Methods of Protecting Crops from Birds

Vineyards are very susceptible to birds. Millions of dollars’ worth of crops is destroyed each year because of bird infestation alone. Protecting crops from birds and other pests is a priority for farmers as animals can cause a lot of serious damage. Since the beginning of farming, farmers have used all sorts of methods to get rid of pests such as birds and other animals. The most common method still used today is the use of scare crows. However, with the advancements in technology, people can now also use chemicals and pesticides that deter birds from eating the crops. Electric fences are also used to keep the birds from getting too close to the crops.

Bird Netting for Vineyards

However, the use of such methods can be very harmful to birds as well. After all, birds are only animals searching for food. It is never their intention to destroy farms and gardens. One of the safest ways to guard the farms from pests, but also protect the lives of birds, is through the use of bird nets. Bird netting is used by a growing number of farms simply because it is very effective, not to mention that it is a very humane way of keeping birds off vineyards.

Bird nets are made of high quality material that is safe to both the vegetation and the animals. The holes of the nets are small enough to keep the birds from the crops, but big enough to allow the plants to receive sunlight and water.

Methods of Bird netting:

Bird netting for vineyards is relatively easy to do. Hard ware stores, gardening and farming supply stores offer bird nets. There are bird nets that are ready-made for certain plants. All the owner has to do is to fit them over the vegetation. While other bird nets are custom-made for specific crops, there are particular crops have specific shapes and grow to a certain size. These crops require special nets that would fit perfectly.  There cannot be any spaces where birds can enter, so having well-fitting nets is a must. Below are several methods of bird netting for different types of plants:

• For small crops, the method is very straightforward. All the farmer has to do is to drape the net over the crop and make sure that there is no space on the ground where birds could fly through.

• For bigger crops, a ladder or a platform would be needed. A bigger net is also required for this process to ensure that every surface is covered. Some ready-made nets are big enough for some trees, but bigger trees would require custom-made nets as they are higher and have more surface area.

• For row crops, a series of nets can be stitched together to cover the vegetation. This is a relatively easy task, but it can be tedious. As mentioned above, it is extremely important to make sure that there are no spaces between the nets as these spaces would be an invitation for birds to eat the crop.

About the author:

This article was provided by Cyril Rask, a freelance writer who’s fond of writing articles about gardening/farming and other related topics. He has done an in-depth research for Jims Supply while writing this post.