We live in southern California and have a unique bird called the acorn woodpecker. They look like normal woodpeckers but prefer nuts over bugs. Well there are several living around our home and we have seen them for several years. We first noticed them in the street because they were using a telephone pole to store nuts. I sent a pic so you can see what they do.
This one pole is littered with holes, like swiss cheese, but each hole stores an acorn. At first we thought this was cool. The birds come around pecking each hole just the right size to store each nut they find. But this winter they started pecking on our house and now they’re storing nuts in our roof! This is not good. We keep hearing nuts rolling down into our walls. Now I’m afraid the nuts will rot or worse yet, attract rodents. Help!
Do you have something we can put up there to keep them away? Some kine of scary thing or spray?
We have helped a customers with this problem so in fact we have two options that will keep them away.
The first way to chase them is set out our BIRD FLASHER. These move around all the time and are perceived by the woodpeckers as a threat so they will not come anywhere near where you install it.
Use one flasher for up to 1,000 sq/ft but remember, it is based on line of sight. This means the bird must see it for the flasher to be effective.
ACORN WOODPECKER SOUND REPELLER
Another more “permanent” solution that’s discreet is to place out ULTRA SOUND REPELLERS. These devices release ultra sound (sound which people cannot hear but animals like birds can) and when pointed at the ara where the birds are active, you’ll immediately chase them away.
Our sound repeller is unique and features many optional controls making it well suited for wood peckers. This list includes the following:
- You can switch the unit to operate during the day only, night only or around the clock.
- You can power it by electricity or batteries.
- It comes with an wireless remote key for turning it off/on from afar.
- We carry optional “mounting blocks” so you can direct the sound up at the right spot.
We recommend keeping the unit “always on” during the day using the included power supply. We have optional power cord extenders so you can add a 33 foot or 66 foot long extension if needed. These extensions can be hooked in series too so you can run power several hundred feet if needed.
Once the birds have been chased away by running the unit for 2-3 weeks always on, you can change to battery power and motion detector triggering since running them all the time won’t be required. Power consumption is slight costing less than $.50 a month to keep them on but if you prefer to use batteries, they will still do the job once the troublesome birds learn to stay away.
Keep in mind ultra sound is very much directional meaning you must point the unit at the areas where birds are active. Each unit can cover up to 5000 sq/ft so in general, one machine will be enough to protect the side of any one home. But if they are using more than one side, you’ll probably need more than one machine to keep them away.
Using a mounting block, you’ll be able to set the unit off the ground and direct the sound where needed. The height off the ground is not important but in general, 1-2 feet high is fine when trying to repel nuisance birds like woodpeckers.
If needed, we have power cord extenders which can lengthen the power supply up to several hundred feet. These can be buried in the ground too for discreet, more permanent installations.
Greg says
Is there a guarantee that the ultra sound repeller will chase Way woodpeckers?
Tech Support says
Greg,
You get 30 days to return the unit for a full refund but it will work assuming you set it right and point it where you want to repel the targeted animal. So in all cases where we’ve sold these, the setting listed above have proven effective. Follow them and your pesky bird will leave and stay away for good.
Technical Support
U-Spray Bugspray
http://www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290