How to Keep Birds Off Your Fruit Trees

It is possible to eat the bounty from your fruit trees before the birds do. Learn how in 90 seconds using simple easy to use materials.

[@gailgordon4162]

Im in the Uk - followed what you did and got my first cherries in four years from four trees. Thank you..

[@chacho9148]

Thank you so much Mr. Mountain Gardner Sir !

[@marthaballote18]

Finally I’m eating my own peaches this year. This scare tape really works.

[@mechlabs0302]

Thank you a bunch. It works great! More videos like yours!

[@fareedaobrien3112]

New subscriber hi, thank you so much, you have been so much help, hopefully we will be able to enjoy our cherries this year 🌹

[@troublingleaf]

That intro /outro tune makes me think I'm getting a phone call, it's not even my ringtone!

[@commenter41]

Finds cherry eaten by birds on the very tree he has already protected 🙄

[@juniorkawai6131]

The bird that ate that cherry was wearing sunglasses.

[@jeremiahyeo5863]

Precisely my point. Maybe he should’ve just been a little more hush-hush about the fact that they had already been eating it. He’s not a very good salesman

[@theresarangel7824]

It probably happened before he hung the reflective tape. Geez, give a guy a break.

[@mrBDeye]

I built an electrified perch wired up with a horse fence wire. When sparrows land on the stick they get 1000 volt shock. 😮

[@Sundial1k]

@@mrBDeye doesn't that KILL them?!?

[@apericus]

Thanks! This was a great help to save the 100 peaches ripening on my tree. The birds love them now, but they are still hard as a rock to me. I cut up an old mylar rescue blanket to make the strips. It flashes in the breeze like a disco ball spinning.

[@blackprincegt]

Did it work to stop the birds though?

[@apericus]

@@blackprincegt It did.

[@chill_girl9146]

Lucky you. We have them all over our fruit trees and the birds still come

[@apericus]

@@chill_girl9146 you have some tough birds there, sister.

[@chill_girl9146]

@@apericus you’re telling me! It’s very frustrating

[@zenmocarski4490]

Just an FYI - Few birds have a sense of smell. It's why great-horned owls can kill and eat a skunk.

[@jnicholes79]

We live in the deep woods of the Pacific Northwest and the reflective tape doesn't do a thing for us. The birds land and enjoy the fruit. The best solution is a fully enclosed netting material, but it's such a nightmare to work with.

[@rafb145]

Ye that tape is silly, this are suburban birds they don’t give a flying fak about anything lol

[@andreejohnson7454]

Saaaaame

[@aztecautobot7404]

I hung CDs from my nectarine tree still had birds eating off my tree perhaps I didn't put enough CDs but I'm definitely going to try that reflective tape

[@olgarehn]

Just getting my first cherries and bugs and birds already having a feast …. Will try this technique, thanks ❤ Do you know if a color of the tape maters?

[@sylviaecklund6186]

Thanks for this video.

[@nev707]

This is great. Hope they sell this tape in Australia. Also hanging old CDs by string in the trees that reflect off the sun may work as long as it is a sunny day.

[@beaurichards6146]

How'd you go with finding a deterent, I'm currently trying to keep the birds of my Loquat tree in Melbourne

[@lesliekendall5668]

I use reflective bicycle streamers on my grapes. Also you could make the strips out of aluminum foil.

[@Sundial1k]

@@lesliekendall5668 Or Mylar potato chip bags cut into strips....

[@RyanMattockpyro]

thank you ill try it out..

[@cocomeowmixfragrancebeauty1312]

love this method the best

[@douglascooke1926]

Inflatable snakes work fairly well also.

[@Angel-ng9tq]

Thank you so much! xo

[@margaretcunningham7146]

How early in the year would you implement these? Watching from Ireland and I've never managed to get to the fruit before the blackbirds do!

[@WattersGardenCenter]

When the tree first starts to produce fruit.

[@Sundial1k]

Someone elsewhere said to put out a bird feeder and bird bath; they have not helped with the (swarming) starlings; they are ruthless...

[@mrBDeye]

I built an electrified perch wired up with a horse fence wire. When sparrows land on the stick they get 1000 volt shock. 😮

[@Sundial1k]

But doesn't that KILL them?!?

[@caramelizeme]

Will that tape stuff protect birds from picking the fruit at night, since there's no light to reflect anything?

[@ThaDiscoFreak]

I Guess its a NO since no answer

[@gaofeng83]

Birds don’t come out at night.

[@Carbon5.0]

Its also the noise of the tape, so prob

[@patrapper7367]

These only are about 20% effective

[@thelifeofLJ2011]

😂😂

[@gregorymiller7863]

I have tied old CDs to my lime tree with fishing line. They are quite effective, they cost almost nothing and I don't have to go to the shop. Win win situation.

[@roniecelwhite7583]

Gregory Miller I did that with my tree. This year I picked 32 kg on my 1 tree. And just about making jum and chutney.

[@lesliew746]

what if the tree is really tall and you can't reach that high to put up the tape?

