How to Get Rid of a Woodpecker

Hi, I'm Jim Harmon with California Pest Management here in Southern California. We're going to talk a little bit about Woodpecker control. First question, what do you think it sounds like when you hear that first thing in the morning and you're inside just starting to get up, haven't even gotten your coffee? It's got a Woodpecker going at the side of your house. Not only do they put a lot of damage on the side of the house, but what they're doing is they're looking for beetles. They're looking for grubs and larva of other insects so that way they can feed. So in other words, if you've got Woodpeckers all over the side of your house putting big holes in it, you probably have a bigger problem with beetles inside the wood. The house needs to be treated for beetles first. Once they're dead, then the Woodpeckers will go away and stop attacking your house. What they're doing is they'll stop, land on the side of the house and listen, and they're listening for the sound of the beetle, its mandibles or mouth parts chewing on the actual wood. When they hear that, that's when they start tapping to tap right in. And we see that commonly out here in California on palm trees, you'll see them on all types of trees and on your house. How to prevent it, solve the problem first by getting the Woodpeckers food out of here. If that doesn't work, you can also do metal sheeting on the side of the house and paint it. In other words, cover up your wood.