Woodpecker Repellant; Is There Such a Thing?

I've got woodpeckers using a dead pine tree as an all-you-can-eat buffet. The damage includes the bottom 3-4 feet of bark has been chipped off and the base looks like a pile of sawdust was dumped there. And there are a number of holes that have punched out of the trunk.

Yeah, cutting it down is the best answer but the damn tree is even on my property; it's in a "right-of-way" that is essentially an alley that was never developed by the borough. Then there would be the problem of disposing the refuse.

What is frustrating is that the borough actually did remove a huge, dead elm from the same spot just a few years ago. When asked, the borough's office lizard said it was done as a "favor" for my father as they already had a tree removal crew on hand that was working on a local HUD project.

So, does such a thing exist or are there other solutions?

So is the noise or the visual the problem? Or impending toppling of the tree?

Maybe find which animal hates/eats them and put a bunch of plastic ones by the tree. Crows, ravens, bluejays, raptors?

Owls. Find a nice plastic or wooden owl and set it on the tree or watching the tree. 

You need a walrus. 

I have studied this.  You can get the fake owls.  They will keep them away for about a day.  You can get the fake owls with the moving heads.  3 days.  Some streamers nailed to wherever they like to peck is about the best you can do.  I won't mention more kinetic solutions that are 100% effective because, you know, greens and E36 M3.

RossD said:

So is the noise or the visual the problem? Or impending toppling of the tree?

Maybe find which animal hates/eats them and put a bunch of plastic ones by the tree. Crows, ravens, bluejays, raptors?

 

I'm more concerned about the tree falling. It's in proximity of four yard sheds and any one of the could be a target; including mine. The most likely victim could be the millionaire, part Steelers owner, neighbor.

Crows, ravens, bluejays, raptors; got all those in spades and the peckers are unfazed.

Speaking of crows, a bunch were in another dead pine about 15' away. They were making such a racket, I looked out to see what was going on. I watched one fly from one the top branches and glide down to another on the same tree. The damn branch snapped off when bird landed on it.

I put up a fake owl on a power pole in our back yard when I got tired of squirrels frying themselves on the transfomer relay there and knocking out my power.  Been a couple of years, so far so good (knocks on wood).

I've always heard that the best way to get rid of woodpeckers is to get rid of their food source.  Maybe douse the tree with insect killer of some kind? 

Agreed. Fix the root (heh) problem, you may have pine beetles, which are killer. I already lost 2/3 of my yard, and half that are left are on borrowed time. 

If you need temporary mitigation, reflective ribbon hung nearby works well. I heard hot sauce sprayed works, but it did not for me. Foil jammed in existing holes pisses them off.

Of course, if you live where I do,  .22 works fine too, but consider trajectory if shooting upward! Also be sure to check your protected list, otherwise most 'pest' animals are open season. 

Pellet guns are cheap.

In reply to Appleseed :

Sure, at first, but I have spent way more on mine than my 'real gun' at this point. Harder on scopes too! But mine is old an old west german Diana 36, love it. Nothing feels as solid. It cocks like an old benz door, heavy and smooth, with satisfying action.

Oddly, they are totally illegal to own or operate in nearby Denver. 

Another tip on the 'peckers: put a strip of clear tape down the shiny ribbon so the wind doesn't fray it to pretty bits you will still be picking out of your yard 5 years later.

"Right of way" = city property.

Just mention to whatever is occupying a desk at the city office that you and your lawyer have been discussing what sort of "damages" might be incurred if that tree were to fall on your property or a person on your property.

Lawyers positively salivate at the mere mention of the word "damages"

If it truly is on city property then a letter sent certified mail telling them it is dead and that their insurance will be responsible for damages should it fall might get it taken out. Until they receive that notice your insurance would have to cover tree fall damage as an act of god. However you need to make sure it’s on city property. An easement doesn’t make it city property but a right of way often does. If it is city property then it’s illegal for you to remove it! But again they should if it's dead. 

especially if your neighbor is a millionaire part owner of the steelers

The tree is dead. It's coming down with or without the woodpeckers. 

The only real question is whether you'd like to remove it in a controlled manner, or let nature take its course. 

We got plastic owls that move and make sound to deter pigeons at work. We now have moving, hooting, owl shaped piles of pigeon crap.

Appleseed said:

Pellet guns are cheap.

0.177, 0.20, and 0.22 pellet guns are effective repellant, though a last resort.  My dad had one get quite fond of the woodwork on their home and exhauseted all options before resorting to a permenant solution.

I think your question should have been, "How do I get rid of a dead tree?".  The pecker is doing his job, eating the bugs that are helping with the natural removal of the tree.  Get rid of the bird, the tree comes down sooner, I think.

We found that wind chimes worked well, you can give that a try. 

I'm surprised no one has said shotgun!

dculberson said:

If it truly is on city property then a letter sent certified mail telling them it is dead and that their insurance will be responsible for damages should it fall might get it taken out. Until they receive that notice your insurance would have to cover tree fall damage as an act of god. However you need to make sure it’s on city property. An easement doesn’t make it city property but a right of way often does. If it is city property then it’s illegal for you to remove it! But again they should if it's dead. 

I think this is a good idea.

A very close friend of my niece practices law here in town; a quick phone call should be all it takes to see if this idea is on solid ground. Seems like a few bucks spent on attorney's fees would be worth it considering the cost of increased home insurance rates would likely go over the (probable) one-time cost of a lawyer.

For record, the borough representative I spoke with specifically referred to the land in question as a "right of way". It needs to be determined if that makes the town liable for damages or if there something that absolves any responsibility.

Ironically, the town's solicitor lives right across the street. I was tempted to bring this to his attention but reconsidered because I didn't want to create a conflict of interest for the man. 

A couple years ago or so there was one that liked to visit us every morning around 5:30 and do its thing on the roof fascia by my bedroom. 

I could not sleep and was ready to help me move on to a better life. I was told that, at least here in Florida, they are a protected species. You get a huge fine if you harm them. 

They sell machines that randomly play predator bird calls. My Mom used it before she moved to stop the Woodpeckers from pecking her house. I'm not sure how well it worked.

I'm supposed to ebay the machine for her.

I have nesting pairs of peregrines and barred owls on the property, both of which are quite vocal, along with at least four species of woodpecker. I don't think the raptor calls are likely to do much.

The real point at this time is if there is a borough code or ordinance that requires property owners to maintain right-of-ways or if the borough is absolved of any responsibilities. I'm going to ask my neighbor (aka - borough solicitor) who to ask at the municipal building about specific references to right-of-way jurisdiction.

I don't have the resources to professionally remove the trees. I can pay to drop one or both trees but have no way to deal with the removal of the crap that lays in the yard. As was noted in a previous post - these trees are going down and it's just a matter or time.

The insurance company has no allowance to avoiding claims; they only pay after the fact - minus deductible (of course) and the then the subsequent rate hike.

This is going to be interesting...

I had woodpeckers around my place. I found that the best repellent was spraying the area with a pyrethrum based insect killer. Spray once every two to three weeks for a couple months and no more woodpeckers. 

I am not sure if I killed the bugs or the woodpeckers but the end result was they are gone and did not return for the rest of the summer.