Building an anti butterfly cage.

[Bill HH]

Heres one of the magnetic door screens. cheap as chips.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnetic-Fly.../dp/B00GB83VBA

[Bill HH]

The mesh from scaffolding direct which seemed cheap at £19 for 50m x 2m, turned out to be £31 ! after VAT and postage. You have to watch these commercial sites because they don't quote prices after VAT. back to the drawing board. I sent them an e-mail asking the mesh size of heir garden netting and it is 1 to 2 mm.

[veggiechicken]

I bought my debris netting from a local company and picked it up from them to save delivery charges.

[lottie dolly]

Here are two of what we put together,please ignore the weeds as i am not coping this year,the netting was got for free,also the wood from both the local factories and pallets,i put little tacks every so far top and bottom of the frame to loop the netting onto,then after you put the roof lid on,nail some batons over to hold it all in place,so the wind will not take it off,and on long stretches do the same from top to bottom,for the netting try any local scaffolding places,sometimes you get a bit of new stuff free/very cheap,i personally sew up all the holes down the black centre seam together with any damaged bits,as long as you hold the netting taught in any direction,it will not crack open,also to join more than 1 length together to make one large net,with ours,one long length from door,round all sides finish the other side of the door frame,then 1 large on the top,that way you do not need to fold it up on the corners,thus saves on netting,
1 & 2 pic are the largest cage,inside and outside views
The other 3 are the first one we did,this one the net was attached with carpet tacks,never again,have showed the easy do door as well.

[Potstubsdustbins]

SWMBO called in Wilko's today and their pond netting is on offer £1 for a 2mtr x 4mtr lump. This is not their usual butterfly netting but the black 10mm I post about above.

[Bill HH]

Oh Buddah, I already ordered it. never mind.

[Jimmy]

I had a "Heath Robinson" net for brassicas to keep the cabbage whites off.
It had a few holes !
I don't think butterflys are as stupid as you might think.
They flew in through the holes and seemed to remember how to fly out.
Jimmy

[Farmer_Gyles]

i set up a gazebo frame last week to cover the winter brassicas - not too worried about butterflies at this time of year, more about pigeons getting hungry over winter - i've used ordinary green netting from wilko or poundland or somewhere like that for now - i'd prefer debris netting, might have to get some ....

[Potstubsdustbins]

Its amazing to watch them fly straight through standard butterfly netting as well. It seems to be no trouble they just fold up their wings and pass right on through.

[Bill HH]

I have made mine over the last couple of days. I bought the gardening netting from the scaffolding company in the end, its very fine soft woven mesh and elastic, reminds me of fish net black tights actually, so much so I had to go and take a shower mid job. it does have tie holes but only on the edge so that is every 2 metres rather than every one metre on the debris netting and at each edge I overlapped the next sheet and had a batten under it to staple to it. I must have used 500 staples! The magnetic door is almost perfect but a good wind can blow it open so I used a piece of decking along the bottom which I have to step over but this seals any gaps at the bottom and give the doors enough support to stop the wind blowing it in.
I noticed a woman leaning on the wall watching me and she asked what I was building, "An out door tennis court I said" I am glad I went for black, it is almost invisible, so I expect the dogs to run into it at first. Pictures tomorrow.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Bill! Loving your "Magnetic" door thingy! May be the answer to all my prayers!

I started mine a few weeks back n got stalled!



The "Cabbage White" have licked me again this year!



But not on all fronts!



But I must endeavour to get it up n running for next season!

Hey! Nearly there!



I will beat these critters one day!

[Bill HH]

Bill! Loving your "Magnetic" door thingy! May be the answer to all my prayers!

I started mine a few weeks back n got stalled!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]48692[/ATTACH]

The "Cabbage White" have licked me again this year!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]48693[/ATTACH]

But not on all fronts!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]48694[/ATTACH]

But I must endeavour to get it up n running for next season!

Hey! Nearly there!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]48695[/ATTACH]

I will beat these critters one day!

I think the door works brilliantly, and they are less than £4 with free delivery. I wont say it hasn't got the odd gap but not big enough for a butterfly and if you made doors from wood it would be hard to have no gaps. Picture tomorrow now I have been too busy today.

[Bill HH]

Pics.

The magnetic closing fly screen door.

[Dorothy rouse]

Gosh Bill, tis 'huge', you cud have a party in there.

[two brews]

Brilliant job there Bill it looks very neat and tidy aswell.Hope you get loads of perfect brassicas in there .