The best way to protect commercial crops from flying-foxes and other animals is to cover them with full exclusion netting or throwover netting. Using netting also protects crops from hail damage.
The wrong type of netting can be deadly to wildlife. To avoid wildlife becoming trapped in your nets, wildlife-friendly netting is recommended.
- Never use thin nylon (monofilament) netting material as this can cause serious injuries.
- Use durable knitted netting that you can't poke your finger through.
- Use white netting so wildlife can see and avoid it.
- Never throw netting loosely over trees as this can lead to entanglement, injury or death.
- Use netting that is stretched taut and held away from the tree, or 2mm woven-mesh box-shaped nets with long skirts that gather around the trunk of the tree. An alternative is to drape shade cloth over fruit.
- Regularly check that netting is secure, and that no wildlife has been trapped or hurt.