Can You Repel Woodpeckers Away with Deterrent Paint?

Have you ever woken up to the loud sounds of a woodpecker on the side of your home or up on the roof?

Woodpeckers can be obnoxious to homeowners and if they are not scared away, they can become an expensive problem as they peck over and over in the same area to break down the wood and reach the insects – this is the way that woodpeckers search for food. 

Once you have a woodpecker problem, you will want to find a solution as quickly as possible in order to minimize the damage done to your home.

If you are planning for a house paint or a renovation, using a good quality woodpecker deterrent paint and stain additive can work for you.

The woodpecker repellent paint additive, when mixed with the paint and applied to the exterior wood, can help deter the woodpeckers due to its unique deterring taste, smell, and qualities.

And for this reason, it is one of the best cost-effective ways to get rid of woodpecker problems in your house.

Below, I have listed a few other solutions that are effective in getting rid of woodpeckers along with the details on using this repellent paint.

Check them out to pick the one that works for you.

What are Woodpeckers Attracted To?

Chances are if a woodpecker is pecking on your home, it’s because you have an infestation of insects somewhere and the woodpecker found them.

The woodpeckers’ diet consists of insects, nuts, seeds, and berries. Once they spot food, they continuously work at it to get to it.

You can avoid having a woodpecker over for a meal by treating your home for bugs on a regular basis, more often if you see an infestation starting.

It’s hard sometimes to see bugs in your home so it’s important to inspect your home at least twice a year, looking under the foundation and around the attic.

Why Do They Peck In?

Besides finding food and shelter for a nest, woodpeckers may also hammer on houses for creating a roost hole, attract a mate, and establish a territory.

They usually do so by “drumming” the wood hard and making several holes.

Although their natural targets are trees and wood, they can hammer on any tall object they find attractive (like the utility poles, chimney pipes, stucco, etc.).

Pecking on surfaces other than wood is generally a way to communicate for them when they use their beak to generate noise.

Are They Attracted To Certain Colors?

Yes, various studies showed that woodpeckers prefer natural, unpainted bare wood (with lighter natural colors) to wood that has been finished with dark stains.

Generally, they hate to come near homes with bright, metallic, or unnatural-looking colors.

That’s the reason you will find certain homes with colorful flags or strips of paper installed that can deter these birds.

Can Woodpecker Deterrent Paint Additive Help?

Woodpecker often begins the damage with a small hole in the exterior wood.

So, don’t allow the hole to stay open otherwise, not only will it be tempting for the woodpeckers to peck at it, a variety of bugs may find that it’s a good place to make their home there as well.

You will want to repair/cover that hole or plug it if possible, in order to avoid them coming back.

Then by applying anti woodpecker paint and stain additive over the repaired holes, you can make sure that the woodpeckers do not come back as they do not like coming closer to it.

What is a Woodpecker Deterrent Paint?

As in the name, these are the specially designed deterrent paints to repel woodpeckers away.

Basically, it’s an environmentally safe, non-oxidizing, non-reverting, and non-toxic chemical-based additive that comes with a special deterrent smell and taste to keep woodpeckers away.

Although there are many other oil-based and polyurethane-based paints that can help in repelling insects and birds, anti-woodpecker paints are much more effective in getting rid of woodpeckers that are usually attracted to your backyard lawn due to various reasons.

How does it Work?

Chemical bird repellents and paint additives like Beakguard woodpecker deterrent paint contain toxins (such as methyl anthranilate and anthraquinone).

When applied over wood, it creates an uncomfortable environment for birds like woodpeckers causing them symptoms like nausea and confusion.

Plus, if the woodpeckers come nearby and peck the wood, the woodpecker repellent additive (that is encapsulated within the paint/stain) is released causing great discomfort to them.  

You can use these chemicals and paint products on trees, wooden furniture in your lawn, wood doors & windows, deck area, etc. to keep the woodpeckers away from coming to the same spot.

How to Use Them?

For using woodpecker taste repellent paint additive you will need to mix it in a ratio of 1 bottle (4 oz.) to one gallon of your normal paint or a stain.

Stir the paint and additive thoroughly for 2-3 minutes.

Then apply it using a brush or a roller to the surface you want to be treated.

Keep in mind that these woodpecker deterrent paint products come with certain life and fade away with time.

So, they do not provide protection from the pests and birds for lifelong.

If by chance you face the problem in the future you should use the woodpecker taste repellent paint additives again when repainting your exteriors.

Where to Find These Paints?

Deterrent paints that can repel the birds away are generally available at your nearby paint store or a hardware store.

If you do not find them there, you can purchase these paints online at stores like Amazon, Home Depot, and others where these are easily available at a lower price.

Comparing the different brands and checking consumer reviews can help you pick the most effective one that can work.

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Will It Stop Woodpeckers from Pecking on Siding?

Yes painting your wood siding with an effective woodpecker deterrent paint can help in stopping the damage these pesky birds can make.

You won’t believe but grooved cedar shake and cedar shingles are the favorites for woodpeckers and that’s why they tend to drum and nest there for a long by creating multiple small & large holes.

Surely, getting it fixed will burn a hole in your pocket.

