Insect Mesh
FREE SHIPPING
Note: Seasons* refers to the 4-8 week ripening period just before harvest when netting is best used. Seasonal netting is intended to be removed at harvest and stored out of the sun in a dry location until the next use.
Most orders ship within 1-2 business days (M-F) if order is placed before 11:00 AM EST. Transit times displayed in the map are listed in business days, are approximate and are specific to this product line. The day that the order is shipped is not counted as a transit day.
If you are new to gardening, you probably have many questions about protecting your fruit trees and how to get rid of insects that are everywhere. Here is great information to help you protect your trees and other plants. Insects can be a problem when they are living off your fruit trees and leaves in your orchard. Bad insects will cause enormous harm to your trees by feeding off the tree's wood tissue known as cambium. In turn, your trees will be weaker and likely not to produce fruit as you hoped. This tissue is located just under the bark of the tree. Some insects will lay their eggs just under the skin of baby fruit, leaving behind maggots that will ruin any appeal the fruit might have offered before then.
Note - Cambium increases plant growth in trees. Xylem is a tissue that sends water and minerals from the roots to the leaves. Phloem is another tissue that moves food from the leaves to the roots.
In this article, we will share effective results not involving chemicals to keep harmful insects away from your trees and plants. Discover how valuable birds are by controlling the insect population and out of your trees.
Apple Tree at Harvest
As we have discussed in other articles, some birds can be a problem in orchards but attracting the right kind of birds can be very beneficial. Some valuable birds include tree swallows and Eastern bluebirds who eat a huge number of insects every day. Their favorite treats are caterpillars, moths, and insect larvae.
Organic gardeners install Eastern bluebird boxes close to the trees in their orchards and gardens. These boxes offer birds the best place to raise their young. As the young birds grow, you will have an army of birds to eat these insects on your fruit trees. You can purchase an Eastern bluebird nesting box or build a plain wooden box with an opening that is approximately 1.5 inches or 4 cm in diameter and place it on a post that is 5 to 6 feet or 152 to 182 cm tall. If you need instructions, visit the Audubon Society site by clicking here
There is no lack of miracles in nature, including other insects that help you protect your fruit trees. Mites are so tiny, it takes a microscope to see them. They are related to spiders and will feed off bad insects.
Some other good insects include ladybugs will hunt down and eat other bugs. There are insects known as parasitoids that actually lay eggs inside other insects. The larva will hatch and feed off these insects and kill them. There are species of insects that are pollinators and beneficial in other ways. They go from flower to flower, collect the nectar, then pollinate fruit trees as well as other plants.
Plant with Bugs on It
You need a good number of flowering plants in a pollinator garden located near your fruit trees. Choose plants that will continue to flower over the growing season. Adding to the mix, bring in native plants and herbs such as bronze fennel, yarrow, bee balm, and dill. When you have a selection of good insects in your garden or orchard, you will notice a decrease in insects harming your trees.
Look for flat-top flowers like fennel, angelica, yarrow, and dill as mentioned above. Bring in marigolds, calendula, and sweet alyssum. Ladybugs love them!
Bird Entering Bird House
While the birds and good insects will get rid of many harmful insects, some will still be around living in your trees. You need fruit tree traps to ensure the numbers of bad insects decrease. The kind of trap you need will depend on the types of insects in your garden and orchard. Sticky traps are wrapped around your trees' trunks to prevent crawling insects, like ants, from getting into the trees.
If you have issues with flying insects like apple maggots, use red ball traps that are hung in the trees. These balls are covered with tanglefoot glue. Insects are drawn to the ball thinking it's fruit. When they land, they will get stuck on the ball and die. If you have been following this article and applied some tactics, you will see a positive change in your garden or orchard.
You will have birds that eat caterpillars, flying insects, and insect larvae. You will have an increase of good insects eating harmful insects. If you have installed sticky fruit tree traps you will cut back on these pests. When done, what comes next? You need to protect baby fruit by covering them with a barrier to prevent insects like apple maggots and codling moths from laying their eggs inside the skin of the baby fruit.
Orchard sox are small nylon socks that you tie on the young fruit when they are only the size of a nickel. As the fruit grows, the socks will expand. Orchard sox are also known as maggot barriers and are extremely effective at protecting the fruit from damage caused by insects.
It will take some time to cover all the fruits in your trees so you should see if some of your friends can help you out. The entire process will be much easier to complete. If you are dealing with large trees, cover the fruits you are able to reach on lower branches. At least you will enjoy some fruit when it's harvest time.
One very simple step, keep your fruits and trees clean! Cleaning will keep insects off your trees and from your fruits.
Another important step that too many people seem to overlook. When fall hits, infested fruits will fall to the ground. Do Not leave them on the ground! If you do, insects that are inside the fruit will stay there over the winter and then come back again in greater numbers.
Clean up all the fallen fruits and leaves around your trees, bag them up, and get them out of there. You can send them off to your local municipal waste facility Do Not put them in your home compost! Insects will spend the winter in your compost and be ready to rock and roll when they emerge from the period of physiological dormancy in the spring.
Plant with Ladybugs
The question you should ask yourself is why are insects attacking my fruit trees to begin with? Entomologists are people who believe that by nature, insects are tyrannical. They don't bother with healthy trees that can fight back, they go after weaker trees suffering from poor growth or other maladies.
Note – Entomologists are those who study insects. Their society supports entomology through journals and publications while reading the findings published by research.
Some researchers believe insects go after various parts of a plant, based on their ability to digest certain plant tissues. Monitoring the sugar levels in fruit trees can offer insight into the health and susceptibility to pests. You need to learn everything about fertilizing and pruning, along with pest control, and how to prevent diseases. Following the advice in this article can give you healthy, productive fruit trees and get rid of pests along the way. You will have healthy bug-free trees for a long time to come.
Lettuce Plants in Garden
We will deal with insects in various areas of our lives, and controlling them is key. We have pets that are continually attacked by bugs known as fleas. We don't give it a second thought we bring them to their vet for flea protection. Unfortunately, you can't bring in an arborist to give your trees shots.
You must listen to good advice from others and take it to heart. Fruit trees are simply another part of our lives but if you want healthy, productive trees you must get rid of harmful insects by protecting them. Hopefully, this article has cleared up some of your questions so you and your trees enjoy your garden or orchard!