shiny aluminum will work better. I can remove it in the future when I "feel safe."
I would like to photograph them, but not at the expense of our deck.
Posted by Richard Wong on June 19, 2006 at 8:57 PM
I'd only be so lucky as to have woodpeckers peck away my deck. I'd milk all the photo ops there is to get until there's nothing left. The money made from those shots would surely more than make up for the replacement not to mention do wonders for your reputation as a birder. If you're not a birder now, at least you will be when it's over.
We spent a lot of money building this huge deck 4 years ago. I would rather photograph the woodpecker on a tree. I ended up buying 6" flexible vent line. I cut it and wrapped it around the post, then clamped it in place. That should work - at least on that post.
Don't know which woodpecker you are dealing with, but we had similar problems with red shafted flickers at our place in Colorado. The simplest and easiest way to deal with it is a visual barrier such as your blanket. If they can't see it, they'll forget about it. You'll have to repeat the treatment a few times when they rediscover the post after you remove the cover, but over a few weeks it should solve the problem. They'll check it out again next spring, but by then a single blanket treatment ought to do the trick.
Removing the 4x4 is not a solution! It is part of the deck. I got rid of them by the solution I posted further up the thread.
Posted by Scott Buckel on June 27, 2006 at 11:47 AM
This reminds me of a friend that is an excellent photographer and a master falconer. He had flicker problmes at his house a number of years ago - they did about $2000 damage every year. He put up nest boxes that European Starlings nest in and scare the flickers away from his house (they still appear in the tree around his house). He then harvests chicks to feed to his raptors. This has been going on for many years and the damage to his house due to birds is now about zero.
The solution used in our neighborhood for unwanted woodpeckers is strips of aluminum hanging from a string. The noise it makes when blown by the wind, the reflection of light, and the movement seem to help scare the woodpeckers away. As far as the carpenter bees go, they keep the wasps and hornets to a minimum (and I'm allergic to the wasps so that's a good thing). Everything has a trade off. The ant problem is what I'm having trouble with this year. I'll try the water and vinegar suggestion.
Discussion
13 repliesWhat should I do to scare them from coming back without harming them? I thought about putting some aluminum on the post and attaching it with wire. Another option was to drape a blanket over it.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Mark H
Then you have to armor the hole the woodpeckers started, either with a self made solution, like hardware cloth (coarse screen) or some commercial solution (just a hit, no idea if this stuff works):
http://www.birdbusters.com/woodpecker_control.html
I'm not an expert, but various family members have had woodpeckers. They always got rid of them before I got to take pictures!
Pete D.
Sorry, couldn't resist...
I would like to photograph them, but not at the expense of our deck.
Mark H
just kidding!!!
Mark H
Don't know which woodpecker you are dealing with, but we had similar problems with red shafted flickers at our place in Colorado. The simplest and easiest way to deal with it is a visual barrier such as your blanket. If they can't see it, they'll forget about it. You'll have to repeat the treatment a few times when they rediscover the post after you remove the cover, but over a few weeks it should solve the problem. They'll check it out again next spring, but by then a single blanket treatment ought to do the trick.
Andy