Fruit tree netting blocks pests but also drives away pollinators
Alessandrini C, Sethi K, Granata E, Mogilnaia E, Vitangeli V, Zanfei G, Fedrigotti C, Biella P, Scaravelli D, Marchesi L, Batáry P, Rubolini D, Pedrini P, Brambilla M.
Pollinators
The netted apple, cherry, or nut orchard you pass on a drive through farm country is quietly cutting off pollinators and pest-eating birds from the trees that need them.
Farmers cover orchards with plastic netting to protect fruit from hail, rain, and hungry pests, and it works well for keeping unwanted insects and birds out. But the same nets also keep out the good guys: bees that pollinate flowers, birds that eat pests, and other helpful wildlife, leaving behind a thinner, less balanced community of species inside the netted area. Researchers reviewing 48 studies plus their own bird, insect, and rodent surveys found this pattern held up consistently across different types of protective nets.
Key Findings
A systematic review identified 48 studies on protection nets, but the literature was heavily biased toward apple orchards, western countries, and pest-focused research.
Nets effectively deterred target pests, and even weather-protection nets (not designed for pest exclusion) reduced pest populations as a side effect.
Netting was also linked to declines in pollinators and natural enemies, and increases in secondary pests or microbial diseases, resulting in species-poor 'netted communities'.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Protective nets on orchards keep out pests, but they also block pollinators, birds, and natural pest predators, creating simplified, species-poor ecosystems that could hurt long-term crop health and food production.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Orchard netting impacts on biodiversity leading to cascading effects at the ecosystem level.
Agriculture must ensure food production without further compromising the ecosystem functions upon which it depends. Agricultural practices should therefore avoid harming farmland biodiversity, espe...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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