The reflective tape with its many reflected colours from sun light scares birds and keeps them away.

Birds are wonderful in the garden, bringing us their tuneful talk, their flitting from place to place and their hungry appetite for pests and bugs.
We encourage birds by planting native shrubs that they feed on, setting up food stations to attract them and bird baths too.
Many of us feed the birds by throwing out stale bread and scraps.
But at times birds become a curse when they eat our crops of fruit, destroy our seedlings, toss bark from gardens onto paths or lawns and feed on our freshly sown lawn seed.
So we have this enigma, we want the birds in our gardens but we dont want them eating our crops and doing damage or making extra work for us.
This is a problem that has worried gardeners for untold time and there is nothing worse than seeing most of your strawberries, plums, apples etc being eaten by birds or damaged to the point where they are not suitable for our use.
I spoke to a farmer’s wife recently who has a well established orchard on the farm  with over 100 various fruit trees. She told me that she considered herself lucky if she was able to get one percent of the fruit for their own use.
Birds often attack the fruit long before it ripens and they dont seem to just eat a few fruit completely, they eat a bit out leaving the fruit damaged and to rot immaturely on the tree.
Last season I found birds eating my green tomatoes that were not even fully grown.
I receive many complaints from gardeners with bark gardens and every day they have to sweep bark off paths or pick it up off the lawn.
Suntec and Garden Enterprises have search the world for a remedy that could solve the problem but did not hurt the birds. We looked at and trialled various products and most of them were a total waste of time.
Then we discovered a space age product that worked extremely well in trials.
It is a special metallic tape that has holograms imprinted into it.
The tape is called Repeller Ribbon, it is an inch wide, 30 feet long.

We tried it in an area of the country side where birds are a real problem; 3 rows of cauliflower seedlings were planted side by side in 50 foot rows.
Thirty feet of the ribbon was suspended between two stakes, 2 foot above the 3 rows.
The ribbon was twirled like a Xmas decoration. 
  The results were that the seedlings about a metre or so beyond the ribbon were completely destroyed by the birds, but not any damage could be observed on the ribbon protected plants, which grew happily to maturity.

The Repeller Ribbon is available from Garden Centres and comes in a 2.5cm x 15 metre roll (50 feet) with instructions on the packet for use.
The ribbon is best applied before any damage happens as it is easier to deter birds before they start feeding on a crop rather than break a habit (which may or may not work so well) The ribbon is best strung between two stakes or branches where it is free to twirl in the mildest breeze.
It should be within close proximity of the crop you wish to protect.
Say on tomatoes in a row, a run of ribbon about midway up the stakes and another at the top of the stakes maybe best.
In bark gardens you should run the ribbon between stakes about 2 foot tall near the edge where the bark is kicked onto the lawn or path.
Leave in position for about a month or two and then remove as I would think at sometime the tape would not work as birds become accustomed to it. You can always put it back when damage starts to occur.
Likewise on crops remove the ribbon as soon as the crop has been harvested or is no longer required.
Wipe the tape with a moist cloth and roll up for future use.
If looked after, the ribbon could be reused for several seasons.
The ribbon reflects various color lights that frightens birds. The twirling aids movement in breezes.
Much easier than trying to cover a tree with bird netting, which in my experience doesn't really work as the birds seem to still get in and damage occurs.
Besides putting bird netting on and taking it off is a real mean feat.
I am very impressed with this imported Repeller Ribbon and if used sensibly it will likely solve bird problems for many gardeners.
 Wally Richards

To obtain the Bird Repellent Ribbon ask at your local garden centre.
If not available ask them to obtain it for your from Garden Enterprises.
Failing that send a cheque to Garden Enterprises at P.O. Box 489 Palmerston North with your name and address for courier delivery.
Price with shipping is $16.00 for the first roll and $12.00 each additional roll in the same order.
Most likely its your answer to bird problems.
Additional information, phone 06 3570606
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