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Four products, and only one of them is a net. The others are two sets of ledge spikes and a pack of clips for fixing mesh to solar panels. This page is the components of a proofing job rather than four competing nets, and the cards say which is which.
Start with your situation
- There may be a nest. The legal position decides whether the job can start at all, and it comes before any product.
- The birds are smaller than pigeons. Where these products do not work — the mesh here is 50mm and Penn State is explicit about spikes and sparrows.
- You are closing an open span. The 5m by 10m net is the only netting on this page.
- You are proofing a ledge up to 20cm deep. The 5 metre spike pack states that depth; the other spike listing states nothing at all.
- Pigeons are under a solar array. The no-drill clips are for that specific job and no other.
Warning
GOV.UK states that all wild bird species, their eggs and nests are protected by law. Survey before you fit anything, and read the legal section below before ordering.
Exclusion Is the Method
The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management puts blocking access ahead of everything else: “Pigeons can be excluded from buildings (in some cases very easily) by blocking access to indoor roosts and nesting areas.” (ICWDM).
For an open span rather than a hole, it gives a specification: “Ornamental architecture can be screened with 1-inch (2.5-cm) mesh polypropylene u.v.-stabilized netting to prevent roosting, loafing, and nesting.” And a service life for it: “The life span of this netting can be as long as 10 years.”
Penn State Extension states the same order of operations in a farm setting: “Exclude birds from roosting sites by covering the undersides of the rafters with netting.” (Penn State Extension). Both are US publications and their figures are quoted as statements about method, not about UK law.
The Legal Position on Wild Birds
GOV.UK states the protection in one sentence: “All wild bird species, their eggs and nests are protected by law.” (GOV.UK). And the order it expects: “You must always try to avoid harming birds or to use measures which do not kill or injure them before considering taking harmful action.” Every product on this page is a physical barrier, which is a measure of that kind.
The RSPB names the statutory prohibition that most often catches a proofing job: “Intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built.” (RSPB).
And it gives the practical consequence for scheduling: “Maintenance works, such as hedge trimming, and building work should ideally be completed outside of the main nesting season during autumn and winter to avoid disturbance.” Netting fitted over an active nest is not a proofing job. This site reports what GOV.UK and the RSPB publish and does not rule on any particular building.
Where These Products Do Not Work
A 50mm mesh, against anything smaller than a pigeon. ICWDM specifies 1-inch netting for screening architecture and quarter-inch mesh for closing openings; Penn State Extension says “Close all openings more than 0.5 inch.” (Penn State Extension). The net here is 50mm, about two inches. It is a pigeon net.
Spikes, against small birds. “These materials are not effective against smaller birds, such as house sparrows, because the birds can fit between the points and use the site for nesting.” (Penn State Extension). Half the cards on this page are spikes.
Once the installation silts up. ICWDM: “Sometimes pigeons and sparrows cover the wires with nesting material or droppings, which requires occasional removal.” (ICWDM). Proofing is a maintenance item, not a one-off.
On a budget that assumed it was cheap. Penn State Extension, on the non-lethal methods generally: “These nonlethal methods are safe for people, livestock, and nontarget wildlife, but they are often time-consuming to install and expensive.”
Where the listing tells you nothing. One of the four products here has a single feature bullet, and that bullet is the one word Professional. It states no length, no coverage and no strip count anywhere. Its comparison cells say “not stated” because that is the honest answer, not because nothing was checked.
What Decides the Choice
1. Mesh and spacing, against the bird you actually have
ICWDM gives 1-inch netting for architecture and quarter-inch mesh for openings; Penn State gives half an inch as the threshold for closing an opening at all. The net carded here is 50mm. Hold that number against the bird before you order, because no fixing or spike choice recovers a mesh that is too coarse.
2. Whether the listing states a dimension at all
Two of these four do. The net gives 5m by 10m at 50mm; the plastic spikes give 15 strips of 33.4cm covering ledges to 20cm deep. The clips give a pack count and a recommended spacing. The steel spikes give nothing — no length, no coverage, no strip count — and that is a real difference between two otherwise similar products.
