Netting fruit trees
Netting your garden's fruit trees: having your fruit and wildlife too
Fruit trees are grown in backyards across Australia. They provide cheap, fresh fruit and require only basic care. A key part of caring for fruit trees is to control pests that damage the fruit. This may include covering trees in netting to stop birds and other animals from reaching the fruit.
Using the right type of netting will protect your fruit. Using the wrong type of netting or badly erected netting may still protect your fruit but it can also injure or kill native birds, flying-foxes and possums if they become entangled.
In some situations, threatened species like the grey-headed flying-fox are even being entangled in fruit-tree netting.
With a little forethought and care, backyard fruit trees can be netted so you can have your fruit and wildlife too.
How to use netting to protect backyard fruit trees without harming wildlife
What's eating the fruit?
The first step to take in deciding whether to net a backyard fruit tree is to identify what's eating the fruit and whether netting will solve the problem.
Fruit can be damaged by a range of "pests" from the tiniest of fruit flies to the hungriest of neighbours.
For netting to have any impact it must create a barrier between the fruit and the animal trying to eat it. This means that netting is only an effective solution where the fruit is being eaten by larger birds or mammals like possums or flying-foxes.
Bird damage is relatively easy to detect as birds are active during the day and more likely to be seen while feeding. Mammals are nocturnal and you will have to check your tree at night to see if they are eating your fruit. Mammals will also leave clues behind in the form of damaged fruit with teeth marks or a scatter of droppings under the tree.
If you can't find the "culprit", the following guide will help you to identify what type of mammal is eating your fruit.
| Species | Indication of presence |
|---|---|
| Flying-foxes |
|
| Common ringtail and common brushtail possums |
|
| Rats |
|
Is it worth netting?
As you will need to buy netting from a hardware store or a nursery, you may want to consider how much it costs if you only grow a small quantity of fruit. If netting is too costly, you may want to consider some alternatives, or simply share your fruit with your neighbouring wildlife.
Will netting affect how the fruit develops?
Not only will netting protect your fruit from possums, birds and flying-foxes but it will also help to protect your tree from wind and hail damage, and can form a better microclimate in which your tree will grow. The size of the mesh must be large enough to allow pollinating insects to reach any flowers on the tree and fertilise them.
What are the alternatives to netting?
Shade Cloth Method.
Illustration by Louise Saunders
You may also have to consider how the animals are reaching the fruit. If your problem is a possum or a rat climbing up the tree, then a sheet metal collar around the trunk may stop these animals reaching the fruit. A collar won't work if the tree is short enough for an animal to jump into the lower branches or to climb on to the tree from a fence or a neighbouring tree. If another tree overhangs your fruit tree you may be able to prune back the branches so that it becomes too far for a possum to jump between them.
A 30 percent blockout shadecloth can be pegged or tied over a fruiting tree to protect the fruit. Shadecloth minimises the risk to wildlife and will not stop the fruit from ripening. It should be hemmed so that there are no frayed ends that animals might be caught in. When the fruiting is finished the shadecloth can simply be stored away.
Covering individual fruit in paper bags can also work where the fruit can be reached easily and safely.
How to net fruit trees safely for wildlife
What sort of net should I use?
Netting with a knitted mesh and a maximum mesh size of 40mm will keep out larger birds, possums and flying-foxes. A smaller mesh size may be needed to keep out rats. White netting is best as it stands out against the foliage of the fruit tree. This will make it easier for flying-foxes to see - and avoid.
Thin nylon (monofilament) netting should not be used as it is easily pulled out of shape by an animal climbing on it, causing the animal to become entangled. Once entangled, birds and flying-foxes become stressed and can break bones and tear wing membranes as they struggle to get free. The monofilament line can cut into the animal causing deep wounds and even stop circulation. Ultimately, these injuries can lead to shock and death, particularly if the animal is trapped in the net for a long period of time. Entangled flying-foxes may also be mothers nursing young that are waiting at a nursery roost. These young will starve if the parent can't return to the roost within a day.
Suitable netting can be purchased from hardware stores and nurseries.
How do I net my fruit trees?
The main factor to consider when netting fruit trees is to ensure that the net is kept taut. If the netting is loose or easily loses its shape it is more likely to act as a trap for wildlife.
To keep netting taut, the first step is to build a frame over the tree to support the netting. This could be a box-shaped frame of PVC pipe or timber or a number of star pickets or stakes that are located around the tree to form a frame for the netting e.g. crossing three or four stakes to make a "teepee" frame (see illustration). Whichever approach you take, it is important that the frame keeps the netting off the tree and is sturdy enough for the netting to be pulled taut.
 Teepee Method.Illustrations by Louise Saunders. |
 Frame Method. |
Tent pegs, or any heavy objects (e.g. bricks) wrapped in the ends of the netting, can be used to keep the netting tensioned over the frame and stop animals from getting under the net. Clothes pegs and tie wire can also be used to stop the net slipping on the frame and sagging to form traps. The more places that the netting is held in position, the more even the tension of the netting will be on the frame.
When estimating how much netting you need, allow enough for it to be firmly attached to the ground.
You will also need to have some way of getting to the tree to remove fruit. Either a flap could be cut into the netting or an overlapping section of netting built into one side of the frame to allow a person to slip in between them. Any openings in the net could be closed off with clothes pegs or by weaving a garden stake through the mesh along the edge of the flap (or overlap) and the adjoining section of netting.
The bounce test
Common brushtail possums can weigh up to 3.5kg, common ringtails 1.1kg, and grey-headed flying-foxes up to 1kg, and they can weigh down loose netting. For the netting to be effective it must be tensioned enough to stop folds of net forming around an animal when it lands on or crawls over the net. Ideally, a flying-fox should almost bounce off the netting rather than sink into it when it lands.
Check your netting daily.
Animals could still become entangled in your netting, making it important to check your netting daily.
What do I do if an animal gets caught in the netting?
Animals that are entangled in netting are likely to be injured and highly stressed, making any attempt to remove them can be dangerous for the animal - and the rescuer.
If you find an entangled animal in your netting, cover it with a towel then contact your local wildlife care organisation or the department hotline in south-east Queensland on 1300 130 372. They will put you in contact with a licensed wildlife rescuer who is trained to handle and care for wildlife.
Do not try to remove entangled flying-foxes as these animals can carry and transmit Australian bat lyssavirus (ABL). If the flying-fox is sick and shows signs of paralysis, or has come into contact with a dog or a cat, contact your nearest Department of Primary Industries (DPI) office as they may wish to inspect the bat. If the flying-fox is dead, use a shovel and/or tongs to remove it and then burn or bury it. Do not touch the bat without wearing gloves. If burying it, ensure that the hole is deep enough so that a dog could not dig it up.
What do you do if bitten or scratched by a bat?
Do not scrub the wound.
Wash the wound gently but thoroughly for at least five minutes with soap and water. Apply an antiseptic (e.g. povidone iodine, another iodine preparation or ethanol alcohol) and cover the wound.
Contact your doctor or hospital immediately - they will arrange for the vaccinations that are necessary to protect you against ABL.
These vaccinations should start as soon as possible after being bitten or scratched.
It is possible to have the bat tested for ABL. The department and Queensland Health will assist with the collection of the bat.
If bat saliva gets into your eyes, nose, or mouth or into an open wound, flush thoroughly with water and seek medical advice immediately.
PROMPT TREATMENT FOLLOWING A BITE OR SCRATCH IS VITAL.
Check out the Living with wildlife pages of the department website for more information about how to live with flying-foxes.
Last updated: 01 September 2005