You can therefore use the bird deterrent paint additive for protecting the highly targeted cedar shake siding or the tongue & groove cedar siding installed in your home.

Alternatively, you can keep woodpeckers from pecking/drumming on the siding is by installing materials that are woodpecker resistant.

Some of the best siding options that are most commonly used by homeowners in the US are:

• Vinyl siding
• Aluminum siding
• Fiber cement siding
• Brick or stone siding

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Few Other Tips to Deter Woodpeckers from Your House

It’s important to note that woodpeckers are considered wild birds and are protected by state and federal laws.

This simply means that these birds cannot be killed by shooting or poisoning them, even if they are causing great damage to your property.

You can capture woodpeckers however you will need a permit to do that.

The best way is to try the options that are legally safe.

Some of the prevention tips you can try to keep the woodpeckers away from your house are:

1- Scare the Woodpecker with Loud Sound

Woodpeckers do not like loud sounds so the louder you can be around the house, the further the woodpecker will want to be.

What type of noise do you need to make in order to scare them away?

You can install a motion detector noise maker around the area that the bird seems to be targeting.

Because birds are scared off easily, this will be very effective in solving the issue.

The sound will not need to be loud however it will need to be a sound of either an enemy bird or of a woodpecker in trouble.

Many of your home and garden stores will have these motion detector sounds available to purchase and install in the area needed.

If any of these ideas don’t work for you, then play the radio during the day around the area that the woodpecker keeps going to.

The music will scare them away so they will not want to stay around.

2- Hang Up the Plastic Birds and Snakes

Another option to get rid of woodpeckers pecking on your home is to display a fake bird, such as an owl or hawk that they may be scared of.

These artificial birds can be purchased at the lawn and garden store and then hung close by where the woodpecker can be scared away with just the sight of these large plastic creatures.

Another option to try in order to scare a woodpecker is to add a plastic snake around the area that they continue to return to.

Snakes are predators so a woodpecker would naturally be distracted by the sight of one.

3- Hanging Aluminum Foil

Try hanging aluminum foil in strips close to the area that the woodpecker seems to be returning to and keeps pecking at.

The aluminum foil is shiny and that scares the woodpeckers.

When the wind blows the aluminum foil strips will move around and this can make the woodpecker feel even more uneasy.

4- Visual Distractions

Distraction could be an option for you if you are having trouble finding the other options listed above.

Distractions could be a dead log near the area they are pecking around or a lawn ornament that blows in the wind.

If you are feeding wild birds outside and near where the woodpeckers are pecking, you will want to move the area you are feeding them so the woodpecker is not attracted to that spot in any way.

5- Metal Cage Traps

Woodpecker Traps are also an option. These traps are humane and reusable.

It’s certainly not easy to trap a woodpecker but it’s not impossible and if you have exhausted all other options listed above, then a trap may be appealing.

The woodpecker traps are easy to set up and use and they include a sensitive trigger for quick catching.

Once the bird is in the trap, they cannot escape until you release them.

You can keep the trap and use it for future critters that may be causing trouble around your home.

To operate the traps, simply place bait inside the cage in the designated area. Set the door to open.

When the bird goes into the cage for the food, the trigger will release, and the door will shut behind them.

6- Netting for Woodpecker

Netting is an option if you want to get rid of woodpeckers.

Netting is very effective in keeping the woodpeckers from damaging your home.

You may need to install brackets to secure the netting before placing the netting in place.

This net will stop the woodpecker from landing on the side of the house where it will dine on the wood.

If the woodpecker is pecking at one area of the house, the net will work fine.

However, it may not be worth all the efforts of installing anchors if they are pecking at different locations around the house.

Keep in mind that netting may also not work if the woodpecker is small in size.

7- Use Other Woodpecker Repellents

You can purchase over-the-counter woodpecker repellents in the home and garden stores.

And these repellents can be very effective in getting rid of the woodpecker.

You can choose from:

• Spikes and Tape
• Woodpecker gel repellent
• Woodpecker spray repellent
• Ultrasonic woodpecker repellent

Each one of these options comes with instructions so it’s important to read before putting it together.

Should You Use Insecticides to Deter Woodpeckers?

Yes, spraying an insecticide can help by targeting their food source – that are bugs and insects making holes in trees.

But remember, while using this method you should aim to kill the wood damaging insects and not the woodpeckers.

Since it is illegal to kill or harass woodpeckers in many states, you should certainly not try to shoot or kill them by using any kind of harmful toxic chemicals.

Instead, you should spray insecticide and use other methods in conjunction with deterrents to stop woodpeckers from making damage to your property.

Multiple approaches will help you in keeping them guarded and wiping them out of your garden and yard.

The Bottom Line

Woodpecker Repellent Paint Additive is among the greatest pest bird deterrent products that can be utilized for deterring the woodpeckers without getting them killed.

Unlike chemical repellents (that are good for trees) these can be used for painting the wood exteriors in your house that have been affected by repeated woodpecker damage.

Its nasty taste and odor, not only lowers the drilling of woodpeckers but also protects your area from getting future damage by many other pest birds.

For better results, you can try this along with other preventative measures and woodpecker deterrent programs, especially if your property is a favorite target for woodpeckers.