Solar Panel Mesh Kit - Vexo - 30m roll with 100 clips

Pigeons nesting under solar panels are a mess and an expense – droppings on the panels cut your output, and they build up in gutters. Mesh the perimeter of the array and they have nowhere to get in. This is professional-grade mesh, not the light-duty stuff.

Key facts

• Brand: Vexo
• Material: PVC-coated stainless steel mesh – won't scratch or corrode against aluminium panel frames
• Kit contains: 30 m roll of mesh, 100 nylon clips and a pair of work gloves
• Clips: Designed not to damage the panels, and rated for Australian UV
• Before you order: Measure the perimeter of your panels – larger arrays may need two rolls

From the PestX team

Vexo 30 m PVC-coated stainless steel solar panel bird mesh kit with 100 nylon clips, work gloves included. Probably the best value on the market.

Pigeons can drive home and business owners mad. They nest under solar panels and in the roof void, they're noisy, and the droppings build up: on the panels they cut your solar output, and in the gutters they'll rust them out. Bird droppings also carry organisms that can affect human health, so it isn't a job to put off.

Culling is rarely effective or practical, and please don't use a bird poison bought off the black market – it kills native birds needlessly and these are highly regulated and dangerous products. We see a lot of careless use of avicides.

The approach that works is to make the building unattractive to them. They're called homing pigeons for a reason: once they call your place home, they're not leaving unless you evict them. Block off the places they're getting into – under solar panels, nooks and crannies on the roof, awnings and air conditioners. Mesh under the panels and spikes on top of the air conditioner will usually move them on.

Solar mesh is quite easy to DIY. Don't buy a cheap one, however tempting – the light-duty rolls are horrible to work with. Watch the short video above, and measure the perimeter of your panels before you order, because some setups need more than 30 m.