Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The least expensive way to discourage birds is to tie strips of reflecting tape in 4- to
5-foot lengths throughout the vineyard. This tape, which comes in small rolls, is often sil-
ver and red or other bright colors, and can be purchased at a nursery or garden center. Tie
the tape in random locations throughout the vineyard, just before the grapes begin to ripen.
Putting the tape out too early will allow the birds to become accustomed to the tape and it
will not be as effective.
You can also try pre-programmed recordings of predatory bird calls, which differ in
variety. These can be purchased in vineyard supply stores. Other scare devices are sold at
farm supply stores and vineyard suppliers. They may include propane noise cannons, large
inflatable balls, or replicas of predators. Although these methods may work, you will need
to move them around and vary your tactics as the birds get used to them.
If birds are an ongoing problem in your area, you may have to net your vines. Netting
is a pretty expensive proposition for large vineyards, but for small vineyards it is fairly af-
fordable and it's a sure thing. There are several options for netting. The least expensive is
extruded plastic netting. It comes in panels that are either 12 to 16 inches wide or 4 to 16
feet wide, and in lengths of 100 and 200 feet. The usual color is black. You can find this
kind of netting, which may last up to three years, at nurseries or vineyard suppliers. To use
it, place the narrower panels on either side of the fruiting zone and clip them together at the
top and bottom. (You can also use wooden skewers, just thread them through the edges of
the netting.) The wide panels can be draped or fastened over the entire row.
A more expensive netting product is a green or white nylon mesh. It will outlast the
extruded plastic, usually lasting for seven or eight years. This type of netting is sold in rolls
of 500 or 1000 feet, in widths as narrow as 4 feet or as wide as 20 feet. The narrow pan-
els are best used in the same way as the plastic netting, on either side of the fruiting zone.
Wider netting, say 12 to 14 feet, can be draped over the entire row of vines and clipped at
the bottom. The widest 17-foot-and-up netting can be draped over the row and securing to
the ground with U-shaped pegs. Applications of long rows of netting can be done with a
dispenser on the back of a tractor, if you can borrow one, or can be applied by two people,
one working down each side of the row.
Where birds are abundant, be sure the net does not touch the grapes as some birds use
the net as a landing platform or ladder to eat your grapes. I prefer the widest kind of netting
for this reason; it keeps the birds far away from the fruit.
