You want bees and bumblebees in your garden to pollinate your plants, but you also want to protect your crops from harmful insects, birds, or the weather. How do you combine this without disturbing the natural balance in your garden? At hobio, we have naturally thought about this and have a number of tips on how you can smartly attract pollinators while simultaneously using nets and mesh to protect your plants.
How do you attract the desired insects without unwanted pests?
Provide a warm welcome for pollinators in your (vegetable) garden by choosing plants that attract them. Bees and bumblebees are currently struggling. You not only help your vegetables and fruit to bear fruit, but you also support nature – a real win-win situation!
The following plants are especially attractive to bees and bumblebees:
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Phacelia (bee forage) – attracts bees, but attracts few other insects
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Lavender, mint and thyme – strongly scented, attractive to bumblebees, but unattractive to aphids
By planting these flowers at the edge of your garden, or in a separate 'pollination zone', you attract beneficial insects without endangering your fragile harvest. This way, you welcome bees and bumblebees into your (vegetable) garden without inviting unwanted pests.
How do you use nets without hindering pollinators?
Timing and placement are everything when it comes to using nets against insect pests. Give pollinators the space to do their work and keep pests at bay in time with nets and mesh. A different approach is needed for every type of crop. Below you will find our cheat sheet:
🥕 Root crops (such as carrots, onions, leeks) → No pollinators needed → use insect netting against the carrot fly or fine-mesh insect netting against leaf miners. Incidentally, this also keeps out the carrot fly.
🥦 Cabbage crops (such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale) → No pollinators needed → use a butterfly net against cabbage whites from planting out or insect netting against the cabbage fly. This also repels cabbage whites because the mesh size is even smaller than that of a butterfly net.
🍓 Soft fruit (such as strawberries, berries, raspberries) → Pollinators needed → cover the fruit during fruit formation with a bird net , protective covers , or Suzuki fruit fly net against the Asian fruit fly and other pest insects. This also keeps birds at bay.
🥒 Fruit crops (such as courgettes, tomatoes, pumpkins) → Pollinators needed → optionally cover later with a climate net or hail net
🥬 Leafy vegetables (such as lettuce, endive, spinach) → No pollinators needed → protect from planting out with insect netting , hail netting , or climate fabric
Every crop requires a unique approach. By applying the right protection at the right time, you combine the best of both worlds: natural pollination and optimal protection against insect pests and weather influences.
👉 Discover our range of protective nets and find the solution that suits your plants and your growing method!