Of every bird control method available, netting is the only one that gives a total seal.
Where spikes, wire, and gel stop birds from landing on a specific surface, bird netting physically excludes pest birds from an entire area.
Pest Solutions supply and install bird netting systems across the UK as part of our professional pest bird control service.
For professional netting to keep unwanted bird species away from your property or land, contact our experienced team today.
Professional bird netting solutions
Bird netting is a mesh barrier made from UV-stabilised polyethylene or polypropylene twine, manufactured in custom sizes to fit the exact space being protected.
The net is tensioned around a perimeter wire or cable and fixed to the building using stainless steel fixings rated for the expected weight and wind load.
Once installed, the netting forms a physical barrier between pest birds and the area behind it.
Birds approach, find they can’t get through, and go somewhere else.
Two types of manufacturing methods
Two manufacturing methods dominate the UK market.
Knotted netting is made by tying each intersection of twine with a specific knot (usually a Raschel knot), giving a high breaking strength and the durability needed for long-term commercial bird proofing.
Extruded netting is moulded in one piece with the mesh formed as part of the extrusion process. This produces a cheaper but less durable product generally used for short-term garden applications like fruit cage netting.
For any serious pest control project, knotted polyethylene is the standard specification and what we install on almost every job.
Having installed netting across everything from domestic rooftops to large commercial warehouses, one of the most common failure points we see is the perimeter fixings rather than the net itself.
This is why we only use stainless steel fixings rated for the load and wind exposure of each individual site.
Mesh sizes and which species each one stops
Mesh size is the single most important choice in specifying a bird netting system.
Choose a mesh that’s too large and the target species flies straight through. Choose one that’s too small and you restrict airflow and light unnecessarily.
The right answer is always the smallest mesh size needed to exclude the target bird and nothing more.
We identify the species during your site survey and specify accordingly.
75mm mesh for gulls
75mm mesh is the standard specification for excluding larger gull species, including herring gulls and lesser black-backed gulls.
Seagull netting has a larger aperture.
This keeps the netting lighter, less visible from ground level, and better suited to the wide open spans typically found on coastal and commercial rooftops where gulls are the primary problem.
50mm mesh for pigeons
50mm is the standard mesh size for excluding feral pigeons and wood pigeons. The aperture is small enough to stop birds from pushing through, yet open enough to keep the netting almost invisible from ground level.
Most of our commercial bird netting installations on warehouses, factories, and multi-storey buildings use 50mm mesh in a heavy-duty polyethylene knot.
28mm mesh for starlings
28mm mesh is specified where starling exclusion is the priority.
Starlings are smaller than pigeons and can squeeze through a 50mm mesh if they’re determined, particularly during roosting season when large flocks arrive in the same spot night after night.
Starling netting is commonly used on hotel facades, town centre buildings, and transport infrastructure where winter roosts cause acute fouling problems.
19mm mesh for sparrows and smaller birds
A 19mm mesh net is the right choice where house sparrows and other small birds are the target.
We often fit this smaller mesh in food processing sites, garden centres, retail environments, and on building facades where smaller species can get through any of the larger meshes.
For domestic applications like fruit cage netting and garden protection, 19mm mesh is also the finest practical option. Our 19mm netting stops the birds without preventing pollinating insects from reaching the crop in most cases.
Materials and durability of our bird nets
UV-stabilised polyethylene
Our standard specification for commercial bird netting is UV-stabilised knotted polyethylene.
The UV stabilising additive is what separates a professional-grade net from a cheap alternative. Without it, any plastic mesh exposed to direct sunlight becomes brittle within a couple of years and starts to tear.
We’ve seen plenty of failed installations where the wrong material was specified. It’s a completely avoidable problem, and it starts with specifying the right net.
Wind and load resistant bird control
Heavy duty specifications are available for sites with extreme wind exposure, high bird pressure, or specific compliance requirements.
Where a standard net would be working at the limit of its load rating, we step up the twine diameter and fixing specification accordingly.
Added safety features
For any installation within 50 metres of a means of escape, or on a building where fire regulations apply, we fit flame retardant netting.
Flame retardant polyethylene is treated during manufacture to slow ignition and limit flame spread.
It’s the specification we use on transport hubs, commercial kitchens, underground car parks, and anywhere building regulations demand it. We assess this as a standard part of every survey.
Custom sizes and colour options
Bird netting is available in a range of standard colours, chosen to blend with the building behind rather than to stand out.
The colour doesn’t affect performance, only appearance.
For listed buildings, heritage sites, or anywhere appearance matters, we survey the facade and recommend the colour most likely to secure conservation approval.
We carry colour samples on every survey visit, so you can see exactly how each option sits against your building before anything is ordered.
Black
This is the default choice for most commercial installations.
