Birds and pigeons

Wildlife Birds strip brassicas, peck fruit and pull up seedlings and onion sets.

What to look for

Brassica leaves stripped to the stalks in winter, berries and cherries stolen as they ripen, seedlings pulled out, and onion sets or garlic cloves lying on the surface.

When: Brassicas from autumn to spring; fruit from June to September.

How to prevent it

• Cover brassicas, peas and soft fruit with netting or a fruit cage, held clear of the plants so birds cannot peck through.
• Use fine mesh or a cloche on seedlings.
• Use small-mesh netting that cannot trap birds, and check it daily.
• Change scarers, such as shiny strips or windmills, regularly, as birds soon learn to ignore them.

How to deal with it

• Protect crops physically, as netting is the only fully reliable method.
• Firm back any sets or cloves that have been pulled up, and cover them with mesh or fleece until rooted.
• Remember that wild birds are protected, and they also eat many pests, so aim to share rather than remove them.

Crops it affects

🍎 Apple🟣 Beetroot🫐 Blackcurrant🫐 Blueberry🥬 Brussels sprouts🥬 Cabbage🥦 Calabrese🥦 Cauliflower🍒 Cherry🌰 Cobnut and hazelnut🫛 Edamame🫐 Elder🧄 Garlic🟢 Gooseberry🥬 Kale🧅 Onion🫛 Pea🍃 Perpetual spinach🍇 Raspberry🍒 Redcurrant🥦 Romanesco🧅 Shallot🥦 Sprouting broccoli🍓 Strawberry🌈 Swiss chard⚪ Whitecurrant

If you choose to use any treatment, use only products approved for UK home gardens, follow the label and avoid spraying open flowers. See all pests and diseases.