It is summer time in Australia and my apricot tree is covered in delicious summer fruit that is almost ripe. That seems to be the cue for the birds to come around and try out the harvest! Even though the apricots are not quite ripe yet the birds have begun testing them and leaving some apricots with peck marks all over them.
Over the years I have tried hanging things in the tree but the birds generally get used to most things after a while. I have also tried using netting but my fruit trees are a fairly good size so getting the net up and over the tree is tricky.
I wondered if there was a way to make netting fruit trees easier and found the following video which shows how to use long poles to help get the nets up and over the tree.
GurneysSeed YouTube video: How to Install Tree Netting on a Large Tree – Gurney’s Video
My net however is not big enough to go right to the ground so I decided to hang things on the net to scare the birds. So far I have been using old CDs but I have heard that you can also use old aluminium pie plates and even strips of aluminium foil to help with scaring the birds.
This is what my tree looks like now! Note: There are some plastic shopping bags hanging in the tree which were put there before the net but didn’t scare the birds.
One website (no longer available) suggested changing the visual scare methods every couple of days so I will be adding some aluminium pie plates and strips of aluminium foil later. So far the CDs spinning in the sun have kept the birds away for the last two days!
Also I found that playing talkback radio reasonably loudly next to the tree kept the birds away until I was able to get my nets up!
Overall I think the message is that when protecting our summer fruit from the birds we need to use various methods and to change things around every now and again. It is also another way that we can get a second life out of old aluminium plates and CDs!
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Hi, I'm Kaylene, and I'm a keen gardener,budding baker and wannabe DIYer!
Your tree looks like some kind of space tree!
I had a lot of issues like yourself trying to keep birds from my yard and stop them from eating my lawn seed!
The CD’s didn’t do much, but a fake hawk hoistered in the sky works well.
Netting is always good as a barrier to keep birds away.
Here is some more information if you are interested.
Visit Reviews of Bird Scarers
Good post!
Thanks for the suggestion Chris.
The CD’s worked pretty well in both my apricot and plum trees this year. Although I do think that they were getting used to them a bit by the time the fruit had ripened.
In previous years the birds spoiled the entire crop before it had a chance to ripen, but this year there was still a lot of good fruit left on the tree when it had ripened and we were able to pick and eat most of it.
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