They often don’t realise that this type of netting can be deadly to native wildlife including flying-foxes (also known as fruit-bats), birds, possums and small reptiles.
Choosing the right netting
- If you can poke your finger through the holes in the net, then it is a hazard to many species of wildlife.
- You can protect individual fruit as it grows with ‘fruit protection bags’ and leave some fruit at the top of the tree for the critters.
- A shade cloth, or netting brands such as Fruitsaver, Hailguard and Vegenet work well and should be pulled and secured tightly around the tree. Avoid letting loose or open gathers of material hang down as wildlife can still enter this way and become entangled inside the net.
- As a best practice guide, the mesh diameter should be less than 2mm so that you can’t poke your finger through.
- Possums, reptiles and grey-headed flying foxes (fruit bats) are especially susceptible to netting entanglement – please refer to our species fact sheets for more information.
If you come across a flying fox that is entangled in fruit netting, please do not attempt to handle the bat or cut it free. Please call our Emergency Response Service immediately on (03) 8400 7300.