Netting an apple tree is one of the most effective ways to protect your fruit from birds, insects, and hail without relying on pesticides. The right net, properly installed, can shield your crop from codling moth, prevent bird damage, and even reduce sunburn on fruit. But mesh size, net color, and installation method all matter, both for effectiveness and for keeping wildlife safe.
What Apple Tree Netting Actually Protects Against
Most people start thinking about netting because birds are eating their apples before they can harvest. That’s a valid reason, but netting does far more than block birds. Draped netting that fully covers the tree has been shown to effectively exclude insect pests, including codling moth, the most damaging apple pest in most regions. Fruit growers globally have used hail netting since the 2000s, and research from the University of Minnesota Extension confirms that draped netting doubles as insect exclusion, reducing the need for pesticide sprays while improving overall crop quality.
Overhead netting systems, which cover an entire orchard in a continuous layer above the canopy, also protect fruit from sunburn. For home growers, even a simple drape net can deflect most hail and provide solid coverage for the majority of your crop, though fruit pressed directly against the net on the outer edges may still take some impact.
Mesh Size: The Most Important Decision
The size of the holes in your netting determines what it keeps out. Larger mesh (around 20mm) stops birds but lets insects through freely. To block codling moth, you need much finer mesh. Research trials at Montana State University used insect exclusion netting with a mesh size of approximately 0.8 x 0.8 mm to bag whole trees against codling moth. For general insect exclusion, netting with rectangular holes of about 3 x 1.5 mm, the type commonly used in commercial hail netting, provides a good balance of pest protection and airflow.
Wildlife safety adds another constraint. In parts of Australia, regulations now require that netting on household fruit trees must have a mesh size of 5 mm x 5 mm or less at full stretch. This isn’t just bureaucratic caution. Larger mesh, particularly the cheap, loose-weave bird netting sold at many garden centers, regularly traps and kills birds, bats, and reptiles that become tangled in it. Even where regulations don’t mandate it, choosing netting with 5 mm mesh or smaller is the responsible choice. White netting is recommended because nocturnal animals like bats and possums can see it more easily in the dark. Netting with a strand thickness greater than 0.5 mm, or with a cross-weave design, also reduces the risk of entanglement injuries.
Drape Netting vs. Frame Structures
You have two basic approaches: draping net directly over the tree, or building a frame or hoop structure and attaching the net to that.
Drape netting is the cheaper and more flexible option. You apply it after petal fall in early summer (so bees can still pollinate the blossoms) and remove it just before harvest. Over winter, you store it under cover. One major advantage of drape netting is that you can swap net types at different stages of the season. You might use a standard bird net early on, then switch to finer insect exclusion netting when a specific pest becomes active. Building a permanent enclosure from fine insect netting would be prohibitively expensive for most home growers.
The downside of draping is that the net contacts the fruit. Birds can peck through net that’s pressed against an apple, and hail can still bruise fruit sitting right under taut netting. You also need to secure the net tightly to the trunk. Loose netting that pools on the ground is a serious hazard for snakes, lizards, and ground-feeding birds.
A simple hoop or frame system, where PVC pipes or metal hoops hold the net away from the tree canopy, solves most of these problems. Hail slides off rather than pooling, birds can’t reach the fruit, and the same structure works for frost cloth or finer insect netting when needed. Hoop systems can be as temporary or permanent as you like. They cost more than a simple drape but far less than a full permanent enclosure.
How Netting Affects Light, Color, and Fruit Size
Any net blocks some sunlight, and the color of the netting determines how much. Black netting reduces light by 22 to 31%, a significant drop that affects the tree in several ways. Research on apple varieties including Royal Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, and Cripps’ Pink found that trees under black netting actually increased their rate of photosynthesis, likely a compensatory response to lower light. Transpiration and gas exchange also increased.
The practical impact on your fruit depends on the variety. Red blush color was reduced under black netting for Braeburn and Fuji apples, meaning they looked less red at harvest. Royal Gala and Cripps’ Pink were unaffected. Ground color (the base green or yellow of the apple) was actually improved by netting on some varieties. Fruit size is where things get more nuanced: under netting, apple size declined more sharply as crop load increased. In other words, if your tree is carrying a heavy crop, netting may make the size penalty worse than it would be in open sun. Thinning your fruit becomes more important when the tree is netted.
White netting blocks less light than black and is generally the better choice for home growers. It keeps the tree cooler, lets more light through for fruit coloring, and is more visible to wildlife.
Installation Tips That Prevent Problems
Timing matters. Apply netting after petal fall, once pollination is complete. Netting a tree while it’s still in bloom traps pollinators inside or blocks them entirely, and you’ll get poor fruit set as a result. Remove the net just before harvest so you’re not fighting with it while picking.
Secure the net to the trunk, not just draped loosely over the branches. Gaps at the bottom let birds walk underneath, and loose net on the ground entangles ground-dwelling animals. Use clips, ties, or drawstring closures to cinch the net tight where it meets the trunk. Check your netted trees daily during the growing season to make sure no animals have gotten caught and the net hasn’t come loose.
When you remove netting for the season, store it out of sunlight in a shed or garage. UV exposure degrades most netting materials over time, even UV-stabilized varieties. Fold or roll it neatly rather than bunching it, since tangled netting is much harder to deploy smoothly the following year. If you’re retiring old netting, don’t leave it in a pile in the yard. Place it in a bag before disposing of it so it doesn’t become a wildlife trap on its way to the landfill.
Choosing the Right Net for Your Situation
- Birds only: White knitted netting, 5 mm mesh or smaller, with strands thicker than 0.5 mm. This is the minimum responsible choice for wildlife safety.
- Birds and hail: The same 5 mm mesh on a hoop frame so hail slides off. Drape netting also deflects most hail but may leave outer fruit exposed.
- Insects (codling moth, fruit fly): Fine mesh of 1 to 3 mm. Commercial insect exclusion netting with UV-stabilized polyethylene is the standard. Expect to pay more per square meter, which is why drape netting works well here: you can use the finer mesh only on individual trees that need it.
- All-purpose protection: Hail netting with approximately 3 x 1.5 mm mesh, draped over the tree or on a frame. This blocks most insects, birds, and hail in one layer. It weighs about 60 grams per square meter, light enough that it won’t damage branches.
For most home growers with one to a few trees, a white, fine-mesh drape net applied after flowering and removed at harvest is the simplest and most cost-effective setup. If you’re willing to invest in a hoop frame, you gain better hail protection, easier access for pruning and inspection, and a structure you can reuse with different net types year after year.