What is a greenhouse insect screen?
A greenhouse insect screen is an essential barrier designed to prevent pests and insects from entering a greenhouse while maintaining optimal airflow and light transmission. Also referred to as an anti-fly netting system, these screens come in a variety of mesh sizes tailored to block specific insects, ensuring a protected growing environment for plants. By using insect screens, farmers and greenhouse operators can reduce dependency on chemical pesticides, enhance plant health, and prevent the spread of plant-borne diseases caused by insects.
Pests like aphids, whiteflies, thrips, and fruit flies can severely damage crops by feeding on leaves, transmitting viruses, and laying eggs within plant tissues. Over time, many of these pests develop resistance to conventional pesticides, making physical barriers like insect screens an eco-friendly and long-term solution for greenhouse management.
Key Benefits of Using Greenhouse Insect Screens
- Effective Pest Control: Blocks harmful insects, reducing infestations and protecting plant health.
- Lower Chemical Usage: Minimizes the need for chemical pesticides, making the farming process more organic and cost-effective.
- Cost and Time Efficiency: Saves resources by eliminating frequent pesticide applications.
- Improved Plant Quality: Ensures healthier crops by reducing exposure to pest-related damage.
- Optimal Greenhouse Conditions: Facilitates proper air circulation, moderates shading, and ensures sufficient light penetration.
- Weather Protection: Shields crops from strong winds, hail, and harmful UV radiation.
When Should You Install Insect Screens?
To maximize their effectiveness, insect screens should be installed before the peak insect season begins. Early installation ensures that pests are blocked from entering before they have a chance to breed within the greenhouse.
Many farmers choose to install screens as soon as seedlings sprout or immediately after transplanting to protect plants throughout their most vulnerable growth stages. Screens can later be removed during the flowering phase, allowing natural pollination while maintaining a balance between beneficial and harmful insect populations.
Types of Greenhouse Insect Screens and Their Applications
Choosing the right mesh size is crucial for effective insect control. Here’s a breakdown of different mesh sizes and their specific uses:
- 17 Mesh – Ideal for protecting against fruit flies, grape moths, and fruit butterflies. Also provides resistance to wind and hail.
- 25 Mesh – Offers protection against fruit flies, birds, and bats. It also serves as an effective windbreaker.
- 40 Mesh – Commonly used in commercial flower and vegetable greenhouses, providing high durability and flexibility for seamless production.
- 50 Mesh – Designed to block leaf miners, tobacco whiteflies, thrips, and aphids. Features strong tucked selvedges for enhanced durability.
- 75 Mesh – Provides maximum protection against all types of greenhouse pests, while also shielding plants from UV radiation, solar exposure, strong winds, and hailstorms.
Encouraging Beneficial Insects Inside the Greenhouse
Not all insects are harmful to plants—some are essential for natural pest control. Beneficial insects like ladybugs and green lacewing larvae help control populations of soft-bodied pests such as aphids. However, adult beneficial insects may leave the greenhouse if conditions aren’t favorable.
By installing fine-mesh insect netting, these beneficial predators remain inside, continuously feeding on pests and maintaining ecological balance. To further encourage them to stay, greenhouse operators can create a hospitable environment by ensuring adequate humidity, food sources, and resting areas within the greenhouse structure.