Nothing is more unsatisfying than hearing the sound of a woodpecker drumming away on the side of your house early in the morning. In order to understand how to get rid of woodpeckers on cedar siding, it is paramount that you choose an appropriate woodpecker deterrent.
Below I will tell you exactly how to get rid of woodpeckers on cedar siding using 5 easy methods:
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Use Visual Deterrents
I recommend that you try this method first as it is a very affordable and effective solution. Woodpeckers are petrified of moving, reflective material. I’ve often heard people recommend hanging CDs, pie tins, or various other household items but seldom do these items get the job done. The woodpeckers might be wary at first but it won’t take them too long to discover that there is no imminent threat.
We need to use items that are very shiny! The best 3 items for this purpose are bird repellent discs, bird repellent tape, and bird repellent balloons. All of these items are reflective in nature and are specifically designed for woodpecker removal. If I had to choose one to try, it would hands down be the bird repellent discs. They are extremely shiny and look very decorative hanging from your house. The other two are more suitable for back yards, boats, sheds etc.
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Use an Electronic Woodpecker Repellent
If you are looking for a more visually discrete solution, try using an electronic woodpecker repellent. These devices emit distress calls that frighten these birds away from the area. Both devices allow you to choose when and how long they operate for.
If you choose to take this route, I’d recommend that you go with a well-known product such as the BirdXPeller PRO or Super BirdXPeller PRO. The BirdXpeller Pro covers an area of 1 acre while the Super covers an area of 6 acres.
These are the only 2 products that I stand by. There are many cheaper alternatives but in my opinion, you’d be much better off investing that money in additional visual deterrents than wasting your money on an inadequate audio woodpecker product.
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Feed them with Woodpecker Suet Cakes
Woodpecker suet cakes are one of these birds’ favorite foods. These cakes are placed inside a woodpecker suet feeder where they can rest and chow down. This method works particularly well if they are attacking your cedar siding in search of insects. Set these up away from your house and the woodpeckers should leave you alone. I normally advise using 2-3 of these depending on how many woodpeckers are around.
It is absolutely paramount that you only use suet cakes specifically targeting woodpeckers. These birds are very finicky eaters and won’t always go for suet cakes designed for songbirds per say. Although there are several good cakes out there, I love these woodpecker suet cakes. If these cakes are in the vicinity, you can bet that’s where the woodpeckers will be!
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Shelter them with a Woodpecker Birdhouse
If the woodpeckers are attacking your home for shelter rather than food, a woodpecker birdhouse will give them the home they desire. These birds go crazy over this particular woodpecker birdhouse and chances are, they’ll take up residence there. Just set this thing up away from your home and preferably by a full suet feeder.
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Use Woodpecker Spikes or Woodpecker Netting
If all else fails, use a physical barrier to prevent these birds from accessing your house.
Woodpecker Spikes are placed on any surface and will ensure that they can’t get to their desired pecking area.
Woodpecker Netting is also very effective if you can hang the net about a foot away from the area they like to peck. This will guarantee that they won’t have access to your cedar siding.
These 5 methods should help you get rid of woodpeckers on cedar siding. In addition, I’ll teach you everything you need to know to repair woodpecker damage! I’ll show you exactly what to do to erase these holes!
For more specific tips on how to get rid of woodpeckers, check out the following articles:
- How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers on Your House
- How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers on Stucco
- How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers on Trees
Please feel free to leave comments below!
I like seeing woodpeckers in our trees, but they like our siding, too. I’ll gladly offer the birds a suet feeder as a more attractive alternative. I’d install the deterrent disks, but my house is 2 stories – we don’t have a ladder that reaches the gutters and if we did, no one wants to climb that high. I need a handyman.
That’s understandable. If you’re looking to keep the woodpeckers arround, I’d definitely advise against the use of an electronic woodpecker repellent. The bird repellent discs attached to the house would be your best bet.
Hello, I appreciate the information. Do you handle it differently if they are filling the holes? It seems like they are storing food.
In a way, yes. We know that they are creating holes to store food so it may be beneficial to provide them with a Woodpecker Birdhouse and even provide them with some Woodpecker Suet Cakes. This will give them both shelter and food away from your home!
In my green attempts to save my house and garage, I dutifully constructed woodpecker-specific houses that were promptly taken over by eastern Starlings – sort of the avion pit bulls of our neighborhood. This happened for 3 years in a row. Clearly I am dumber than they are. I’ve covered up ho;es, sprayed noxious chemicals and even attempted a bb gun assault that merely resulted in pissing off the neighbors. I feel like Bill Murray. Next will be your suggestion of reflective materials. we shall see./ Maybe just move.
