Growing cherry trees requires a lot of patience, but the reward is worthwhile. As many fruit growers will tell you, your greatest enemy will soon be flocking to your trees: birds. Birds like starlings and sparrows are notorious for eating cherries just before they are ripe enough to pick. To help alleviate the stress from birds, here are a few simple methods to protect cherry trees from birds.
Use Audio Deterrents
Birds may be clever animals, but they’re easy to outsmart. Try scaring birds away with something as simple as a noisemaker! An effective noisemaker can be made at home by hanging glass or plastic bottles from your trees. When the wind blows, the bottles will create enough sound to frighten away birds.
Materials To Use:
- Plastic bottles
- Glass bottles
- String
CAUTION: Beware of using electronic noise makers as they can be disruptive to your neighbors.
RELATED: How to Get Birds Out of Cherry Trees
Scare Birds With Hanging Objects
In addition to using audio deterrents to keep birds away, you can use physical objects like predatory birds in your trees. Balloons with drawn-on or painted faces are a common solution to try. Hanging reflective material on your trees can keep birds away too. Birds don’t exactly understand reflections, so they’d rather stay far from them. Simply tie some string around the reflective material and hang in a bright, sunny location near your cherry trees.
Materials To Use:
- CD’s
- Pie tins
- Mirrors
- Reflective tape or streamers
- String
Remember: Birds may get used to your deterrents after a while, so change the materials often to help keep them away longer.
Feed the Birds
The main reason why birds are eating your crops is because it’s an easy and sweet food source. Instead of having birds feed on your tasty cherries, consider feeding them with a few other berry-producing plants. Make sure to plant them away from the cherry trees. You can also simply put out a bird feeder filled with grain or sunflower seeds in it.
Materials To Use:
- Bird feeder
- Sunflower seeds
- Peanuts
- Corn or bird feed
CAUTION: While this method may help deter birds from your main crop, the opposite effect may occur as well. Enticing birds to feed near your cherry trees may encourage more birds to return.
Use Netting
Another common option you can use to protect cherry trees from birds is netting. It’s best to use bird nets on small and medium-sized trees because the netting needs to cover the entire tree. Make sure there is enough room between the net and the outermost layer of fruit to prevent birds from accessing the cherries or getting caught in the net.
Remember: Make sure the bottom of the net is secure so birds can’t get in from underneath.
Protect Your Cherries with Bird Repellent
The simplest method for protecting your cherry trees is to use a non-lethal liquid bird repellent. Avian Control is an easy-to-apply liquid bird repellent that can be sprayed or fogged. No need to worry about the growth or taste of your crops either, since Avian Control won’t change cherry growth patterns, appearance, or taste.
Use Avian Control for the Best Results
To protect your cherry trees you’ll want a reliable method with the best results. Avian Control is a dependable form of protection that won’t require a long labor-intensive application.
With each treatment lasting up to two weeks outdoors, Avian Control is the bird solution to help protect your cherry trees. Contact us at 888.868.1982 to learn more about our line of products, or check out our store for more information!