What size netting that bats wont get caught in? (1 Viewer)

[catfishhoward]

I would like to put a large piece of netting over my 3/4" acre pond to prevent the Blue Herons and cranes from killing my large koi in the feeding area but don't want to harm any birds or bats that fly around the pond.

I planned on putting up netting with large holes with mesh 6" square used for trellis netting. It will be 15' wide x 50' long and about 12" above the water. I figure the bats and small birds wont get stuck in the large netting but I figure the bats might hit it and all into the water? Not sure if a bat can fall in the water and fly away or if they might drown?

I have about 150 in a large bat house I built.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Just a thought - if the aim is stop herons, they usually access by walking in from the edges of the pond, so could you not use something like this (with or without electric):

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/460282024393530254/

No possibility of flying birds/bats getting tangled, looks better and I imagine perhaps cheaper for a large pond such as yours.

This assumes you don't have islands 🙂

 

[catfishhoward]

Just a thought - if the aim is stop herons, they usually access by walking in from the edges of the pond, so could you not use something like this (with or without electric):

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/460282024393530254/

No possibility of flying birds/bats getting tangled, looks better and I imagine perhaps cheaper for a large pond such as yours.

This assumes you don't have islands 🙂

I thought about that but the heron can land and fly away from the water and in my lake even 15' out it's shallow, think they would figure it out, need something more permanent. I also thought about weaving fishing line around the area but think it would be a death trap.

I cant stop the heron from fishing the whole lake but the koi mostly hang out where I feed them in the shallow water and the heron knows this. I've been feeding them around my dock in the deeper water where the heron cant walk but I have so many bream they eat all the koi food.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Maybe get rid of the koi 🙂

 

[Jos Stratford]

Fishing line sounds like it would really be bad, I guess the netting has to be better, but maybe you could think about a much thicker gauge netting - the very fine netting you show in the photo is, I think, a recipe for tangled birds

 

[Jos Stratford]

Maybe like this or thicker?

Pond Netting Keeps Out Leaves & Herons - Gardening Naturally

Pond netting is the easiest way to protect your pond life from debris and herons. 5mm x 7mm black braided mesh flexible and easy to use.

gardening-naturally.com

 

[jurek]

Some people in Europe buy plastic heron statues in garden centers, which supposedly deter real herons. But I cannot comment whether it works.

 

[Grando]

I would have thought an issue might be that if a bat or small bird does fall into the netting and then fall through one of the holes it's going to drop straight into the water. Even if it can then flap out it might hit the netting on the way up and then fall back down again, presenting a real drowning hazard.

Plus, to me, if looks like it would be a real shame to net over such a beautiful pond! Quite where that leaves the carp though... (Presumably in a heron's stomach...)

 

[catfishhoward]

I think I will start taking out the bream and feed the koi in deeper water so they don't hang out near the banks where they are easily stabbed and left for dead since they are too big for the herons to eat. The netting is not great for the bats since they drink on the fly.