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Keep winged visitors away from your garden with bird netting

You may have invested a substantial amount of time in your garden sowing seeds, fertilizing and watering your plants, thinning the seedlings, and finally expecting to reap a bountiful harvest. But no sooner your first batch of fruits and vegetable appear on your trees and plants, you may find yourself watching your produce being rampaged right infront of your own eyes. While it is inevitable for birds and rodents to be attracted to the fruits in your garden, you don’t necessarily need to share with them. You can keep them away from your plants by installing bird netting. It is quite easy and it protects your produce effectively without causing these winged creatures any kind of harm.

When it comes to birds you may not think of them as pests or being capable of causing havoc for your crops/produce. However, contrary to your belief, some of these feathered beings may cause serious damange, especially in areas where there is abundant foliage. Some birds prefer your crops for their foood and they are known to damage tons of crops. Also, any kind of contact with the droppings of these birds may lead to serious or potentially fatal diseases in children, adults, and household pets as well. Hence it is important to select methods for their control which are effective as well as humane in nature. To deal with avian infestation problem effectively resort to bird netting also known as aviary netting. Poultry netting is also a type of bird netting.

Why Opt for Bird Netting

One of the main reasons for opting for bird netting is that this type of netting is quite efficient in deterring them and preventing them from destroying your crops, without causing them any kind of harm. A lot of these birds which thrive on insects and crops are also beneficial for the environment. So using bird netting prevents and restricts these birds from destroying gardens or crops that are not meant for them. Since bird netting is eco friendly, lightweight, and too small for birds to fly through, there is no chance of them getting hurt. It is a great choice for your orchards and gardens to keep birds away.

Another benefit of installing bird netting is that it poses no harm to other animals as well. It does not have any kind of chemicals which may be otherwise harmfulful for your livestock, children, or pets. Since its presence is subtle on your property, it also does not intrude into your neighbor’s privacy or comfort.

When to install bird netting in your garden

When it comes to gardening, timing is everything. There is a time to sow your seeds, to fertilize your plants, and also there is a time when you need to install bird netting. Usually, birds are not going to be drawn to your garden till your first fruits show up and are ready to be eaten by them. So you may not have to worry about installing bird netting till your plants have actually grown up and matured. The best timing to install one is just after pollination has taken place and while your vegetables and fruits are still small and not ripe.

How to use bird netting on trees

Apart from digging into your fruits and veggies in your garden, birds also tend to harvest in your stead. Bird netting is quite a handy solution and works well for fruit trees. Before you install the bird netting, check the trees for birds and bird nests in order to avoid any kind of trapping inside your netting. If the law of your state allows you, you must remove any nests that you chance upon. You need to drape the bird netting over the entire fruit tree, right from the top till the ground. You may need someone to help you and make use of a tall ladder while installing your bird netting on trees. Wrap the bird netting and twist the ends at the bottom of the tree trunk. While it may sound to be quite easy to do so, but it may need a little more effort than just putting the net around your garden.

How to keep birds at bay from your produce

Birds are quite skilled at finding new sources of food and that is precisely why putting up bird feeders proves to be quite effective for people who love bird watching. But in case you want birds to stay off your garden or yard, then you must follow the below tips:

• Install bird netting before your fruits and veggies ripen.
• Do away with bird feeders permanently.
• Try using another type of bird deterrent along with bird netting.
• Remove sources of water in your garden, as birds look out for water to bathe and drink.
• Remove any nests that you come across if it is legal in your state. You may need to do this repeatedly.

Efficiency of bird netting in tandem with other pest control options

Bird netting works amazingly in tandem with other types of pest control options such as noisemakers, repellents, solar panels, spikes, and mirrors. For instance, some gardeners have achieved to keep birds at bay with the help of mirrors mounted on moving objects. Also, if a bird is able to avoid the flashes of light and approach your garden, bird netting acts as your safeguard.

You can also enhance the efficiency of bird netting by simultaneously using repellents such as extracts from chillies which you can spray on your crops and keep birds at bay. When you use bird netting in conjunction with any other deterrent, it can be even more effective.

A low maintenance choice

Bird netting is in fact quite a low maintenance option that you can opt for to deter birds. This netting needs to be replaced only once in every five years. Once you have bird netting installed, it protects your crops day and night without needing any kind of maintenance or monitoring.

Here’s how you can deal with Bird Control and protect your crops!