Black netting reads as shadow against most building surfaces and becomes less visible the further you stand from the installation.
Stone
Light beige suits sandstone, limestone, and light-coloured brick buildings, where black would read as a dark line against the facade.
Translucent
For low visibility, but highly effective bird proof netting, we offer translucent netting which disappear against a glazed or reflective surface.
Where bird netting is used for pest control
Bird netting can be used to protect buildings, structures, and spaces of almost any size or shape.
The custom nature of the installation means every job is tailored to the exact size of the area being covered, and the range of fixings, colours, and mesh sizes available means there’s a specification for most applications.
Pest Solutions specialises in complex commercial jobs where working at height, scaffold access, and compliance with health and safety regulations are critical.
And for simpler bird control on domestic properties, we offer a quicker, cost-effective installation using lighter fixings and standard mesh sizes.
Commercial and industrial buildings
Warehouses, factories, retail shopfronts, shopping centre atriums, covered walkways, rooftop plant equipment, and air handling units.
Transport and public infrastructure
Bridges, rail stations, transport interchanges, stadiums, sports grounds, and exhibition halls.
Regulated environments
Airport buildings and food processing plants where bird exclusion is a compliance requirement. Hotel and office facade balconies and recesses where bird proofing forms part of a building maintenance programme.
Domestic properties
Private dwellings where eaves and soffits have become established nesting sites.
We have seen an increase in netting for solar panel roofs, where pigeons nest in the gap between the panel and the roof surface.
Gardens and cultivation
Protect your garden fruit cages, allotments, and commercial soft fruit cultivation with professional bird netting products.
Does bird netting really work?
Yes.
Correctly specified and professionally installed bird netting is the only pest bird control solution that delivers a 100% exclusion rate in even the most heavily infested areas.
Spikes, wire, and gel deter birds from landing on specific surfaces, but a net physically prevents birds from entering the space at all.
There is no way for a bird to pass through a correctly specified mesh, and once the net is in place the birds that previously roosted there have no access to their nesting sites and move on.
Why professional installation matters
The failures we see with bird netting are always installation failures.
Gaps at perimeter fixings, mesh size too large for the target species, insufficient tension, or damage from unrelated building work that hasn’t been repaired.
Any of these situations can trap or injure birds.
The RSPB and other UK wildlife organisations have raised concerns about poorly installed netting for exactly this reason.
Pest Solutions’ decades of experience protects your property while protecting the birds.
Our properly installed netting system is humane because it doesn’t let birds get into the trap in the first place. The net is tensioned tight, secured at every fixing point, and inspected to confirm there are no gaps.
Birds approach, find a solid physical barrier, and fly elsewhere. No bird is caught, no bird is entangled, and no bird is injured.
That’s why we stress the value of professional bird netting installation over DIY kits or the cheapest available contractor.
We offer an annual inspection option so that any damage is spotted and repaired before a bird can get behind the net.
If you prefer to inspect the net yourself, we show you what to check and what to report back to us so no birds come to harm.
How we install bird netting
Bird netting installation is skilled work. The net itself is almost the simple bit.
With over two decades of experience in bird netting installation, we have our process perfected.
Free site survey
We visit the site, identify the target species, measure the area, check access, and recommend the mesh size, colour, and specification.
You receive a written, fixed-price quote for the work, including fixings and access costs.
We give honest advice on whether netting is the right solution or whether a different bird deterrent would work better for your building.
Guano cleaning and decontamination
Should any existing bird fouling and nesting materials be found on the site, we will fully clean and disinfect the area.
Fitting netting over live guano traps the bacteria and scent inside the sealed area.
The scent will draw further birds to push against the net from outside.
It is why we always clean first, net second.
Perimeter wire installation
A tensioned stainless steel perimeter cable is fixed around the area to be covered, with intermediate fixings at appropriate centres for the wind exposure and net weight.
All fixings are stainless steel, rated for masonry, steel, or cladding as required.
Net installation and tensioning
The net is cut to exact size, attached to the perimeter wire using hog rings or zip ties, and tensioned to remove any slack.
Any edges against the building are sealed with sewn hems or additional fixings.
Access panels with zip entry are built in where future maintenance is required.
Final inspection
Every linear metre of perimeter and every access panel is inspected before we leave the site to confirm the installation is sealed, tensioned, and bird-proof.
Work at height is carried out by technicians carrying IPAF and PASMA certification, on MEWPs, cherry pickers, or scaffold as the site requires.
Arrange your free bird netting survey in the UK
Interested in bird-proofing your property or land area? Pest Solutions will have the right method to keep birds away from your property.
From bird netting solutions to wire, spikes and other deterrents, we will keep birds away without harm.
For long-lasting and humane solutions, call our team today on 0800 027 2555 or contact us online to arrange your free survey.
