Which Garden Netting Should I Use for Pest Control?

Garden netting is one of the most cost-effective and reliable physical barriers available to the home grower. Installed correctly, it protects crops from a wide range of flying and crawling pests without chemicals, harm to beneficial insects, or ongoing cost. The challenge lies in choosing the right mesh size and installing it so that no pest can find a gap.

Understanding the difference between mesh types is the first step to effective netting.

Fine Insect-Proof Mesh (0.8mm)

Ultra-fine mesh with apertures of around 0.8mm is the most comprehensive barrier available for gardens. It excludes carrot fly, cabbage white butterfly and moth, flea beetle, leek moth, thrips, and aphids. It passes water and light (with some reduction in airflow). This is the mesh to use over carrots from sowing to harvest, over brassicas during butterfly flight season, and over leeks during leek moth emergence windows (April–October).

Because airflow is reduced, use it on hoops that hold the mesh well clear of the crop canopy to prevent fungal disease from building up in still air beneath.

Standard Insect Netting (1–2mm)

Netting with 1–2mm apertures excludes butterflies and larger flies but is permeable to smaller insects. It provides good protection against cabbage white butterflies, pigeon access, and carrot fly (which has a low flight path — it rarely flies more than 60cm off the ground). It allows better airflow than fine mesh, making it preferable for fruiting crops like tomatoes and cucumbers where good ventilation prevents disease.

Bird Netting (13–20mm)

Larger mesh is designed primarily to exclude birds — pigeons, sparrows, and blackbirds that strip brassica leaves or peck at soft fruit. Use it over strawberries, currants, and gooseberries in summer, and over brassica beds from autumn onwards when pigeon pressure is highest. This mesh allows all insects to pass through freely, so combine it with fine mesh or other controls if flying pests are also a problem.

Installing Netting Correctly

Most netting failures are installation failures. Hoop frames should hold netting 15–30cm above the crop so wind does not push fabric onto plants. Seal all edges to the ground with pegs, soil, or bricks — carrot fly in particular will find any gap at ground level. Check netting weekly and reseal after access. If you find a caterpillar inside netting, it either hatched from an egg laid before installation or entered through a gap — check the seal immediately.

Netting and Pollination

Fine mesh excludes pollinators as well as pests. For crops that need insect pollination — squash, cucumbers, peppers, strawberries — remove or fold back netting when flowers open and replace it in the evening. Alternatively, hand-pollinate with a soft brush for small plantings. Leafy crops and roots grown only for foliage do not need pollinator access and can stay netted throughout.