You certainly don’t need to move! I know firsthand just how frustrating this problem can be but rest assured, it is a solvable problem.
Try a combination of bird repellent discs and electronic woodpecker repellents to see if this solves your issue.
I feel fairly confident that these products should help convince the woodpeckers to seek residence elsewhere!
We have tried the hanging tin door detergents. Flashing lights. They just keep making huge holes right beside the old ones directly beside the tin spinners and flashing lights. They are wrecking our house!!!! This is crazy. What next?
Have you tried hanging Bird Repellent Discs yet? These seem to be the most effective woodpecker deterrent! They work much better than homemade woodpecker repellents!
I appreciate you sharing some tips on how to get rid of woodpeckers on cedar siding such as putting up a woodpecker birdhouse. If you suspect that these stubborn birds just want to look for a place to stay in, you may want to consider building a birdhouse that is a few meters away from your home. Who knows? This may just do the trick and will help keep these birds stay away from your home. If I ever need to get rid of woodpeckers in my home, I would make sure to keep this in mind. Thanks.
Thanks for the kind words!
We have painted cedar shakes and we’ve had repeated woodpecker damage for years. We have tried most of the recommended “cures” (including some of yours). Each year, instead of repairing the holes (there are too many) we’ve replaced all the pecked shakes with new freshly painted shakes. Although we’ve spent thousands of dollars, each year the woodpeckers start attacking the fresh new wood (newer shakes actually seem to attract pecking more than older shakes (which certainly undermines the insect hunting theory). At this point, we’re about to give up and reside the whole house with vinyl. While I’ve read a few reports of woodpeckers attempting to peck vinyl, in general people report good results. Before we spend a large amount on vinyl siding, I’d just like to survey other homeowners with vinyl and ask if they have still had serious woodpecker problems. The siding company says that they have sided wood houses that were in woodpecker “hot zones,” and the woodpeckers moved to a different target. Is this your experience? I live in a wooded area, but the house next to mine is vinyl sided in a similar color to my house and it hasn’t been damaged by woodpeckers in the ten years I’ve lived next door. Should I follow suit or will suet suffice?
I also live in a wooded area and will tell you this. My house has vinyl siding on 3 sides and stucco on 1 side. The woodpeckers couldn’t be less interested in the vinyl in my situation. They were solely concerned with attacking the stucco to create nesting cavities.
Most of the time when they attack cedar siding, it is because they are sensing insects behind the wood. Before making any material investment in your home, I would recommend having an exterminator come out to check if there is any sort of insect infestation. You could wind up saving yourself a ton of money just by eradicating the insects. If they are in fact attacking your home for food, you will get rid of your woodpecker problem while also getting rid of any underlying insect issue.
You can learn all about why woodpeckers peck on this page. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask!
These birds are continually destroying my house however you couldn’t pay me to spray horrid chemicals all over my house. Good luck with that health hazard!
There are plenty of humane ways to get rid of woodpeckers without the use of chemicals.
Spend some time exploring the content on this site and you will discover that chemicals are one of the least effective ways to get rid of woodpeckers.
Wow what an informative post. I was just checking out woodpeckers and came across this. You gave me good information that I intend to implement. The methods for repelling them was quite interesting too. All non lethal. Im sick of woodpeckers ruining my home. This page told me everything I wanted to know!
So glad I was able to point you in the right direction. Please check back in with us and let us know how everything went. I’m sure you will be pleased to find the woodpeckers gone in no time!
This is such a funny post, but needed greatly! We had the same issue on our house, and we actually used the suet trick and it worked like a charm. I love the videos posted throughout, I’ll definitely be checking back for more advice. We have soooo many birds, including woodpeckers, in our backyard. Thanks for the help and other tips 🙂
So happy this page helped you out! Suet sure does do the trick!
Hi,
I love woodpeckers ever since I was a child and still do to this day. I used to watch as a child the cartoons “woody the woodpecker”.
I have a question for you. If you use the electronic woodpecker repellent, is it specific to woodpecker or will the electronic device deter all birds from coming near your house?
Thanks,
Sonia
Ya, woodpeckers can be real pretty to look at but that sentiment fades quickly when they are damaging your home!
Both of the electronic woodpecker repellent products above are specifically designed for woodpeckers and sparrows. It shouldn’t have any effect on other birds!