Bama Red Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 We have a pair of woodpeckers (no, I'm not sure what kind) that have decided to make our log home their next long term project/meal ticket. I mean, hey, the carpenter bees are bad enough, I sure don't need Woody Woodpecker playing the castanets on the side of our home! I may try my trusty Red Ryder BB gun since its nice and quiet and effective enough if I do my part, or I can get some CCI shotshells and blast away from my easy chair in the shade. Right now, I'm leaning toward the shotshells, as I don't have to be quite so accurate as I would with the BB gun. Anybody have any other suggestions? I'm far enough away from neighbors that noise really will not be any trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slate mike sass#29204 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Depending on what type they are, they may be protected. I can't see why they would attack your log walls as they are trying to find food and your logs should be treated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Woodpeckers are in fact protected under the Migratory Bird Act. Some peckerwood control tips here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfgang, SASS #53480 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Depending on what type they are, they may be protected. I can't see why they would attack your log walls as they are trying to find food and your logs should be treated. Ditto . . . . but I still go with SHOOT 'EM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Hawk 60642 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Since you are recovering from yur knee operation, or even if yur not.......... LET DEM FEATHERS FLY ! And not on da bird ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 They are going to bang on your house because they can make a lot of noise, advertise their peckers, and perhaps attract a lady woodpecker'sattention. And since shooting them is a felony I would not mention it in a public forum where I could be charged with conspiracy to commit a felony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bama Red Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Did not know about them being a protected species - guess that rules out the most effective and easiest control method. I'll have to try some of the remedies in UB's link. Also, it would seem the reason he has chosen our place is "drumming" - marking his territory, which takes place March thru May. Wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Dan Troop 70448 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Had a friend in the country, rough sawed cedar siding. He woke up one morning hearing the woodpecker, ran outside and scared it off. But each morning it came back. He tried all the advised things written, even tried just firing a shotgun in the air. Each morning the woodpecker came back, creating further damage to his house. Finally it was decision day on what to do, he hasn't had a problem since. MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Did not know about them being a protected species - guess that rules out the most effective and easiest control method. I'll have to try some of the remedies in UB's link. Also, it would seem the reason he has chosen our place is "drumming" - marking his territory, which takes place March thru May. Wish me luck! It ain't just logs. I had one that delighted in whanging away on the galvanized roof flashing on a concrete block house. There's a reason Woody Woodpecker appears crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 We have a pair of woodpeckers (no, I'm not sure what kind) that have decided to make our log home their next long term project/meal ticket. I mean, hey, the carpenter bees are bad enough, I sure don't need Woody Woodpecker playing the castanets on the side of our home! I may try my trusty Red Ryder BB gun since its nice and quiet and effective enough if I do my part, or I can get some CCI shotshells and blast away from my easy chair in the shade. Right now, I'm leaning toward the shotshells, as I don't have to be quite so accurate as I would with the BB gun. Anybody have any other suggestions? I'm far enough away from neighbors that noise really will not be any trouble. Bama: We had a persistent robin that nested on a protected windowsill in our house. We thought it cute...initially. But a bunch of birds create one heck of a mess, and a stink, when nesting , and we lost our patience when she returned the following year. We tried the usual suggestions - suspended, reflective CDs, big eyed inflatable owls, suspended owl statutes, fake snakes, etc. etc. - she ignored them all. Until we stumbled on fruit tree netting, intended to keep birds away from hanging fruit. Light plastic netting, about 1" square mesh, stretched across the area but held out away from the side of the house. She flew into it repeatedly, but eventually gave up and nested elsewhere. Might be worth a try. Now, help me with the carpenter bees. They have arrived, and are boring holes eveywhere on my house (cedar and mahogany). Damned things are persistent and aggressive, too. Had an exterminator come by, and he sprayed an active section; but they are back. Anybosy spray them themselves? What chemicals do you use? LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Cherokee, SASS#48332 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 There are exceptions for getting rid of protected critters that are causing destruction..check with the Wildlife folks.. Back when I was working in the telephone network construction biz, there was a problem with the varmints pecking holes in power poles..Apparently they mistook the humming in the wire for insects/food..Their drilling weakened the poles and they would have to be replaced..They solved the problem by wrapping heavy-duty screen around the poles. Very beneficial critters as far as insect control..Hope ya can figger out something that ain't too drastic.. Another possibility is you may have a bug problem in your logs and the Woody's are going after them..Might want to check with an pest-control specialist. The carpenter bees are a real PITA..They are turning my new covered deck into a swiss cheese..They don't seem to like the painted areas as much as the unpainted ones though..Hopefully we'll finish the painting this summer. My Dad used to whittle a wooden plug to fit the hole and when the bee went in, he would drive the plug in the hole..He said they would only back out of the same hole and wouldn't drill on through..Never did see where they did either..Been thinking about some cheap wood dowels from the hardware store, cut up a bunch of them and keep them along with a hammer, in a bucket out on the porch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Bama: We had a persistent robin that