Our large two-story house in Western Washington needs a new coat of outdoor paint. Today we noticed that the wood siding has quite a few roundish holes, which are quite noticeable. Having heard woodpeckers pecking away before, I am assuming that those are woodpecker holes. Do painting companies usually caulk any holes before they paint the outside of a house? Or does the home owner have to do it? Thanks for any advice/suggestions.
I had somewhat similar problems a few years ago, but it was some sort of bee. I dosed the holes with spray insectiside first, then caulked them with latex caulk. I wonder what insects the woodpeckers were after??? I'd solve that problem first..
They might be carpenter bee holes, we have a bunch of them here (or had). I'll spray bug spray in there then seal it up. When I had my house painted the guy asked me if I wanted them sealed up. Before he started the job he did spray some bug stuff into each hole.
Woodpeckers. *sigh* I love 'em. I don't like when they decide my house is a playground. Lase summer we had one that (I thought) was tearing the house up. One morning I was outside and heard the familiar "tap tap tap". I look up and he's beating on the gutter, NOT on the house. This happened for several weeks until he found a mate (and something better to do). This spring another one was back, he was tapping on the chimney cap. According to someone I talked to here he said they drum on the metal to attract the attention of the opposite sex.
Before we bought our present house, I was taking a walk-around with the previous owner, an intersting old guy in his 80's. I noticed that there was a badminton racket leaning near the door of every out building. After seeing enough of them, I had to ask. He used them for the carpenter bees for the very reason you mention. The bees get into the siding of the barn, shed, etc., then the woodpeckers tear the place up trying to get at them. Whenever he would see one of the bees, he's try and dispatch it with the badminton racket. FWIW, I tried it a few times, & they're not as easy to hit as it looks.
Joe F.
Just a note of interest. Out house is sided with T1-11 and the w.peckers find the inevitable voides between the plys and assume it's an insect infestaton. We have their holes in 4' wide rows here and there.
I read somewhere to use moth balls, but I read it after I had used posion and wood putty. I've been good for several years, but I think I have one hole now (although the bee is gone.
This shows how smart yours are, because rapping on a gutter or chimney cap is going to be a lot louder than a tree or a piece of siding.
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