The little rats are cutting into my yield.



Short of hiding in the bushes with your kit and AR, what do you all do?

Are you sure it is birds?  Groundhogs and squirels are what we have most problems with.  Set up a video camera id you can and verify what the problem is...



Me, I gave up on fences and other barriers as they don't work with groundhogs and squirels so now I just kill them.

The Sentry Project


Works on birds, squirrels, groundhogs, mice, rats, cats, dogs, opossums, shunk apes and pesky neighbor children.

Some thoughts...

If it is actually birds, netting is about the only viable way if you work outside the home, or if you want to get anything else done other than sit in the yard and watch for birds.

Bird netting gets a lot of songbirds who are there for the BUGS, though, too. They get caught in it and die.

If you drape your tomatoes with the netting, you should check it frequently. That way you can let the small birds go.  

I agree that you do need to identify what is damaging the fruit.  Make sure you either a) see the birds doing it, not just flying in and out of the garden (they could be after bugs) or b) ID the critter from the damage it has done.

In NC this year there are a lot of critters eating stuff....... Check for stink bugs and grasshoppers, they are the worst I've seen in years. Your feathered friends are probably just picking the bugs off the fruit.

Try putting water for the birds down by your garden.
5sub

Rubber snakes may keep then out... this one is inflatable -