Bird netting for garden: mesh, size and fixings
Updated: 22 October 2026
Blackbirds are on the strawberries, or a pigeon has worked along the cabbage, and you are about to order from amazon.co.uk. Bird netting for garden use that stays up is the cover whose hole, fibre and fixings match that crop. A sheet, a zip bag, a low tunnel and a fine insect mesh are different tools, and a scarer is not a net. The [bird protection net comparison](/hub/garden-supplies/bird-protection-net) holds the table, with prices here from about £5 to the £19.99 RIFNY roll. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Blackbirds are on the strawberries, or a pigeon has worked along the cabbage, and you are about to order from amazon.co.uk.
Blackbirds are on the strawberries, or a pigeon has worked along the cabbage, and you are about to order from amazon.co.uk. Bird netting for garden use that stays up is the cover whose hole, fibre and fixings match that crop. A sheet, a zip bag, a low tunnel and a fine insect mesh are different tools, and a scarer is not a net. The bird protection net comparison holds the table, with prices here from about £5 to the £19.99 RIFNY roll. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Stated mesh | Material | Fixings | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  RIFNY RIFNY 15 mm net, 4 m × 12 m | 15 × 15 mm | HDPE, about 22 g/m² | 6 staples, 100 ties | 7.5 | about £19.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Straame Straame nylon net, 4 m × 10 m | 2 × 2 cm | Nylon | None listed | 8.4 | about £5.99 | View offer |
 MAIYADUO MAIYADUO green net, 4 m × 5 m | 15 × 15 mm | Polyethylene | Plastic pegs | 8.5 | about £7.99 | View offer |
On this page
What you are covering
A bed, a bush and a seedling row take different covers, and a pond is another job again. A low strawberry bed wants a sheet pegged to the soil, or a low tunnel if the mesh must sit off the fruit. A currant or blueberry bush sheds a loose sheet. A zip bag is easier to open for picking, though only when the bush fits and you can still reach inside. Seedlings need a finer cover when cabbage white butterflies matter as much as the birds, and that mesh blocks bees once the flowers are open. Choose the hole for that one job. Timing for strawberries, blueberries and currants is on bird netting for strawberries.
Mesh in millimetres
Trade nets use a 20 mm hole when the seller wants birds out and bees in. Two Wests sells UV-stabilised HDPE at 20 × 20 mm by the metre and states that bees pass and birds do not. That description belongs to their net, though a cheap amazon.co.uk title can say 20 mm without the same knit. The RHS cites 0.8 mm and 1.3–1.4 mm insect covers, which keep birds and bees out while plants are in flower. Read the aperture in the details, because a 15 mm banner can be a slogan.
HDPE, polyethylene and nylon
Wind finds a weak fibre before it finds a small hole. Knowle Nets’ PN2 roof is double-knitted 20 mm HDPE at £82.50, with a 10-year life stated for that roof, and that cage net sits outside this set. RIFNY at £19.99 is about 22 g/m², a light garden sheet beside that roof. About £5 to £8 usually buys nylon or thin polyethylene. Straame is a 2 cm nylon sheet with no pegs, enough for one calm summer on a sheltered bed if you keep it off the canes. From about £9 to £15, compare the title with the material field. Muzattwi has paired a nylon title with polyethylene details, Solkraes polyester with HDPE, and MEKKAPRO is a fine polyester for insect mesh.
Size, overlap and pegs
Add overlap to the bed before you trust the title. A 4 × 5 m sheet loses width once both edges fold under pegs and a hoop lifts the middle off the fruit. Reviews often say the sheet is narrower than the title, so measure it on the lawn before you cut. RIFNY includes 6 staples and 100 ties for 4 × 12 m, and the staples alone will not hold that length, because the ties assume a frame. Straame includes no pegs. How to keep the mesh taut, and what to do if a bird is caught, is on how to fit bird netting.
Common questions
Is 15 mm or 20 mm the right hole for pigeons and blackbirds?
Which? points to about 2 cm for small birds, in line with a 20 mm net. A 15 mm hole gives a beak less room and catches more wind. Wire at 6.5 cm is a pigeon barrier, and a blackbird can still pass. Buy the size stated in the product details, and treat “bees can pass” as one seller’s claim about their own net.
Will fine insect mesh still let bees pollinate strawberries?
The RHS insect-proof gauges, 0.8 mm and 1.3–1.4 mm, keep bees out while the flowers are open. Use that mesh on seedlings and on crops you do not need pollinated under the cover. For strawberries, lift it during flowering or switch to a 15–20 mm bird sheet until the fruit starts to colour.
Why do reviews say the net is narrower than the title?
Packs do arrive shorter than the title, and some listings disagree with themselves. MYPURECORE appears as 2 × 10 m and as 2 × 5 m, while XIDEAN shows three size lines. Measure the sheet before you cut it. A materially short roll is not as described under section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
How many pegs should a 4 × 5 m sheet include?
Hold every edge, or the wind lifts the sheet. A MAIYADUO reviewer had 12 pegs on a 4 × 5 m net and still found that too few. RIFNY’s 6 staples and 100 ties belong to a 4 × 12 m pack, and the ties assume a frame. Where the listing is silent, budget for pegs. Straame, for example, includes none.
Is a UV claim the same as a lifespan?
UV-stabilised describes sunlight resistance, not a guaranteed life in seasons. Knowle Nets’ 10-year line is for the PN2 cage roof at £82.50, not for a light roll in this set. RIFNY at £19.99 is about 22 g/m². A £5–£8 nylon sheet may manage one calm season and still split at a peg, which is what a SOL reviewer reported.
When is a zip bag better than a roll?
Choose a zip bag for a single bush that fits inside it, so you can pick without unpegging a bed. A roll or a low tunnel covers a row or a wide strawberry patch, which a bag cannot span. Stay near 15–20 mm if bees still need a way in.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for this comparison. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. Page updated 22 October 2026.
- RSPB: netting and nesting (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 5 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: prevent wild birds damaging your land (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- RHS: insect-proof mesh (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- RHS: grow your own blueberries (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Which?: protecting your garden from birds (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- FBAS: herons (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Thrive: netting a pond (retrieved 22 October 2026)