How to Trap Woodpeckers
The sound of a woodpecker having a go at a nearby tree or a part of your home in the morning is enough to ruin the rest gained from an entire night's sleep. The damage from woodpeckers often outweighs the lack of sleep you get, and soon you'll be replacing parts of your home that were meant to last much longer. In order to start protecting your home from these migratory birds, you need to start setting up exclusion devices to keep the woodpeckers away.
Why You Shouldn't Trap Woodpeckers
Trapping an animal will likely result in its death if it is not done by a trained wildlife professional. Why? Because ordinary homeowners want a "set it and forget it" option, or are so unaccustomed to trapping and monitoring traps that they forget about it. Any harm, harassment, or extermination of woodpeckers is 100% illegal in the United States of America. They are a native migratory bird that must be left to destroy your property-unless you exclude it!
Excluding vs. Trapping
Excluding a nuisance wildlife species inherently means that you are not exterminating, killing, maiming, harming, or otherwise bothering the creature. How does that work? Well, in the case of the woodpecker, keeping it from accessing and damaging parts of your home is simple. Most woodpeckers feed on sap or bugs that live inside of trees and wood. Make sure any wood parts of your home are in good repair and aren't infested with tasty treats for them to peck for.
If these woodpeckers are pecking at your building or home for the fun of it, you may need to install some bird netting on the property to encourage them to leave. This can be done by attaching to the edge of the roof or gutters on one side, and to the building on the other, creating a 45 degree angle. Cover both ends, and see how easily these birds are discouraged from mounting an attack against even the lower portions of the walls.