If you are a farmer, does the following situation sound familiar to you? You have slogged the entire year in the scorching heat, invested a major chunk of your savings, and just as you were gearing up to harvest the fruits of your labor, comes the birds and bats wasting your months of hard work! Why? Simply because probably you did not think of an effective means of bird control!

Bird-control is a term used for various types of methods deployed to deter or eliminate birds from landing, nesting, and roosting. One of the effective means of protecting your crops/fruits from the attack of frugivore birds and bats is using bird netting

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Bird Control – A Serious Concern

Bird-control is a serious concern not only in the countryside but also in the urban areas. It is very important to deal with bird-control, as these pest birds can cause various health related concerns via their feces.

While birds are certainly helpful in maintaining the ecosystem, as they help to maintain the right balance of insects in the crop fields, they can also prove to be quite dangerous to the crops. These pest birds move in large groups and they are known for massively attacking the crops. Some of the common pest birds include crows, black birds, geese, starlings, and similar frugivorous avians.

These birds attack the harvested crops and cause partial or sometimes even complete losses for farmers. Most of the times these pest birds cause holes and eat only part of the fruit. These types of damages lead to gradual decomposition of your harvest. To deal with this nuisance, farmers are bound to use an extra amount of pesticides to keep them away. However, when they do so, their produce cannot be sold in the market as organic. Hence, it is quite significant that bird-control needs to be dealt with effectively.

Bird Netting – An Effective Solution

Bird netting offers a complete, definite, and effective solution for bird-control. These nets help to cover the plants and prevent the passage of any kinds of birds. In this manner it is feasible to cut down the application of pesticides and also reduce your labor. You can also then confidently sell your produce as 100% organic in the market

Bird-control nets which are plastic are extremely flexible and extra light. You can very easily trim them in the dimensions as per your specific requirement. You do not need any kind of specialized devices for bird-control if you have proper bird netting. One of the most important advantages of using bird netting for bird-control is that it is quite economical. You can also easily remove them and reuse them year after year. Since it is manufactured using virgin extruded polyethylene, it guarantees you durability. These nets last for years even if you use them in your open fields as they are UV resistant. The benefits of resorting to bird-control curbs economic losses caused otherwise due to reduced harvest. It even helps in preventing the spread of certain plant diseases which are caused by the pest birds.

Advantages of Bird-Control Nets

Some of the benefits of bird-control nets include the following:

• These nets are durable and permanent.
• They are UV rays resistant and thereby long lasting.
• These bird nets are suitable for any birds of any size.
• They are non toxic and are easily adaptable to any structure.
• They are reusable, washable, and economical.

Nowadays you get specially designed fabrics such as all purpose garden fabric also known as floating row cover, which are often used to protect crops or plants from frost as well as to block birds and insects.

Some Common Bird-Control Methods

The various methods of bird-control include visual deterrents, sonic devices, physical deterrents, chemicals, active barriers etc. It has been observed that birds usually quickly adapt to most static bird-control devices. The bird-control devices which are found to be most effective, either actively modifies the behavior of the birds or physically blocks these pest birds using a mild shock which is harmless.

Physical bird deterrents entail a list of products such as plastic or steel spike systems, electrified wire systems, bird netting, non-electrified wire systems, etc. Various types of chemical deterrents are also used for bird-control, but a lot of localities have restrictions on the usage of pesticides and chemicals. In large open areas, sonic avian deterrents are widely used. However their effectiveness is found to be quite low. However, so far bird netting has been found to be one of the most effective means of bird-control.

It has been observed that usually birds adapt to bird-control devices within weeks of exposure. Some of the effective bird-control devices which help the birds to adapt quickly include mechanical devices, sound devices, partial perch modifications, and wind-blown scare devices. However, such devices are not a wise investment compared to bird netting. Birds are unable to adapt to complete blocking methods or mild electrical low current shock stimuli that modify their behavior. Hence, mesh, bird netting, and low current electrical barriers have been tested so far as the most effective bird-control devices. These long lasting systems and high quality materials used have the greatest return on investment, especially since bird problems are likely to continue year after year. So, it is a good idea to invest wisely and deal with bird-control effectively. After all who would like to see the fruits of their hard labor being wasted away under the nuisance and attack of these pest birds. As they say prevention is always better than cure, so what better than to opt for bird netting early on and have a relaxed harvesting!