3. What the kit does not include
The netting listing does not list fixings. The plastic spike listing states in its own words that glue, screws and cable ties are not included. The clips attach mesh to solar panels and are not a general netting fixing. Three of the four are components, and a first order that assumes otherwise arrives incomplete.
Best Value Net — Birdgo White 50mm Anti-Pigeon Netting 5m x 10m
Netting
Birdgo White 50mm Anti-Pigeon Netting 5m x 10m (Knotted, UV-Stabilised)
Best Value Net
- 50 square metres at a 50mm mesh, listed as 5m x 10m
- Polyethylene, described in the title as knotted and UV-stabilised
- Listed as white, which is unusual: most pigeon netting is sold black
- The listing carries no feature bullets at all — the title is nearly the whole of it
- Fixings are not listed as included
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Fifty square metres of knotted, UV-stabilised polyethylene at a 50mm mesh, and the only netting on this page. Held against ICWDM's specification it is about twice the 1-inch mesh that source gives for screening architecture, so it is sized for pigeons and not for anything smaller. It is listed as white, where most pigeon netting is sold black, and ICWDM notes that black is often the best choice on a building. The listing carries no feature bullets at all, so its title is very nearly the whole of what its maker says about it.
Best for Ledges — Defender Wide Plastic Bird Spikes
Spikes
Defender Wide Plastic Bird Spikes — 5 Metre Pack
Best for Ledges
- 15 strips of 33.4cm, listed as a 5 metre pack
- The maker states they suit ledges with a depth of up to 20cm
- The maker states each strip can be snapped into smaller sections
- Its own bullet: glue, screws and cable ties are not included
- The maker states a 15 year warranty and includes a 40-page pigeon guide
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The better documented of the two spike products: 15 strips of 33.4cm making a 5 metre pack, with the maker stating they suit ledges up to 20cm deep and that each strip can be snapped into smaller sections. Its own bullet says glue, screws and cable ties are not included, which is the kind of thing worth knowing before the scaffold goes up. The maker states a 15 year warranty and includes a 40-page pigeon guide.
Best No-Drill Fixings — Solar Panel Roof Mesh Fixing Clips (60-Pack)
Netting
Solar Panel Roof Mesh Fixing Clips — No Drill (Nylon, Pack of 60)
Best No-Drill Fixings
- 60 nylon clips, made specifically for attaching mesh to solar panel edges
- The maker states no drilling and no adhesive is needed
- The maker states drilling into solar panels risks damage to the panel system
- The maker recommends clip spacing of 450mm, about 18 inches
- Not a general netting fixing: every bullet on the listing is about solar panels
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Not a general netting fixing, and the card leads with that: 60 nylon clips made specifically to attach bird-proofing mesh to the edges of a solar panel array without drilling. Its maker states that drilling into solar panels risks damage to the panel system, and recommends clip spacing of 450mm. Every bullet on the listing is about solar installations, and it was previously carded here under a brand and a description that were not its own.
Best Spikes Option — Pest-Stop Professional Bird Spikes
Spikes
Pest-Stop Professional Bird Spikes
Best Spikes Option
- Described in the title as stainless steel and UV-resistant
- Material row reads Metal, Plastic; colour row reads Yellow; weight 680g
- Its target species row reads Fly, which its own title contradicts
- The listing has one feature bullet and it is the single word Professional
- No length, coverage or strip count is stated anywhere in the listing
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The thinnest listing on this page, and the card reports that rather than dressing it up. Its title says stainless steel and UV-resistant; its material row says Metal, Plastic; its colour row says Yellow; its weight is 680g. Its single feature bullet is the word Professional. Its target species row reads Fly, which its own title contradicts. No length, coverage or strip count is stated anywhere, so three of its four comparison cells read not stated.
