3 Pests That Can Damage Your Siding

Pests don’t just infest the inside of your home looking for spilled drinks and leftover crumbs like a mouse or an ant would.

There are some pests that will do damage to your home from the comfort of the outside.

For those with cedar or wood siding, make sure you know a little bit about these specific pests, as they have been known to do some damage to people’s homes.

woodpecker on the side of the house

1) Woodpeckers

You’ll know you have a woodpecker problem the moment one lands on your home. These birds will drill into your home in search of food or to build their new “home.” They’ll also drum, which is simply them drilling holes as a way of marking their territory.

Homeowners with cedar shakes may see woodpecker activity if they live in an area the birds inhabit. To keep woodpeckers from drilling or drumming into your cedar siding, place shiny objects around your home’s siding, as woodpeckers view this as unattractive in terms of where they want to drill. Also, look into woodpecker feeders and place them on the edge of your property away from your home.

2) Termites

One of the most costly pest infestations you can have is a termite infestation. The reason termite infestations are so dreaded is that you never really know you have one until it’s too late.

And guess what? They LOVE wood

Termites eat wood from the inside out, so you’ll never see a group of them walking around your home like ants would. The warning signs you have to look for are discarded wings (from swarmers that search for new places to colonize in spring), mud tubes on nearby wood, and hollow-sounding wood when you give it a knock.

It’s important that you have a termite prevention plan in place with your local pest management professionals. They can supply your home (and its siding) with the systems and defense it needs to keep termites away from your home.

3) Carpenter Bees

There are many different species of bees and wasps, however, the carpenter bee is the one you have to worry about most when it comes to the health of your home — and it’s siding.

Carpenter bees will create tunnels inside of the wood in your home and use this as their nest. Therefore, your cedar siding could be at risk.

Luckily, carpenter bees are decently easy to get rid of. All you have to do is use the right insecticide when dealing with their tunnels, and then plug them up with the proper caulking and sealant.

To learn more about cedar siding or if you’re interested in siding repair, don’t hesitate to give our siding pros here at Landmark Exteriors a call!

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