Pests & diseases › Pigeons
Pigeons
Wood pigeons strip brassica leaves to ribbons in winter and peck at seedlings year-round.
Symptoms
- Brassica leaves stripped down to midribs
- Pea and bean seedlings nibbled flat
- Strawberries pecked
- Pigeons visibly on the plot at dawn and dusk
Lifecycle
Damage worst November to March when other food is scarce.
What to do
- Netting and mesh frames — the only reliable answer
- Scarers (CDs on string, moving foil tape) help briefly
If it's bad
- Not applicable
Stop it coming back
- Cover all brassicas with bird netting on hoops
- Pea and bean rows: short canes with criss-crossed black thread above the row
- Rotate scarer positions weekly — pigeons learn fast
Crops it goes for
Plan the plot, track every sowing, cook the harvest
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.