If a Product Is Not the Answer
Change the ledge instead of arming it. Penn State Extension: “Change the angle of the roosting ledge to at least 45 degrees.” (Penn State Extension). Slanted metal or wooden boards at that angle — a fabrication job rather than a purchase, and one that cannot silt up.
Close the opening rather than screen the face. ICWDM puts blocking access to indoor roosts and nesting areas ahead of everything else, with a quarter-inch rust-proofed mesh.
Remove what is attracting them. ICWDM’s own list starts with removing bird feeders, discouraging public feeding and eliminating standing water. On a commercial site that is a bin and catering question before it is a hardware one.
Other routes on this site. Our commercial bird proofing page covers the wider set including bird wire and solar mesh, our pigeon spikes page covers spikes on their own, and our pigeon control guide covers the building rather than the product.
Use and Placement
- Survey for nests first. The RSPB names an active or part-built nest as protected, and that governs whether the job can start.
- Schedule it for autumn or winter. The RSPB’s own recommendation for building work, to avoid disturbance.
- Match the mesh to the bird. 50mm excludes a pigeon and admits a sparrow; ICWDM and Penn State both give tighter figures for smaller birds.
- Order the fixings separately. The net lists none and the plastic spikes state in their own words that none are included.
- Put it on the maintenance schedule. ICWDM notes that installations silt up with nesting material and droppings and need occasional clearing.
The Four Compared
Every column below is what the Amazon listing itself states, with each claim attributed to the maker who makes it. Where a listing does not state something, the cell says so rather than guessing — and on this page four cells do.
| Product | Type | Size and specification, as listed | Warranty or life, as listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birdgo White 50mm Anti-Pigeon Netting | Netting | 5m × 10m, 50mm mesh, polyethylene | not stated |
| Defender Wide Plastic Bird Spikes | Ledge spikes, plastic | 5m pack; 15 strips of 33.4cm; ledges to 20cm | 15 years, per the maker |
| Solar Panel Roof Mesh Fixing Clips | Fixing clips, nylon | Pack of 60; 450mm spacing recommended by the maker | not stated |
| Pest-Stop Professional Bird Spikes | Ledge spikes, steel and plastic | not stated | not stated |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I net a building against birds?
GOV.UK states that all wild bird species, their eggs and nests are protected by law, and that you must always try to avoid harming birds or use measures which do not kill or injure them before considering taking harmful action. Exclusion fitted when nothing is nesting is a measure of that kind. This site reports what GOV.UK and the RSPB publish and does not rule on your particular building.
When should the work be done?
The RSPB writes that maintenance works, such as hedge trimming, and building work should ideally be completed outside of the main nesting season during autumn and winter to avoid disturbance. It also states that the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it illegal, subject to certain exceptions, to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while it is in use or being built.
Is a 50mm mesh the right size?
It depends entirely on the bird. ICWDM writes that ornamental architecture can be screened with 1-inch mesh polypropylene UV-stabilised netting, and that openings should be closed with quarter-inch mesh; Penn State Extension says to close all openings more than 0.5 inch. The net on this page is 50mm, roughly two inches. That excludes a pigeon and admits anything smaller.
How long does netting last?
ICWDM writes that the life span of this netting can be as long as 10 years, of the 1-inch UV-stabilised polypropylene it describes. The listing on this page states polyethylene and UV-stabilised and gives no life figure at all, so no figure appears in its comparison cell.
Do spikes work on every bird?
Penn State Extension is explicit that they do not: these materials are not effective against smaller birds, such as house sparrows, because the birds can fit between the points and use the site for nesting. Two of the four products here are spikes, and if the birds on your ledge are small they may end up holding the nest rather than preventing it.
Does this page carry a health warning about droppings?
No, and the reason is worth stating. An earlier version of this page named two pathogens and asserted a duty under COSHH, with no source behind either. Two CDC pages were attempted at the previous round and blocked; the single permitted retry was exercised this round and both were blocked again, so they are terminal. With nothing on disk to quote, the passage was deleted rather than reworded. Anything about your own health belongs with a pharmacist or a GP, and any duty question with a competent adviser.