[@astatine0085]

do you have a link for the tape?

[@LynetteBender]

Sounds like a plan!!

[@nexusly6720]

Would having a well stocked bird feeder opposite side of the land prevent the birds from going for fruit trees.

[@taitjones6310]

I was planning to try that this year. Have you done that personally?

[@nexusly6720]

@@taitjones6310 I've done it before without the fruit trees w/o fruits, I noticed a ton of activity. I'd hope if they are full after eating the food they wont go crazy on my plums instead just a few!

[@taitjones6310]

@JackSpeed 439 It's not counter productive. Your own argument actually supports the logic of a bird feeder and bird bath. 1. You don't have fruit on your trees 365 days a year, so the importance of having a distraction food source is just in the weeks before any harvest. 2. Most of the time birds are "eating" your fruit, it is for the purpose of extracting water, not as a primary food source. Which is why you always see partially picked fruits and never completely consumed fruits. 3. Cover crops such as mulberry have been used for centuries because birds love them, and as you said, " they love one particular variety and keep coming back" So, to sum it up, always have a good available water source as far away from your crops as you can, and put out an easy food source during the weeks preceding harvest, and/or plant cover crops like mulberry.

[@lyndabustillos5209]

@@taitjones6310 Wow, you're truly, and unbelievably vocabulary challenged! As swearing seems to be you're niche. Not to mention using our creators name is such a incredibly disrespectful manner. Don't even bother responding to my message! As I sadly know your kind, and I will have blocked you by the time you see this!! Do have a blessed day, regardless:)

[@taitjones6310]

@@lyndabustillos5209 *your*

[@PatentSTM]

very useful information.

[@hydrofink7074]

Trying this now! I just caught the purple martin's plucking the leaves! I just noticed after 3 years!! I had never caught what was causing the missing leaves....

[@tonyjara4299]

The Purple Martins are using the leaves for their nest.

[@ebenv6049]

I tried CD's, reflective items, bird scare tape, fake/plastic snakes and still nothing. These items only working on specific bird breeds and not all of them.

[@hommhommhomm]

Nice, subbed

[@leenonolee4629]

If those strips and beach ball keeps birds off of the tree, why did you pick a fruit that had a bird peck in it?

[@MilkywayWarrior1618]

Nothing is 100% perfect i guess. I dont need every cherry to not be eaten, just to greatly decrease the numbers. Even if those strips are good at scarying birds, there will be a few that are desperate enough to risk it.

[@KenLain]

Way easier than covering trees with netting.

[@ritcheymt]

I'm confused, Watters Garden Center. First the host shows that birds are already eating the cherries off the tree. Then he shows the reflective tape and inflatable eyeball used to repel birds. So if they're eating the cherries, how well does the tape and eyeball really work? I guess another way to say it is "If birds are eating some of the cherries anyway despite the tape and inflatable eyeball, what is your experience regarding the percentage of cherries you still lose?"

[@blackprincegt]

The guy in this video appears to me to simply be a massive flog.

[@Sundial1k]

They work for some birds (and the people who placed them) and not for others... Watch a few more videos...

[@lesliekendall5668]

I'm going to try white shade cloth this year. They also have clear plastic ones. The netting was a HASSLE and ripped apart when removing it so really only lasts one year. So spend, spend, spend. Am hoping the cloth will go on and come off in one piece easier.

[@almaburns6562]

What percentage shade cloth will you use?

[@lesliekendall5668]

@@almaburns6562 I really don't think it matters. I've used white bed sheets on my veggies before and they got enough light but I think store bought covers are usually 50%.

[@Victodela10]

Unfortunately, I used these tapes and they didn’t keep the birds away. Actually, I’ve seen them fling around my fig tree looking for the ripe ones as they completely ignored the flying tapes all around...

[@WattersGardenCenter]

Unfortunately, birds get used to most any kind of deterrent so you have to change it up occasionally

[@RightOne1]

What use are CDs without a good player! Hang a good CD player alongside if you wish the birds to listen to music instead of eating fruits.

[@juniorkawai6131]

Bird: "How nice of them to play music while I'm eating."

[@anthonydonovan4710]

i tied loads of cds in my cherry trees and the birds take no notice of them .cds dont work. with starlings that is.

[@Julz99907]

Where do you buy reflective tape and giant eyeballs.

[@lesliekendall5668]

Cut strips out of aluminum foil..

[@fitlyfe4138]

Or you can just buy a hawk and let her roam the area. she'll take care of those pesky birds.

[@alfredopampanga9356]

Australian birds would figure that out immediately

[@jolobill]

The birds in my area must be very brave. They totally ignore the tape. Save your money.

[@devote1416]

How do you keep bears out of an orchard?

[@samsmith3432]

30-06

[@devote1416]

@@samsmith3432 a bit extreme

[@hunterphung3638]

the bird would think those are their toys.

[@michellemaccutcheon4813]

Would this work for squirrels?

