Ideas for solving a major greenhouse "suck factor": Bug, and bird, death-trap.

Hi,


Summary of problem: Most bees, wasps, flies, dragonflies (pretty much all big bugs) die if they find their way into a large greenhouse (large: 75ft long or more). This is obviously not good for plant pollination, plus it messes up the greenhouse ecosystem by removing key species. (note: most large bugs are predators in my area). There can also be a problem with birds getting stuck in the greenhouse if it is really long, although I have never found any dead birds in my greenhouses...

Probable cause of problem: Based on my observations these bugs tend to die because they cannot find their way out of the greenhouse. You may have witnessed a fly in your house repeatedly trying to fly through a window; they do the same thing with the greenhouse "glazing". They do not understand the concepts of "plastic" or "glass", they just think any light area must be the sky. Eventually they die, maybe the heat speeds their death as well. The birds have the same problem: thinking the "glazing" is the sky and flying right into it.

Background: I have spent the entire summer as a "greenhouse manager" at a small scale organic veggie farm. I have 6 greenhouses, ranging from 150 to 180 ft long and about 15 ft wide. The glazing we use is just cheep plastic sheeting (not transparent at all). My climate is Vancouver Island, Canada, Zone 8. I see many many bugs in my greenhouses.... about 90% of which are already dead. The birds had a lot of trouble at first but I think they have figured out that they cannot fly through the plastic.

So....HOW CAN WE DESIGN A LARGE GREENHOUSE SO THAT BUGS, AND BIRDS, DO NOT GET TRAPPED AND DIE?


Thanks everyone, in advance, for your ideas!


Note: I did not actually read the whole "greenhouse suck factor" thread; it was too long. So maybe this has already been discussed there....

Sheldon Nicholson : Virtually every bird the size of an owl or smaller is afraid of an owl. full-sized pictures of an Owl, or even silhouettes or outlines
will scare many birds s pictures plastic statues are very effective! A few greenhouses are offering a range of these things so as to be able to get
them wholesale themselves. Hope this helps and is timely ! Big AL !

allen lumley wrote:Sheldon Nicholson : Virtually every bird the size of an owl or smaller is afraid of an owl. full-sized pictures of an Owl, or even silhouettes or outlines
will scare many birds s pictures plastic statues are very effective! A few greenhouses are offering a range of these things so as to be able to get
them wholesale themselves. Hope this helps and is timely ! Big AL !

Thanks Big AL,
That is a good idea. Definately a pretty easy and cheap solution for the bird problem. I wonder how big of a "bird free" area a fake owl would create (I love birds on my farm, just not in my greenhouses)? Maybe placing the owl so that any bird entering the greenhouse would see it but it would not be visible otherwise would be a good idea.

Keep the ideas coming!

Bugs carry a lot of nutrients in them - consider them as a free fertilizer and your problem is solved.