I’ve been asked to replace 1200ft2 of cedar siding – with new cedar. Woodpeckers (and lately sparrows) have ruined the original siding. Condo rules prohibit Hardie and I want to know how I can assure the client – and myself – that the destruction won’t continue. Any advice?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Skim-coating with joint compound covers texture, renews old drywall and plaster, and leaves smooth surfaces ready to paint.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
This is a tough one. They're so tenacious.
I've done repairs also and one thing I've seen work is that thin red/silver reflective tape, hung in streamers that blow around in the wind.
It's kept them off the last repair I did.
"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing..."
Welcome to BT. Might wanna fill in your profile, particularly with your location.
Carp bees love cedar (or most any soft wood). Woodpeckers love carp bees. Sparrows I don't know about.
Time to change the rule. That's a bad one if it requires cedar. But it seems very odd that a condo resident would be responsible for siding.
Clad the cedar? Probably they wouldn't like that either.
Edited 5/3/2008 1:21 pm ET by VaTom
Edited 5/3/2008 1:22 pm ET by VaTom
carp bees....
they similar to sewer bass???
look into a moisture problem...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
14% is normal here, drier won't stay that way. The bees find it comfy.
My solution was to use harder wood, then they go elsewhere. Sided my lumber shed with tulip poplar (soft) but treated it with used diesel engine oil. They're leaving it alone so far.
Edited 5/4/2008 9:16 am ET by VaTom
Back in Michigan years ago, they attacked my new house with the ruff sawn cedar trim. I'd caulk them in whenever I could. And spray the hornet spray, but with little effect - other than to make it stinky for the boring bug.
I had that problem, shotgun took care of them
peter,
not saying it will be foolproof, but backpriming all of the siding can go a long way to keeping the bugs out of the wood, which from what I understand, is what the birds are after.
I have encountered two jobs like this. one we replaced T111 siding and the owner prepainted everything, 4 years and no problems. The other job they replaced with Hardie. But in both cases, the original siding was put up raw and then painted.
Walters is right on.
The only trick I have ever found to work is the helium balloons that are shiny aluminum material. (the vinyl balloons deflate and dont work)
The shiny balloons and some shiny streamers hung up in the yard will move around and tend to chase the woody woody wood peckers away.
Try to eliminate woodpecker food (bugs) from in and behind the siding. Seems as though stain only works for a little while. Paint works longer. So paint or stain more often. In a wooded area spray bug preventer on the siding. I spray my house twice a year with House Guard or its maybe Home Guard by Ortho. I have few bugs in my house. My wife hates spiders.
Don't even suggest that you can stop the woodpeckers because you can't. Streamers won't plus they look horrible, neither will fake snakes, owls, etc. Of course you should back prime but that won't slow the woodpeckers down a bit. Think of it as job security. Woodpeckers peck for several reasons, food being only one of them.
You need cats and lots of em. Or guns and lots of em.
Where's Mr T.
Well somebody has to say it. NAPALM!!!
The church our family attends has synthetic stucco on it. The woodpeckers put holes in it, nest, and sparrows follow after them.
The maintenance guy bought a device that is supposed to startle them when they start pecking. It is a small house made out of sheet metal that has a large rubber spider in it. It is sound activated so when the woodpecker starts pecking the spider comes down the side of the wall and the legs move around. After a few seconds it reels back in.
I don't know if they are working but it was a hoot showing my wife one. I threw a pine cone near it and she jumped about a foot when the spider came down and we were 20 feet away.
Edited 5/3/2008 9:46 pm ET by popawheelie
I'd like to get one of those spiders with a little house just for scaring the buhgeezus outta people! Where does one buy them?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
Please advise where I can purchase this item !!!
I'll get the info from the maintenance guy at church. I emailed him and called but it might take a while. I'm on it.
