Birds
Pigeons strip brassicas to the veins in winter; blackbirds and others take soft fruit, peck seedlings and pull up onion sets and garlic cloves. Netting is the answer, as scarers soon stop working.
Pests
What it looks like
The damage is torn or pecked, not chewed.
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Stripped leaves Brassica leaves torn back to the stalks. -
Pecked fruit Strawberries and berries with beak holes or missing. -
Pulled sets Onion sets and garlic cloves lifted out of the soil. -
Missing seeds Pea and bean seeds dug up, sunflower heads stripped.
How to confirm it
Watch at dawn.
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Early morning
Birds feed most at first light.
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Torn edges
Ragged tears, no slime or droppings of caterpillars.
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Winter timing
Pigeon damage peaks when other food is scarce.
What to do
Nets, supported and tight.
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Net brassicas
Cover with netting held clear of the leaves on hoops.
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Cage soft fruit
Net fruit from when it starts to colour.
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Cover seed beds
Use fleece or wire over new sowings and sets.
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Check nets daily
Make sure no bird is trapped.
Prevent it next time
- Net before damage starts.
- Plant onion sets with the tips just below the surface.
- Raise pea seedlings in pots before planting out.
What not to do
Do not use loose, flimsy netting; birds and hedgehogs get tangled. Use taut netting with a mesh of 2.5 cm (1 in) or less.
In the growing guides
Where the guides mention it, with plant-specific advice.
Sources
- Pigeons, Royal Horticultural Society