Keeping Birds out of Cherry Trees

jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)

10 years ago

What does everybody use to keep those darn birds from stealing cherrys from your trees?

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Comments (13)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
10 years ago
Netting is the only really effective solution.
larry_gene
10 years ago
We net individual branches with sleeves of netting on a small tree--better than doing nothing.
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I have used the CDs on the plums. They look like they are spinning in mid-air with the fishline holding them so I think its a similar fear factor. I have had a great plum harvest the last two years with this method. I am going to try the CDs on the cherries this year. The fishline ideas in the link also look good and can be used on row crops and berries more easily than the CDs. Its hard to be certain on results with these things, however. The deer just jumped through a fishline fence I built around my yard. They just aim right between two lines and jump. I saw them jump through lines I had at 6" apart, I didn't believe they were doing it until I saw it in person. The starlings are also not scared of the CDs. Fortunately they don't visit very often. Scott
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I use tulle fabric, which is what wedding veils are made from. I was frustrated with the bird netting grabbing and popping off the blueberries, and the birds, chipmunks getting stuck. I bought bolts of it at the fabric store. It lasts a few seasons. The dark blue and dark green colors are almost invisible. However, you can buy it any color, even with sparkles in it if you want to be the talk of the town! It's so small that the branches or animals don't get stuck. I think a bolt is 54" by 40 yards. In the past I wrapped them and used tooth picks to hold it together where it was needed. This year I sewed three rows together which has made it more manageable. I have a row of seven bushes so this works, but you can also wrap them individually. I tried reemay row cover as well in the past but it is sticky and fragile and you can't see through it. I've also made a temporary structures out of PVC piping with the bird netting. with that you can keep the bird netting taunt and and away from the blueberries and it's the easiest to harvest becuase you can step into the structure. But I started having visions of creating a giant screen house over my entire yard, so I had to walk away from that or be committed!
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Cath, im not sure as i have always had 2 bird houses right there in immiediate area hanging on the green shed face above the doors. They do go to the trees once in a whilw but have never bothered the figs they enjoy taking baths in the fountain surrounded by the trees. Now 2 of my dogs do run after them but only when they land on the rocks or grass.Today when i came home from chaperoneing band practice my son told me to put on the gloves he thinks Romeo took care of one small bird and Butch finished it off but when i went out there it was in the link of fence and flew away it was one of many newborns this year. As for the squirrels well theres a story, we dont seem to have many that come in yard but one used to play with Butch the large dog when we had the wooden fence which was scalloped on the top like a wave type look. He used to run on the very top and Butch would chase it then the squirrel would stop look at Butch and make a ee ee noise at him and this really irratateded Butch but he could do nothing but bark at him and the squirrel would do this frequently like a game.We used to get pesky rabbits in our yard as well and another story about Butch almost getting one but he ran into the old wooden fence head on and it knock him to the ground as it really stunned him the rabbit luckily had ducked under the wooden fence as butch was right on him. Since having the newer chainlink fence i rareky see the squirell, the rabbits stay in neighbors yard and the birds still enjoy the fountain.I never have used nets but if need be i would take down the birdhouses. We get the nasty sounding blackbirds, sparrows, robins and some cardinals and finches which are pretty yellow and black and very small, ducks, and messy geese. The blackbirds like to try and raid the others nest. Lately i see more and more seagulls but they dont seem to land by us.SOwwy for long post to your simple question. Best Health Martin
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Comments (1)
Check out this website. Here is a link that might be useful: Bird-B-Gone
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Charlie
10 years ago
Has anyone tried using tin foil strips?
jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)
Original Author
10 years ago
Has anybody ever heard of or tried Bird Scare Flash Tape? Here's an article, http://articles.latimes.com/1991-06-09/realestate/re-806_1_bird-scare-tape
iowajer
10 years ago
I think I'm with Fruitnut on this one. I've however never netted, but I've tried a lot of other things, including tin foil, and they just get used to it (at least these country birds do...)

But because I do live out, I can blast music from dawn to dusk and that has been fairly effective for me. (That gets old even for me over the course of a cherry harvest...)

I've been tempted to try one of the owls with a moving head, or something that is motion sensitive. But the ol plastic owl that you fill with rocks is a huge waste of $8. That has an impact for maybe a day and then they're onto it.
letsski
10 years ago
I only have 5 Cherry trees, but have found netting to be the only solution. I've tried fake owls, bird flash tape, motion sensor scarecrows, but all have failed.

Netting works well, but you must keep the netting suspended from the tree, otherwise the birds will peck through to what they can reach.

A word of caution - plastic bird netting is horrible stuff.. it gets caught on everything. My wife calls it the annual swearing at the netting season.

Good luck
mrsg47
10 years ago
Just returned from Home Depot and purchased two rolls of white netting that is not transparent. It is a little matte but will definitely keep the birds off of my cherries and plums. Each roll is forty by fifteen feet wide and will easily cover four or five trees. It is a knitted white mesh that will not easily tangle, like nasty 'bird X'. The latter is horrible netting. The name of what I am using is called 'Anti-bird knitted netting'. Mrs. G
jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)
Original Author
10 years ago
MrsG47, I was checking Home Depot web site and I can't seem to find that, Would that happen to be an in store only product.
mrsg47
10 years ago
Jimmy, you can find it on ebay too. It is half the price at HD than it is on ebay. It is call Commerical Knitted Anti-Bird Netting. Thats all I can tell you. Works like a charm! Mrs. G
cold_weather_is_evil
10 years ago
Get one of these.
jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)
Original Author
10 years ago
Found the netting on Ebay but it was AU and UK websites,Guess I will have to go with the BirdX stuff.
Greg Finnegan
last year
I just read an article on what commercial growers do and alot of them are spraying the trees with regular sugar and water mix. The reason is most birds that steal fruit can't digest the sugar and it gives them a belly ache and they leave. I know it sounds crazy but in Washington and out west this is the most effective and cost-effective thing to do when the cherries start to ripen. I'm going to give it a try because I have nothing to lose but some sugar and water.
jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)
Original Author
last year
do you know how much sugar and water to mix together?

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Keeping Birds out of Cherry Trees

Comments (13)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

larry_gene

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Charlie

jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)
Original Author

iowajer

letsski

mrsg47

jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)
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mrsg47

cold_weather_is_evil

jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)
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Greg Finnegan

jimmy56_gw (zone 6 PA)
Original Author

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Keeping Birds out of Cherry Trees

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