I recieved the info this morn. Here is the instalation page. http://www.attackspider.com/duncan_spider_house.pdf
On the church they used the enclosure so you couldn't see the spider and (I'm guessing) so they lasted longer. http://www.attackspider.com/duncan_spider_house.pdf
also, from what I have heard animals will get used to anything you put out there. what you want is to startle them. so something that is new and moves startles them. If it is out in plain sight they get more used to it even if it moves a bit when they start pecking.
For that reason I think the house is a good idea. It sure startled my wife when it came out of the box.
Thank you sincerely for your prompt response to my inquiry.
The information on building the shelter came in very clear (3.8MB); however, I was unable to find the source for the attack spider he used.
Could you please tell me where you purchased your spider ?
No problem. http://www.attackspider.com/
From what I've heard and read the woodpeckers are very discriminating as to what they peck. They might just like the sound, density, smell of the wood.
Several poster here have suggested that there must be insects they are after. That might not be the case. Animals do strange things sometimes.
At the church they are pecking synthetic stucco on a relatively new building. There are no insects. They are burrowing into the insulation behind the stucco to build nests.
They build nests seasonally so they might not touch it all year until nesting season.
In a mature forest there is plenty of standing dead wood for them to burrow into and nest but people have taken out a lot of the deadwood. so they start to look at other places to nest build.
But this is just speculation. It's hard to know what a woodpecker is thinking. They might just like the sound or density. They are really into pecking.
I wouldn't dream of trying to gaurantee that the peckers won't hit the new stuff.
But I would recommend that the HOs talk to a pest control expert. Those birds are after insects that they believe is in the wood, could be something behind th sheathing that is crawling, making noise, and attracting them.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Some are looking for food, or a place to nest. The woodpecker who's been banging away lately on my metal weathervane isn't looking for bugs, he's looking for love, in all the wrong places. The drumming sound apparently is irresistable to lady woodpeckers.
I see.I do the same thing when I run low on pheremones - beat my head against the wall - Yeah! That'll do it!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Im slowly covering my fascia with painted aluminum because first came the carpenter/bumble bees and then the woodpeckers came and excavated the wood to get at the bees... Some of the boards look like those observation ant farms.
With the lack of honey bees around here carpenter bees Ive noticed were main visible pollinater on my fruit trees this spring.Cant live with them..cant live without them.
Woodpeckers may do a bit of pecking on loud and resonant things during breeding season but they generally dont waste thier energy pecking wood unless theres something to eat in there.
It is a good idea to contact a pest control expert. I've been a PCO for 15 years and run into this many times. If the woodpeckers are on corners it is generally a territorial marking, but if the damage is done to the facing of siding it is usually a pest issue. Make sure to check moisture content behind the siding, and have the PCO check thoroughly for signs of carpenter ants and termites. If the damage is done to fascia board it could very well be carpenter bees nesting in the the trim (check for perfectly round 1/4" holes in the bottom of the fascia or on the back of the board.
So how do you deal with carp bees?
1# line small hooks and nector for bait...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Spray the hole with wasp n hornet killer. Then you MUST plug the hole since other bees will move in once the bee killer smell goes away. Tap in a 3/8" dowel and cut flush.
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
more like 3/8" or 5/16" around here.
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
your correct 3/8 is proper - was typing in a hurry as I was walking out the door and not thinking. As far as treating them you should use an insecticide dust in the holes. Some of those galleries they chew out out can be feet long. A standard wasp/hornet killer has no residual so will wear off quickly. If the female has already laid eggs in there a dust is the best way to insure that any hatching bodies will contact a chemical and not survive. Filling the hole with a dowel is the best way to seal the hole but I suggest waiting a couple of days after treatment to do so.
My advice is NOT to assure the client any such thing. You can suggest that they hire an exterminator to assess the structure for insect problems, and can offer to take a look at what can be done to keep moisture out of the building (which is usually what attracts insects). As far as making assurances that the woodpeckers will not come back, you may be setting yourself up for future complaints when woody comes back to drum for a mate.