Birds Eating Your Garden Bare? Time for Bird Control!

You sweated, toiled and tilled your garden until your hands were as blue as the blueberries you’re growing. But all that hard work could be in vain if you don’t protect your garden against pest birds. They’ve been eyeing your ripening fruits and veggies for weeks now, just waiting for you to go inside so they can feast on your bumper crop of goodies.

Sparrows, swallows, pigeons and crows are just some of the pest birds you’ll need to worry about. As are blackbirds, starlings and robins. And little did you know that if you regularly spray pesticides to limit the amount of insects in your home garden, birds will simply eat more of your fruits and vegetables. It’s a no-win scenario unless you implement some effective bird control measures. One of the best bird deterrents you can get to protect your garden is Garden Bird Netting. 

Garden Bird Netting

Used by professional growers and gardeners, Garden Bird Netting physically blocks birds from specific areas of your garden, yet allows sun, rain and fresh air to nurture your fruits and veggies. Spread over your plants, the netting denies birds access to fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables and other edible garden plants. And it does so humanely without bird poisons or traps. Although it’s designed for temporary use, Garden Bird Netting is made of tough, UV-protected polypropylene. It comes in a 3/4-inch mesh size to seal off today’s most troublesome birds. Other mesh sizes include a ½-inch and ¼-inch to block out smaller birds. You can buy this netting in pieces or bulk rolls of 14 x 100 feet and 14 x 200 feet. The large rolls can easily be cut down to the desired size.

Easy to Use

Garden Bird Netting is light, easy to handle and virtually invisible to the eye. Simply follow these guidelines to ensure your plants are properly protected against the ravages of pest birds:

For Blueberry Bushes and Grape Vines. Suspend the Garden Bird Netting over your bushes or vines, leaving at least a four-inch space between the netting and the bush or vine. This will prevent birds from sitting on the net and eating fruit through the mesh using their necks and beaks. You can also suspend the netting from a series of poles placed around the perimeter of your garden or plants.

For Vegetable Gardens. Wrap each of your individual plants in netting. You can also suspend the netting around an entire garden area to completely block out pest birds. To secure the netting and ensure that it stays taut, use zip ties, twine or similar materials.

Fruit Trees. Measure the circumference of the tree and cut the net accordingly. Make sure you cut at least one foot extra. The netting can be secured with twine, zip ties, or hog rings. Garden bird netting clips are also available to simplify installation.

For additional advice on how to deter pest birds from your garden, consult an expert like the folks at Bird-B-Gone.