Woodpeckers blamed for house damage throughout the South "mistakenly"

Innocent woodpeckers are being blamed for deteriorating / defective siding on people's homes.  Angry homeowners seek revenge on woodpeckers instead of replacing defective siding.

GDO Report

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Defective exteriors, whether they are LP siding, Masonite, stucco product or any of the other materials that were used in exterior construction, falls apart.  That's why most of the siding products used over the last 30 years are deemed "defective."  Once it's installed and exposed to the elements over a period of time, instead of holding together and sheltering dwellings from the elements - the product begins to deteriorate and simply fall off the side of the buildings.

The deterioration usually starts in the highest areas of the buildings, where weather conditions or other elements are the most active.  Chimney tops are a good example of areas that are most high and subject to the highest amount of wind, sunlight, rain and are not supported/protected by surrounding components of the building.  These chimney tops are typically the first areas where deterioration occurs.

These days, people are so busy with their routines and their complicated lives that very seldom does anybody look up at their chimney structure.  Certainly not on a regular basis.  Something unusual typically has to draw one's attention to that area for them to break away from their busy life and look where they don't typically look.
Tap - tap - tap - tap - tap!  And then you look!  There's a woodpecker tapping on your chimney top.  NOW you're looking where you haven't looked in years.  And suddenly you notice deterioration.  "Look what that darn woodpecker has done to my house!" you say to yourself.  Your next step is to call contractors to repair the place atop your chimney that you think the woodpecker did a "little bit" of damage.

Once the contractors come back with bids that start at $2,500 - you feel that they're taking advantage of you.  They're not!  Your chimney may have a few small holes on the outside, but in reality - it needs to be rebuilt because the defective siding has been failing for quite a while, and the entire structure has been comprimised. 

By the way, the rest of the siding on your house needs to be replaced also, but that's not what this story is about.  It's about the poor woodpecker that's now being blamed for over $2,500 in damage to your chimney.
  
Online sources state that woodpeckers drum to establish territories and they dig into wood to look for food and to create nesting cavities.

Territorial drumming occurs most frequently in spring. The series of drumlike rolls are produced by rapid pecking on the resonant trunks and branches of dead trees. Woodpeckers may also drum on buildings, utility poles and other surfaces. Since noise is the objective, drumming usually produces less damage than excavation.

Woodpeckers constantly search vertical surfaces of tree trunks and branches for wood boring beetles, carpenter ants, and other insects. The pecking style used for feeding is much different than drumming. Only a few pecks are made and then the bird explores the resulting hole with its bill and tongue. This behavior continues until an insect is found or the bird is satisfied that one is not there. Then the woodpecker may hop a few inches away and peck at another place. The damage from this feeding activity often occurs in horizontal lines that follow tunnels made by the insects. Most woodpeckers excavate nest cavities in dead tr ees or limbs. An attack of this kind on the side of a house is not very common. As a rule, woodpeckers do not dig for food or excavate nest cavities in sound wood. If the woodpeckers are creating cavities in your trees, they are most likely working on wood that is already dead or dying. If that is the case, they probably aren't damaging the trees and their activity will not kill them. Furthermore, since most trees contain some dead wood, the woodpeckers' activity doesn't necessarily mean the affected trees are unhealthy. However, you may want to hire an arborist to be certain of this.

The arborist can assess the health of the trees, remove the dead wood and recommend other measures that can be taken to maintain them. For tips on selecting an arborist

Sapsuckers drill superficial holes in living wood so they can feed on sap that accumulates in them. They may also feed on insects attracted to the sap. In Minnesota, sapsucker damage is usually most evident during the birds' spring and fall migration. The holes, though often numerous, usually do not seriously damage trees. However, the wounds can provide points of entry for insects or disease and when sapsuckers are particularly persistent a tree may decline or die as a result of the birds' activity. Mountain ash and birch are among the species most attractive to sapsuckers.

Because woodpeckers can be very persistent and are not easily driven from selected territories or pecking sites, control efforts should be started as soon as the problem begins. Positive results come easier before their territories are well established. Serious damage is more likely to occur at summer/vacation homes which are often vacant, since attacks there can persist for a long time before they are discovered.

Builder Ron's Tip for March 16th 2007
If you find a contractor that's willing to work for less than half what all the other contractors charge.... Chances are - They are not insured.  They may even have a piece of paper that states that they're insured, but Guess What?

If they DO have a piece of paper - contact the insurance provider on it and please do your research.  Find out who is actually insured and then check the contrator's ID!  If everything checks out and he's still less than half price - go and buy his materials yourself and arrange for him to install it for you.  Remember, these stores deliver for only $50 more.  NEVER give anyone deposits unless you know they're well established.