Fruit Tree Netting for Birds: How to Choose Mesh That Works

The Short Answer

Buy bird netting with a mesh of 1/2 inch or smaller, hang it on a frame that holds it away from the branches, and close it all the way around. UC IPM recommends 1/4 to 1/2 inch plastic mesh for fruit trees and calls netting the most effective way to reduce bird damage on small orchards and isolated trees. University of Maine Cooperative Extension gives 1/2 inch or smaller as the size that protects the crop and lowers the risk of harming birds. The widely sold lightweight black netting is 3/4 inch, which is the upper end of what extension services describe.

Why Netting Beats Scare Devices

Cherries and other early-ripening fruits are often the most heavily damaged, according to UC IPM, which lists robins, European starlings, house finches, crowned sparrows, scrub jays and crows among the usual culprits in California. University of New Hampshire Extension adds cedar waxwings, grackles and blackbirds for northern New England, where birds are especially serious pests in blueberries and strawberries.

Plastic owls, flash tape and scare-eye balloons all have the same weakness. New Hampshire’s guide notes that birds quickly become accustomed to scare devices. UC IPM advises never using one combination for more than a week, and says that even a careful rotation controls birds for a few days to perhaps a few weeks.

Netting works on virtually all species at once. Its drawbacks, as UC IPM lists them, are the initial cost, the time it takes to put up and the inconvenience of working around it. The net can be reused many times, and New Hampshire reports that the cost of a well-kept system can be spread over five to 15 years.

Mesh Size: What the Sources Say

Extension services do not give a single number, so it helps to see them side by side.

Source	Mesh size given	Context
UC IPM	1/4 to 1/2 inch	Plastic netting over fruit trees and vines
University of Maine Cooperative Extension	1/2 inch or smaller	Protects highbush blueberries and reduces risk of harming birds
University of Minnesota Extension	1/2 to 3/4 inch	Range of bird netting sold for vineyards
University of New Hampshire Extension	3/4 inch	Usual size of lightweight extruded black netting

A mesh of 1/2 inch satisfies three of the four, and 1/4 inch sits at the fine end of UC IPM’s range. Maine ties the smaller mesh to a lower risk of harming birds as well as to crop protection. If the 3/4 inch product is what you already own, it is the standard commercial material, and how you hang it matters as much as the opening.

Netting Materials Compared

Two materials make up most of what is sold. Extruded netting is a fairly rigid plastic mesh. Knitted netting is made from fine yarn and bunches and drapes much more easily.

Material	Handling	Durability notes from extension sources	Suits
Extruded black plastic, often polypropylene	Fairly rigid, rolls onto a spool	Long life outdoors, little affected by sunlight, does not rot	Frames and cages with flat panels
Soft knitted black netting	Flexible, drapes easily	Softer, but catches and tears more easily than extruded	Pulling over hoops and irregular shapes
Heavier white high-density polyethylene	Heavier to lift	Made with UV resistance; common on grapes	Side curtains on trellised fruit

The handling descriptions come from University of Minnesota Extension and the durability notes from New Hampshire, where one grower’s extruded netting has lasted more than 10 years with careful storage. For a backyard, the choice follows the support. A square cage of posts and wire takes extruded panels well, and a row of pipe arches over low bushes is easier to cover with knitted net.

Sizing the Net to the Tree

Measure before you buy. A net that goes over the top and reaches the ground on both sides has to span the height twice plus the width of the canopy. A tree 8 feet tall with a canopy 6 feet wide needs about 8 + 8 + 6 = 22 feet in each direction, and a frame that stands outside the canopy adds to that. Leave some extra to weigh down at the bottom.

The arithmetic shows why netting suits small trees and bushes. New Hampshire notes that cherries need a higher support system and more equipment to set up than berries, which adds cost and difficulty. A tree kept compact is far easier to cover, which is one more reason to think about size when choosing an apple rootstock. Bushes are easier still, and blueberries grown in pots can be netted with a few pipe arches.

How to Put Up Netting So Birds Stay Out and Unharmed

Both UC IPM and New Hampshire say to support the net on a structure instead of resting it on the plant. Fruit at the outer edge of the canopy can be reached through a net that lies on it. New Hampshire also notes that when netting is draped directly over grapes, the vines and tendrils grow into it, which leads to difficult removal and tearing.

1. Build the support first. For highbush blueberries, New Hampshire growers set the netting seven or eight feet high on posts and wires so people can walk under it. For a small plot, arches of plastic pipe do the same job.
2. Cover the post tops with something smooth, such as a piece of rubber inner tube or a plastic bottle, so the net slides over without catching or tearing.
3. Put the net on just before the fruit colors. New Hampshire’s timing for blueberries is just before the berries turn blue.
4. Run the sides down to the ground. Do not leave one side open for convenience, because birds quickly learn how to get in.
5. Close the bottom. One New Hampshire method is to cut the side netting slightly long and hold it down with a length of pipe laid on the ground.
6. Check for gaps. NC State Extension warns that netting should totally enclose the plants, since even a small hole lets birds enter and become trapped.

Walk around the net when you pick. A bird inside needs to be let out at once. New Hampshire’s guide points out that most birds are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act or by state laws.

Other Wildlife and the Bottom Edge

Plastic mesh at ground level is a known hazard for snakes. University of Illinois Extension reports that in two studies of erosion control products, those containing plastic mesh were the most dangerous to snakes, especially large ones.

Where the goal is to keep ground animals out of a berry patch, Illinois suggests stiff woven wire fencing such as chicken wire in place of plastic mesh. One way to apply that to a fruit cage is a low band of wire around the base with the bird net fastened above it. Pots have their own raiders, covered in our guide to keeping squirrels and chipmunks out of garden pots.

Taking It Down and Storing It

Remove the net promptly after the last picking. New Hampshire notes that setting netting up just before the berries turn blue and taking it down promptly at the end of the season extends its life, and an empty net left in place is a pointless risk to birds.

Storage decides how many seasons a net lasts. Some New Hampshire blueberry growers roll the netting onto the support wires at the end of the season and cover it with black plastic, which makes spreading it out the next summer quick. At one such site the netting has lasted more than 10 years. In a backyard, the equivalent is to roll the net up and keep it covered until the fruit begins to color again.