How to Keep Birds Away from Your Fruit and Vegetable Patch

When we think about birds as pests, we tend to think about them nesting in roof spaces. They might also find other nooks to get into around the exterior of your home. However, birds can also be very destructive in your garden – especially if you’re keen on growing your own fruit and vegetables.

Bird netting is one of the best things you can use to prevent birds from coming in and eating your plants. If you grow brassicas, be wary of pigeons, as they love to eat them. Bird netting is designed to ensure a bird cannot fly into the netting and get caught there. It also won’t be able to peck the plants through the netting, and yet water and sunlight will still get through to the plants.

You can also deter birds from getting close to your plants by adopting a network of string or wire attached to poles staked into the ground. If you have a good network in place, and no large gaps in-between the string or wire, you’ll discover birds won’t try to get close to the plants. This is because they cannot figure out whether they have enough room to fly and land where they want to. Some people also use CDs threaded onto the string or wire, knotted into place so they do not slide about. When the sun starts glinting off these, the birds won’t want to hang around.

There may be a degree of testing required to find the best way to access your plants and to tend to them, without inviting the birds in to ‘tend’ to them as well! But regular efforts should ensure you can see birds in your garden without inviting them to eat everything you grow.

Some people may prefer birds to enjoy some of the food they have in their garden, rather than finding them making nests somewhere inconvenient, such as in an accessible attic space or under solar panels on the roof. However, if you make your garden too attractive for them, there is a chance they will try and nest nearby… and that could mean you end up with a bird pest problem you never had before.

If you suspect you’ve got a birds’ nest on your property, or you want advice about safely and legally getting rid of birds in your home, get in touch with the experts today to find out more.