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Waking up by the singing of birds is mostly a perfect way to start your day – unless by the drumming of woodpeckers. Though having a good reputation of pest remover and doctor of trees, woodpeckers can be a disturb – or even a damage – to our house. Hence, we are going to introduce you several useful treatments to prevent and limit woodpeckers humanely without killing them.
What are Woodpeckers?
Woodpeckers are not a single breed of birds. Around the world (Except Oceania and Antarctica), There are 180 species of woodpeckers under the subfamily Picinae of the family Picidae, with their cousins piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Their sizes vary depending on the species, from the smallest bar-breasted piculets at 7.5 cm in length and 8.9g in width, to the largest imperial woodpecker which weighs up to 563g measures up to 55cm. Usually they have four toes, the first and the fourth facing backward and the second and third facing forward, to grip branches during tapping.
Where do Woodpeckers Live?
Woodpeckers usually live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are in treeless areas. Most woodpeckers spend their entire lives in trees, spiraling up the trunks in search of insects; only the few ground-feeding forms are capable of perching on horizontal branches. They mostly nest and roost in holes that they excavate in tree trunks, and their abandoned holes are of importance to other cavity-nesting birds.
Why Woodpeckers Peck?
The majority of woodpecker species feed on insects and other invertebrates living under bark and in wood. They can hear sounds from inside the timber indicating where it will be productive to create a hole. However, there are sapsuckers who drill holes through the bark of trees to obtain sap and acorn woodpeckers who store a supply in holes it drills in the bark of trees. There ‘bad’ woodpecker – even other ‘good’ ones – may overexploit the stem and cause the death of trees, and that is why we need to control them.
Why do Woodpeckers Come to My House?
There are several reasons why a woodpecker would pick your property as their residential. They are most attracted to houses with grooved wooden siding as a perfect shelter for feeding and nesting. Metallic roof does not satisfy their housing requirement, but can be a great live house for woodpeckers drumming performance for territory claiming and mate attraction.
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How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers?
Warning: Do not poison woodpeckers as there may be unexpected side effects on your family and environments. Consult professionals if necessary.
Due to their endangered population, woodpeckers are protected species in United States and it is illegal to harm them without permission. Besides, they are also a vital part of the ecosystem, so it will be better to solve the problem with moderate measure.
1. Insect Control
If there are small deep holes and dead insects’ leftover around your house, it may be a sign of insect infestation inside your wall. On the one hand, you can use pesticide to eliminate pest though that may not be ideal to the environment. On the other hand, you can apply some physical treatments, like a termite station or a bulb duster to extinguish these critters and cut off food resources of woodpeckers.
Recommended Products:
2. Bird Trap
If you want to catch a woodpecker without hurting them, the usual snap trap for killing rodents is obviously to cruel. To fulfill this dilemma, Trapall designs a net bird trap that can capture woodpecker and other bird without any irreversible damage – and don’t forget to release them into far wild afterwards!
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3. Bird Repellent
The Trapall ultrasonic repellent can emit a high-frequency noise that isn’t detectable and harmful to people, but birds will find it irritating, frightening and they will ultimately fly away to get free such disturb. Moreover, we also provide an old-fashioned windmill that plays similar role with a recall of nostalgia.
Recommended Products:
- Ultrasonic Bird Repellent (ATE11118)
- Ultrasonic Animal Repeller (ATE11152)
- Bird Scare Windmill (ATPL7106)
4. Bird Spike
You can install Trapall bird spikes in areas of your home where you frequently see woodpeckers, e.g. over your trees and roof. Woodpeckers are smart enough to avoid the upward-facing prongs of bird spike. They will choose other places to rest. Bird spikes are best arranged in a row to cover ledges, window sills, parapets, and other long horizontal surfaces.
Recommended Products:
- Stainless Steel Spikes (ATPL6750-W4)
- Gutter clip for bird spike (ATPL6801)
- Defender Spikes (ATPL6896L)
5. Bird Feeder
To discourage woodpeckers pecking your house, we can lure them far away by giving them testy decoy in a Trapall bird feeder. The best choice of decoy is a suet cake, which are made of rendered animal fat mixed with seeds, vegetables, fruits, and insects. Once woodpeckers are well fed, they will just leave the trees along – happy ending for both!
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References
Woodpecker – Wikipedia. (2021). Retrieved 17 December 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodpecker
woodpecker | Characteristics, Species, & Facts. (2021). Retrieved 17 December 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/animal/woodpecker
Woodpecker. (2021). Retrieved 17 December 2021, from https://allbirdsoftheworld.fandom.com/wiki/Woodpecker