Bird Netting for Fruit Trees: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

One of the most laborious tasks is often preventing local birds from stealing the fruits of your labor. Bird netting is one of the most common ways to keep birds away and protect your fruit trees. While bird netting has been proven to be effective, there are also a number of problems with bird netting for fruit trees.

 

There are many factors to consider when it comes to keeping your fruit trees productive. One of the most laborious tasks is often preventing local birds from stealing the fruits of your labor.

Bird netting is one of the most common ways to keep birds away and protect your fruit trees. While bird netting has been proven to be effective, there are also a number of problems with bird netting for fruit trees.

So today, we’ll look at the pros and cons of using bird netting to protect fruit trees, and offer other safe, humane bird-repelling alternatives to protect your harvest.

Bird Netting for Fruit Trees: Pros and Cons

Pros of Bird Netting

Pro: Easy Installation

If you have a severe bird problem, you need a quick and efficient solution to cover your fruit trees fast. Bird netting comes in various styles and sizes, making it simple to drape over a tree to prevent birds from feasting or nesting in the springtime. 

Pro: Durable

With proper care and maintenance, fruit trees can live up to 20 years or longer. With years of a fruitful harvest, you need a reliable product built for longevity. When searching for the best bird netting for fruit trees, consider a high-quality net made of durable materials like polyethylene or nylon. You can then cut the netting according to your desired size and stake the ends to secure the entirety of your trees.

Pro: Cost-Efficient

Bird netting for fruit trees is a cost-efficient and affordable option for bird prevention. The netting is a versatile and reusable solution to protect large trees, bushes, or croplands. 

Pro: Enhance Fruit Growth 

Fruit tree netting is small enough to prevent birds from perching or nesting in the protected area and large enough to allow sufficient sunlight and moisture. Most netting also allows small insects, like bees, to pollinate the fruit, resulting in optimal growing conditions. 

Pro: Humane and Eco-Friendly 

Bird netting offers a safe, humane, and environmentally friendly way to protect fruit trees without harming any feathery friends. 

Cons of Bird Netting

Con: Time-Consuming and Potentially Damaging to Maintain

The process of covering and removing bird netting may be time-consuming if you have an abundance of trees. If let on fruit trees too long, the netting could stunt a tree’s growth or hinder existing branches housing valuable fruit.  

It’s essential to carefully apply and remove bird netting from trees to not risk damage and safeguard their growth for years to come. Consider only using netting for 6-8 weeks during prime ripening periods. 

Con: Must be High Quality and Stored Properly to Prevent Tangles

Low-quality bird netting can get tangled, making its purpose unuseful, and risks the safety of birds getting caught in the knots. If not properly secured, bird netting could release from its position and risk tree damage. Further, the consistent reapplication and removal process could lead to wear and tear on the net if not stored correctly during downtimes.  

Consider investing in high-quality netting and stakes or support systems to install in times of use and high-quality storage systems to safely store your product between seasons.  

Cons: Initially, a High Investment 

The initial cost for bird netting depends on how many trees you have to cover. Netting is more of a long-term investment; however, a netting’s life span could be shortened if exposed to certain weather conditions. Further, netting could damage tree growth, resulting in additional labor and regrowth costs to repair them. 

Consider investing in high-quality netting from the start and develop a care plan to prevent damage and protect your netting from unforeseen weather conditions that could damage your products. 

Cons: Unattractive and Must Use the Correct Sizing 

While bird netting helps protect valuable fruit trees from damage, they are inherently unattractive to look at. While one may argue that appearance shouldn’t matter if the harvest is protected, bird netting could cause more harm than good. As discussed above, when bird netting is not installed correctly or left on too long, it could dramatically affect the fruit tree’s growth and damage tree limbs that hold precarious amounts of valuable fruit. Further, if one does not use the correct size, it could prevent essential pollinators such as larger bees or beetles from reaching the fruit trees. While not every fruit needs to be pollinated, a lack of pollination could result in unsuccessful growth.

Con: Harmful Risks If not Managed Properly 

Unmanaged or damaged netting could allow smaller birds to enter the netting or get tangled, resulting in injury or death. 

Inspect your bird netting regularly to ensure there are no holes or openings to prevent harm to birds. 

Alternatives for Safe Bird Control: A Humane Solution

While bird netting is a popular and effective method for protecting fruit trees, there are several alternatives worth considering:

Scare Tactics
Using scare devices, such as reflective tape, aluminum foil strips, or scarecrows, can help deter birds from approaching the fruit trees. These devices rely on the birds’ fear of motion or bright, reflective surfaces. While they can be effective in the short term, birds may become accustomed to the scare devices, rendering them less effective over time.

Predator Decoys
Installing decoys of natural predators, such as hawks or owls, can help deter smaller birds from approaching fruit trees. These decoys exploit the birds’ natural instincts to avoid predators. While this method can be effective, it may require periodic relocation to maintain its effectiveness, as birds may eventually figure out that the predators are not real.

Bird Repellent Sprays
Commercial bird repellent sprays can be applied directly to fruit trees to make the fruit unappealing to birds. These sprays often use natural ingredients, such as peppermint or garlic, to create a taste or smell that repels birds. While this method is safe and non-toxic, it may need to be reapplied after rain and can leave residue on the fruit.

Conclusion

Bird netting is an effective and environmentally friendly method for protecting fruit trees from birds, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Its effectiveness, ease of use, and long-term durability make it a popular choice for many gardeners and orchard owners. However, the potential for entanglement, maintenance requirements, and aesthetic concerns may lead some to seek alternative methods.

Ultimately, the best solution will depend on the size and type of your fruit trees, the local bird population, and your personal preferences. Whether you choose bird netting or another deterrent, the goal remains the same: to protect your harvest and ensure that your fruit trees continue to thrive and bear delicious fruit year after year.