nested on a protected windowsill in our house. We thought it cute...initially. But a bunch of birds create one heck of a mess, and a stink, when nesting , and we lost our patience when she returned the following year. We tried the usual suggestions - suspended, reflective CDs, big eyed inflatable owls, suspended owl statutes, fake snakes, etc. etc. - she ignored them all. Until we stumbled on fruit tree netting, intended to keep birds away from hanging fruit. Light plastic netting, about 1" square mesh, stretched across the area but held out away from the side of the house. She flew into it repeatedly, but eventually gave up and nested elsewhere. Might be worth a try. Now, help me with the carpenter bees. They have arrived, and are boring holes eveywhere on my house (cedar and mahogany). Damned things are persistent and aggressive, too. Had an exterminator come by, and he sprayed an active section; but they are back. Anybosy spray them themselves? What chemicals do you use? LL An insecticide will help in the short term but single applications will rarely give you long term relief. Treat the holes you see with any approved pesticide (consult your local state extension service), fill the holes with putty, and re-paint. Consider staining, re-staining or painting the wood on your home which will largely deter them. They don't like to gnaw through paint and stain all that much. There is a world of info available by googling and from your extension service. Carpenter bees put on a big show but the only person I've ever known stung was trying to get one out of his insect net. As you know they are very destructive and thats why you see so many old barns that have collapsed in the middle. The bees destroyed the headers and support beams!!!! Old timers used creosote and burnt motor oil to treat the wood and keep a variety of pests away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Dan Troop 70448 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Old timers used creosote and burnt motor oil to treat the wood and keep a variety of pests away. I remember Dad brushing used motor oil on the structures, they're still standing strong to this day. MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 It ain't just logs. I had one that delighted in whanging away on the galvanized roof flashing on a concrete block house. There's a reason Woody Woodpecker appears crazy! Yep, we had one pecking on our gutter downspout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickahominy Charlie Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Now, help me with the carpenter bees. They have arrived, and are boring holes eveywhere on my house (cedar and mahogany). Damned things are persistent and aggressive, too. Had an exterminator come by, and he sprayed an active section; but they are back. Anybosy spray them themselves? What chemicals do you use? LL I use the store-bought Wasp and Hornet spray to good effect on mine. I had a colony in the eaves of my house 2 years ago. Got rid of them, but they came back, so every year about this time (thanks for reminding me), I take two cans and douse them out. I normally get 30-40 each year. This first year, it was over 100 (my kids counted 'em ). As for the woodpeckers......active US Army bases have the red-cockaided (sp?) woodpeckers all over the training areas. They band the trees, etc. and issue citations (real tickets with real fines) to soldiers who "disturb" them by driving through the "protected" areas. And, as soldiers will do, those civilian contractors who issue those citations have a nickname -- pecker checkers. Chick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curley Fryes Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Get a cat!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bama Red Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Got two of 'em! Way too high up for the cats to get to 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I've got the carpenter bees, too. Killed 5 nests just last week, mostly in the unpainted trim suppports of our carport. The untreated wood seems to be most vulnerable, even though it had a coat of waterproofing on it. the parts that are treated wood they leave alone. One was in a stained area, but it was a weathered spot. I just shot wasp&hornet spray into the holes. If one was in there, it backed out and dropped fairly quickly. They look like bumble bees, but are somewhat darker in color. I waited 24 hours and then stuffed the holes with rope caulk that was a brown color that's pretty close to the stain( solid color)on it. Body count wasn't that high, about 7. As far as woody goes, we've got them here, but so far they've sstayed up in the woods behind us pounding on the oaks back there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Mark Flint #31954 LIFE Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 for carpenter bees I use a Ruger Mark 3 loaded singly with power loads, the .22 blanks used for driving nails. You can blast them from about 4-5 feet effectively with the lighter loads and the heavy ones on a still day will get you to about 7-8 feet. Clean your gun well after use, they do dirty it up. They will go after treated wood and have been eating the handrail on one side of my deck.they tend to like to come up from the bottom, so painting with a coat of something gooey like roofing tar would likely help to dissuade them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairshake Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 In 1984 I built a 1 1/2 story log home from Louisiana Cypress. The bugs and birds don't like the cypress wood and leave it alone. I still added a wood coating every year from a garden sprayer that keep every kind of critter creatures from doing any damage. It was a wood waterproofing and not even the carpenter bees would drill it. They did however go after my cedar trim boards. I did as was posted above and each day late ion the afternoon before dark I would spray that into any new holes where I spotted the fresh saw dust. It was only a few seconds before a dead bee would fall from the hole. No eggs will hatch after spraying with wasp and hornet spray either. If you shoot a woodpecker of any species in Louisiana, you will see what the inside of a federal prison looks like. The huge King size woodpecker that looks like Woody of cartoon fame was at one time on the endangered species list. We have one that attacks one of our 100 feet tall pine trees every morning and makes the bark fly. I would try calling the wildlife and fisheries agents about your problem as they have ways of doing it for you at no cost and it keeps you on the correct side of the law. If you do it by shooting you could lose your hunting rights for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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