Springtime brings with it the melodious chirping of birds that you missed all winter, but the birds also brings big problems for your garden. Small birds like the sparrow can nest in your trees and eat away at your fruits and vegetables if you don’t take preventative measures to protect your harvest. Not only this, they will plaster your garden with their droppings, which is not only unpleasant but harmful as well.
Some gardeners resort to chemicals that are unfriendly to the environment. They deter birds, but will often do so at the cost of their lives. Furthermore, they present health risks to humans too.
Other methods used include water hoses, noisemakers, and other devices to scare away the birds. These methods are very short-term and are hardly ever successful in providing sustained results. The only failproof way to deter birds from your crops is anti-bird netting.
Made from a durable yet lightweight material that makes it very easy to install, anti bird netting can be sized according to your requirements. Whether you want to drape it over an entire tree or use it to create a tent-like structure for your plans, the anti-bird netting offers multiple uses.
Different Uses of Anti-bird Netting
Anti-bird netting offers a variety of uses. It’ll depend on the kind of bird you want to keep away and the kind of crop you’re protecting. Here are a few ways you can make the most of them.
1. Prevents Birds from Nesting in Your Eaves
You can prevent birds from nesting in the eaves by hanging the netting at a 45 degrees angle under the eaves. Make sure you have enough net to reach the sidewall of your house from the outer edge of the roof.
You can easily install the netting with a staple-gun, hooks, or tape. Be sure to keep the netting tight to prevent any openings for birds to enter from.
2. Protects Your Trees
If you have trees that grow fruits on them, birds will make a permanent nest on them and eat away all your ripen fruits. To avoid this situation, mount the anti-bird netting at the bottom of the trunk. It will prevent birds from entering from underneath. Make sure to leave a little gap between the net and the fruit. This will avoid birds sitting on the branches to eat fruits through the holes of the netting.
The correct way to install netting on a tree is by measuring the perimeter of the tree and trimming the netting to the required size. But, don’t forget to allow at least 13 inches around the edge. Use twine, clips, or zip ties specially made for this purpose to fasten the netting.
3. Guards Your Vines and Berry Bushes
Birds are greatly attracted to berries, grapes, and other juicy fruits. Hang the netting above these plants keeping a gap of at least 7 inches. The gap will prevent the birds from sitting on the netting and eating fruits through the holes. You can also use Fruit Sleeves to wrap the fruits to reduce any chances of birds reaching them.
If you are looking for affordable and easy to install netting options for your garden, the Superior Fruit Cage Anti-Bird Netting is a great choice. If you want to explore further options, visit Little Fields Farm.