I have a pond and fish as well. Normally they just go for the fruit, bird seed, and anything else they can scrounge up to eat. I have not seen them in or near the water trying to " fish" out anything. Having dogs help IF they are outside dogs.
I have lots of crayfish easy access and they just love them. Which is OK with me. However ,when they strip my orient pears bring them to the edge of the water and leave pieces of pears everywhere and feast on crayfish and pears I will take action.
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Crayfish dinner and a pear dessert.
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I put Erva bunny cages around the trunks of my fruit trees and the raccoons went from stripping the fruit and breaking peach limbs to not touching the trees at all. They come with spikes for staking into the ground; donât use them. Itâs the very fact that theyâre unsteady when one tries to climb over it that scares them away.
As for birds, thereâs an ingredient in grape-flavoredâand only the grape-flavored Kool-aid that keeps them away. Five packets of unsweetened per gallon of water, is what an orchard owner told my mom ages ago. It irritates their lungs (sorry about that part) so they keep their distance.
I tried that out on my sweet cherry tree a few years ago and it worked, until it rained. By the end of the downpour the scrub jays had stripped the tree (which was quite young and the crop small.)
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Thanks for the tip. I will be trying lots of different options next year.
Just want to mention, for trees in my backyard, American Netting does tear if not careful. But itâs light years better than monofilament netting. Monofilament netting lasts about once before tearing, whereas the green American Netting is reusable if carefully applied and removed. We use pieces of PVC pipe to cover trees, with netting which helps install it without tearing.
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Thatâs a good tip to hear. Appreciate it.
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Try building a PVC pipe frame for netting, IMO. Just be sure to use at least 3/4 inch pipe, as smaller sizes donât have the stiffness needed unless you can find schedule 80 pipe.
Mark
The netting in the front was brand new American netting. After erecting the PVC structure, two of us carefully put it on.
After 2 weeks, I saw a bird inside. I then found a hole on the top large enough for a bird to go through. That hole was not there when we first installed the netting. I donât know what cause a tear.
Soon I found a couple more holes. Not the first time this happened. The netting further back has many holes. Some I think caused by squirrels.
I have gone through 6-7 AN nettings. Most got damage in their first or second year.
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Thatâs interesting Tippy. My nets from American Netting are pretty old. I wonder if they have cheapened up their netting? I originally bought enough netting to make something like 25 or 30 nets. Some of them weâve torn holes in, but are still using. Sometimes, if they have holes we just double them up. The second net glides over much easier, once the first net is on.
We just use them for the trees in the backyard. We donât try to net anything at the commercial orchard.
Squirrels can and often do go through any netting besides chicken wire, although Iâve heard that Texas has squirrels that will gnaw through that for food (I donât completely believe that).
It seems as though If they have other food readily available nets work, but if you have hungry squirrels and/or chipmunks you need to either make a chicken wire cage (and chipmunks can get through that) or train the tree with a long trunk before first branches so you can build a baffle.
Yes, I believe the quality has gotten worse as prices have doubled from them. I ordered a single net for less money the other day and will let people know how strong it is. https://www.amazon.com/Meanchen-Netting-Protect-Vegetable-Blueberry/dp/B0BVBB2LJL/ref=sr_1_62?adgrpid=1238051092332684&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7Bfn31fURaNMHLbhuBCOd9GEH4alNy4P5ynWFm5GV_fdyIEadZyD6MOqbCRdaoQCDP5SJQfrBOcVw1t-ifcafheJ-32I1kP3FChSApcyAdjoI2rQJ-UgR6ECRqi_hDtiMqe9aHMCRMQD-pxZVNI3zyDloRTC-TyCLlyGiRvL56CTbHLjaEntpRLvPyvcwmxaTl1VI6Jpus39oB_AFt1wwFtPmNuByQqY4l1U47XIoPXj-08-&th=1
As I said, I usually donât take the time for any kind of frame and I get fine results if the net is tied to the trunk of the tree tight enough to stop birds from entering. they only peck what they can reach from outside the net. How many peaches can you really use?
My first purchase of 2 American nettings may have been 7 or 8 years ago. Then, @mrsg47 generously gave me several more before she left for France. I do not know when she purchased hers.
@alan - itis true that chipmunks and squirrels can easily make holes on any nettings. The hole on my brand new netting was on the âceilingâ of the cover. Donât think rodents would climb all the way to make such a hole. I wonder that it could be some sharp-peaked birds.
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I think probably a squirrel was looking for a way to avoid the hassle of chewing open the net and when he got to the top realized chewing it was the only way in- like a thief looking for an unlocked door before breaking a window. I use nets at many sites and I donât think birds have ever managed to break the nets, I donât see how they could do it, for one thing.
But who knows? I always assume the holes occur while removing the nets- I donât often inspect them after putting them up in a tree. But if birds got in that way I would know by the damage to the fruit, I guess.
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Some of the nets were brand new and some onty 1-2 years old. They were wonderful!
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Mrs. G,
You moved to France in 2016, right?
That made those nettings 8-10 years old this year.
Somehow, something have made holes in them. The weirdest one was the hole on the top of the cover that allowed a bird to enter my netted cherry bush.
The best quality of these nettings is little to no snagging. Birds have got caught in them on several occasions. Most I found them in time a released them. One died and another was freed by my cutting the netting to free it.
OK, it just arrived and seems to be a lot stronger than the current version of Amercian Nettings. It is much less expensive and even comes in a 50âby 50â version for those of you that want to use frames or net good sized peach trees. I often have to do some serious pruning to tie a 30â square to a mature peach tree. Amazon.com
Mesh size is something to consider as well 3/8â (30x30) vs 1â (50x50 net)
I donât have 1â mesh, so canât compare them.
A gentleman down the road from me has a circular net for a large amount of blueberry bushes which is on a pulley system. It works really well and if designed well could protect multiple trees. His system is probably 30-40â in diameter.
2019
I hadnât noticed that, but it is inconsequential as far as keeping birds out, however, it may tangle in the branches more and certainly would be a weaker net. I will try one and if it sucks I will let people know.
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