Quick verdict
A 4 by 26 foot sheet of ultra fine mesh, 0.8 by 1 mm, that drapes over hoops or lies on a frame above brassicas, carrots and salads to stop cabbage white butterflies, carrot fly, flea beetles, aphids and birds while passing light, air and water, so the crop grows on under it and is watered and fed straight through. A butterfly net on a stick catches one cabbage white; a sheet of mesh stops all of them laying. Twenty-six feet covers a long bed or two short ones and it cuts with scissors.
Strengths
- Mesh fine enough for flea beetles and carrot fly as well as butterflies
- Water, feed and air pass straight through
- Twenty-six feet covers a long bed; cuts to size
- Thickened mesh that does not tear on hoops
- Also shades lightly in a heatwave
Weaknesses
- Edges must be sealed to the ground or pests walk under
- Fine mesh holds a little heat on a hot day
- Must come off brassicas at flowering if seed is wanted
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
Stop Them Laying, Not Flying
Every brassica grower has chased a cabbage white with a net and watched three more arrive. The answer is not to catch butterflies but to put something between them and the leaves. FARAER’s netting is a 4 by 26 foot sheet of 0.8 by 1 mm mesh, fine enough for flea beetles and carrot fly as well as butterflies, draped over hoops and sealed at the edges from planting to harvest.
This review is based on the listing specifications and on how ultra fine insect mesh performs on vegetable beds generally. We have not used this netting ourselves and the brand is a generic importer.
Fitting
Push hoops into the bed every three feet so the mesh sits well clear of the leaves, drape the net over with an equal overhang and bury or board every edge. A butterfly lays through mesh that touches a leaf, and a carrot fly walks under a gap, so height and sealed edges are the whole technique. Lift one side to weed or pick and seal it again before walking away.
What It Stops
Cabbage white butterflies and their caterpillars on brassicas. Carrot fly on carrots and parsnips. Flea beetles on rocket and radish seedlings. Aphids and whitefly to a large degree. Pigeons on young greens. One sheet of mesh, five pests.
Life Under the Net
Light, air and rain pass through. Watering and liquid feed go on through the mesh. The crop grows from planting to harvest without the net coming off, which is why fine mesh is easier than fleece or cloches. On a very hot day it holds a little heat and gives a little shade; the two roughly cancel.
Size
Four by twenty-six feet covers a bed about 2.5 feet wide and 20 feet long on hoops, or two short beds. Cut it with scissors; the woven mesh does not fray badly.
Care
Shake it out, dry it and fold it away out of sun in autumn. Mend a tear with a stitch or tape; a tear is a door.
Who Should Buy It
- Brassica growers tired of caterpillars.
- Carrot growers with fly damage.
- Anyone sowing rocket and radish that come up lace.
Common Owner Complaints
Pests under unsealed edges. Bury them; it is the only way.
Alternatives to Consider
A pop-up mesh tent for a single small bed. Fleece for frost rather than pests. Bird netting alone where only pigeons are the problem.
Verdict
For brassicas and roots, a fine mesh sealed at the edges is the one measure that works all season, and this sheet is the right mesh at a fair length. Keep it off the leaves, bury the edges and leave it on until harvest.
Full specifications
FARAER 4 x 26 Foot Ultra Fine Garden Pest Barrier Netting, 0.8 x 1 mm Mesh FAQs
A cabbage white lays a hundred eggs in an afternoon and there are dozens of them. Catching one changes nothing; a mesh they cannot get through changes everything.
Over hoops or a frame so the mesh is clear of the leaves, since a butterfly lays through mesh touching a leaf. Bury or board the edges all round. Lift one side to weed and reseal.
Carrot fly is small and the 0.8 mm mesh stops it where ordinary netting does not. Seal the edges; the fly walks under a gap.
Yes, water and liquid feed go straight through. The net stays on from planting to harvest.
