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Thu Sep 11, 2025 4:33 am

Planning my fall paintin and the Hairys and RedBellied have been rat-tat-tatting on my house.

What’s the best filler product brand for filling in the divots before painting ?

Thu Sep 11, 2025 5:51 am

If you’re painting use Durham’s rock hard. But if you’re staining you’re going to have to put stain into the mix because it will NOT take stain well after drying.

Thu Sep 11, 2025 7:18 am

sounds like you need some holographic bird diverters man...peckers this way

or grow some hysteria up the wall...

Thu Sep 11, 2025 8:31 am

pondoras box wrote: If you’re painting use Durham’s rock hard. But if you’re staining you’re going to have to put stain into the mix because it will NOT take stain well after drying.

Painting, so I’ll give that a try. I happen to be near Durham, too!

Fri Sep 12, 2025 4:12 am

before i replaced my original to house cedar shakes with new cedar shakes those bastids were constantly knocking on my shingles. Mine needed to be replaced because so were too weathered to save tbh so it was an upgrade for the house.

Fri Sep 12, 2025 1:04 pm

Don't blame the woodpeckers. Check your house for termite infestation. They are actually doing you a favor!

Fri Sep 12, 2025 1:59 pm

ALLWAGONS wrote: Don't blame the woodpeckers. Check your house for termite infestation. They are actually doing you a favor!

We are in deep woods with lots of deadfall, so they try the house on occasion.

No termites, its still a bit too cold here in winters for them

Fri Sep 12, 2025 9:30 pm

We have a home in the Eastern Sierra, 6600 feet elevation with 30+ year old T1-11 siding. The woodpeckers have been drilling holes in the siding and making nests in the walls. We have been nailing metal plates over the holes. Ugly.
The only solution is James Hardee cement based siding. We are hoping we can find a contractor to replace the siding before next nesting season.

Sat Sep 13, 2025 6:48 am

I have the same problem at my cabin, the pileateds put softball size holes in my exterior walls. My first line of defense is to execute every last one of them that I see. They're big so they're easy targets. They're territorial so you have to whack out all of them or else you won't accomplish anything. Second is to attach reflective streamers around the outside of the house. These work temporarily since the birds get accustomed to them. Next is the large plastic owl with a solar powered rotating head. These also work temporarily and you have to constantly move them around. All of these methods work but you have to stay on top of it.

Sat Sep 13, 2025 6:56 am

Woodpeckers and carpenter bees just love cedar. We have had both. My solution was to cover as much cedar with metal as I could. The bees do far more damage than the woodpeckers. They bore perfectly round holes as much as 1/2" diameter and weaken rafters easily with their tunneling.

Sat Sep 13, 2025 8:22 am

liquidrush wrote: I have the same problem at my cabin, the pileateds put softball size holes in my exterior walls.......Next is the large plastic owl with a solar powered rotating head. These also work temporarily and you have to constantly move them around. All of these methods work but you have to stay on top of it.

Our daughter in law tried the plastic owls. They had no effect on the very persistent and lould 'peckers.

Sat Sep 13, 2025 9:11 am

Get a couple of female cats.
Integrated pest management.

Sat Sep 13, 2025 5:05 pm

I hate peckerwoods :roll:

Sun Sep 14, 2025 12:30 am

Jet lagged at 0300, listening to three different species of owls talking to each other …. :D

Sun Sep 14, 2025 5:00 am

It’s not termites they’re after it’s the carpenter bee larvae. If you can get rid of them you get rid of the woodpeckers. If you find a way to keep the bees away let me know!

Sun Sep 14, 2025 11:37 am

pondoras box wrote: It’s not termites they’re after it’s the carpenter bee larvae. If you can get rid of them you get rid of the woodpeckers. If you find a way to keep the bees away let me know!

I found that coating the cedar with a clear penetrant kept them away but I eventually covered the cedar with metal anyway as I wanted to reduce maintenance.

Tue Sep 16, 2025 2:45 am

Update. I got them some medication and the woodpeckers now sit still in the cedar trees.