Got birds wreaking havoc on your garden? Few things are more frustrating than seeing the literal fruits of your labor go to the birds every summer. Fortunately, there’s an easy, humane way to keep birds out of your fruit trees and raised beds, and it will only cost you a few pennies.
Beating the Birds With Foil
You can keep birds away without resorting to harsh chemicals by using an inexpensive item you probably already have in your kitchen drawer: aluminum foil. Adding strips of foil to your trees or garden beds is a fast, easy way to keep birds from pillaging your plants.
Birds are usually drawn to fruits and seeds. To deter them, tear some foil into strips, then attach the strips to the trees and plants that see the most damage — the wind and sun will do the rest. You can tie foil strips onto trees with fishing line, or use clothespins to pinch them onto your plants and flowers. An even easier method is to mold the aluminum foil directly around the branches to keep it secure.
Tip: If you don’t want to waste a roll of aluminum foil, you can achieve similar results with reflective tape.
Why Does Foil Make Birds Fly On?
Our feathered friends typically avoid investigating reflective things because, well, it scares them. The sudden glint of sunlight off the tinfoil startles birds because their senses tell them it’s a possible predator. Sometimes, territorial birds even mistake their own reflections for rival avians, causing them to flee, fast.
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If you don’t wish to wrap your garden in foil this summer, look to other reflective items to keep birds at bay. Consider adding wind chimes fitted with reflective beads or baubles, or making a mobile out of old CDs or DVDs; these will bounce light and send birds packing.
Reflective materials can, in rare cases, ignite fires when sunlight is focused into a concentrated beam. However, aluminum foil’s often crumpled, uneven surface causes light to scatter, not concentrate.
Don’t Forget To Deter the Deer
If you live in a deer-prone area, use that leftover tinfoil to keep them from damaging your trees or shrubs. Simply wrap the roll around the trunks of trees and saplings for protection. This can help prevent deer from rubbing their antlers on young tree trunks or eating the bark when food is scarce; the animals dislike the tinfoil’s rough texture and reflective surface. Be sure to cover your trees about waist-high so the deer don’t just reach over it.
Birds are amazing pollinators and provide natural pest control, so we don’t want to get rid of them completely. However, with a roll of aluminum foil, you can stop them from destroying your favorite fruits and veggies. This hack is a great way to keep your garden safe, but you can also plant regionally adapted wildflowers for your avian neighbors to safely munch on instead — check your local seed library for options.