[@lesliekendall5668]

Know what I'm going to try this year? I got a bunch of THORNY raspberry vines that rooted themselves this winter so I'm going to re-plant them around my fruit trees and when harvest time comes for the fruit in the trees I'll just cut the raspberries down to the ground. Let's see if those furry little bastards try to get through my razor-wire raspberries. hee-hee-hee.

[@gost3961]

that for birds o k thanks ,but what for squirrel

[@muranichanain6027]

I'm a month too late but noted for next year 😂 in the space of a week the magpies robbed every single cherry off my tree just as they started to ripen

[@WattersGardenCenter]

The joys of Gardening 🙂

[@EdStaniszewski]

That holographic tape didnt work for me! I have about 40 elderberry plants. The cat birds cleaned me out right after flowering , when the berries were tiny and green. I was told to try fake snow or fak spider webbing.

[@rajannegi8883]

Hard to do in my 1500+ Trees :( we use this tape but of very long length and strap than from one end to another

[@ThaDiscoFreak]

did it work

[@carissajohnson5994]

Omg they just got me for all my peaches down to the pit

[@WattersGardenCenter]

🥵

[@Mario-cw3wu]

Or just use aluminum pie pans which was what my mom would use.

[@YannisKapa]

how effective is that? Can you please share with us some information on how well does it work?

[@eastside0434]

Probably the best idea from the past

[@HeritageWealthPlanning]

Didn’t work for me last year

[@fairywrenfarm6212]

Those won't stop cockatoos, unfortunately.

[@DanceLeena]

what is cockatos?

[@robertkusar4060]

It won't stop lorikeets/rosellas either. These birds will land on the tree and attack fruits even when i'm underneath the canopy watering it. Only thing that will work is bird netting but thats a pain to put on and even worse to take off because the twigs and branches grow through the nets and tangle the whole thing.

[@paulneri835]

@@DanceLeena big, powerful birds that live in Australia.

[@fredatencio16]

Damn you have cockatoo's just roaming wild

[@fredatencio16]

@@DanceLeena myself I've only seen cockatoo's in pet stores but I'm from Colorado

[@ObiThreeKenobi]

Bird nets are a bit cruel, birds het stuck in it and often die in my experience.

[@WattersGardenCenter]

There are several other options mentioned in the video. Tying the netting under the branches will help keep the birds from flying up under the netting and getting trapped

[@ObiThreeKenobi]

@DosAtKeysBeats that's not what They mean by that.

[@jeremiahyeo5863]

It looks like it doesn’t work that well… It looks like the birds are already feasting on your tree anyways. You would’ve had us fooled if you hadn’t immediately given away the fact that you’ve already seen the evidence of birds pecking on your cherries. And look at that your tree is already protected. One should assume that your Beachball and the reflective tape didn’t really deter them from feasting.

[@davidjohn5104]

The tape will work on some birds but not mocking birds.

[@preyingmathis2517]

I use an air rifle

[@blaqfish]

Then who are the cherries? Squirrels?

[@davechezem3222]

Reflective tape doesn't work.

[@jesuschristislordoflordsan427]

he got a tons of views though

[@ehsaanullahkahn1172]

Place a speaker strategically and connect it to a looped mp3 playing something a cat's meow every 3 seconds

[@kamberkaya5306]

hey Guys, Anyone tried this method? İs it work ?

[@akinola9545]

I aint neva scary

[@user-nn7vg3fe3w]

Tried that, not really working. Birds are smart, in a couple of days they don't even care

[@WattersGardenCenter]

Best not to puit out until the fruit is well formed.

[@user-of6pk8wz7p]

Sorry to sound like a butthead, but how am I supposed to take your advice when one of the first things in this video shows that the birds are still getting to your cherries?

[@furtherbeyond]

Only thing that ever worked for me is netting.

[@tomeemerson]

furtherbeyond we’ve used netting in the past, darn birds got in underneath. tied it at the tree base, still got in. am considering cayan pepper for next season.

[@samsmith3432]

this didn't work for me

[@WattersGardenCenter]

😪What did you do instead?

[@Mrbfgray]

12 gauge.

[@patrapper7367]

Product is not as great as guy says. Need sun and breeze all the time. Nets work best.

[@galehess6676]

Animals associate feeding with safety, and gun shots with danger, be careful how you train them. If they get to feed before you scare the fear of god into them, the battle may never be won. Birds are like Pavlov's dog, be sure to have deterrents in place, AND it is far more effective if you shoot at them when they land the first,2nd and 3rd times they visit. If you can't be there to disrupt their initial impressions.... goood luck. A problem with this is, flocks that rove around may show up after you've scared your local inhabitants... some areas have no locals. Top tier: Shoot at them when they show up on their first visit, because they know the sound from farmers shooting to kill, and it means something to them. Next: Nets. Next: Anything else.

[@emporergrimes]

stupid birds!!!!

[@gregorymiller7863]

I have tied old CDs to my lime tree with fishing line. They are quite effective, they cost almost nothing and I don't have to go to the shop. Win win situation.