About this product
Full description
The properly considered alternative to plastic insect netting — biodegradable, plant-based fabric that does the job of a fine mesh net without generating a decade of microplastic waste in the soil. InsectoNet from Ladybird Plant Care looks and feels like plastic netting, but is made from plants and breaks down properly at end of life.
A single sheet measures 2.1m × 5.0m (10.5 square metres of coverage), cuts to size without fraying, and lasts at least 3 years of reuse before composting back into the soil. Properly the eco-friendly upgrade for anyone netting brassicas, carrots, onions or peas season after season.
What makes it different
Most insect netting is made from polypropylene or polyethylene — petroleum-derived plastics that shed microplastic fibres into your soil for years, then end up in landfill or incineration when finally discarded. Properly fine for the netting function; not so good for the long-term soil health of the kitchen garden you're trying to protect.
InsectoNet is made from plant-based bio-polymer instead. Same fine-mesh function (0.85mm, properly excellent pest exclusion), same weather resistance, same multi-year reuse — but biodegradable at end of life and with no microplastic shedding while in use. Looks like plastic. Feels like plastic. Genuinely isn't plastic.
What it controls
The 0.85mm fine mesh provides physical exclusion against the adult flying insects that lay eggs on your fruit and vegetables. Properly the most effective single intervention against a long list of common pests:
- Cabbage Root Fly — properly devastating on brassicas if unchecked
- Carrot Root Fly — the carrot grower's worst enemy
- Onion Fly — spring and summer onion crops
- Cabbage White Butterfly — eggs hatch into the cabbage caterpillars that strip brassica leaves overnight
- Pea Moth — the larvae responsible for "the maggots in the pods"
- Leek Moth — increasingly problematic across the UK
- Cutworm — adult moths laying eggs at soil level
- Thrips — many crops affected
- Whitefly — brassicas particularly affected
- Leaf Miners — the larvae that tunnel through leaves
- Common aphid species — the flying generations that establish colonies
By keeping the adults away from your crops, eggs cannot be laid — properly the most upstream pest control intervention possible. The pest problem doesn't develop in the first place.
What it doesn't control
Properly honest about limitations:
- Soil-dwelling pests already in the ground (slugs, vine weevil larvae) — need different controls
- Insects already on the plants when you net — aphid colonies, established caterpillars. Check plants before netting
- Larger pests like rabbits and pigeons — need stronger physical barriers
- Diseases — the netting doesn't prevent fungal or viral plant diseases
- Plants in flower needing pollination — the mesh excludes bees too, so remove during flowering for bee-pollinated crops (or hand-pollinate)
How to use it properly
- Cut to size — the high-quality fabric won't fray on cut edges, so you can size each piece exactly to your bed, row or container
- Cover from planting until harvest — the earlier you net, the better the protection. Approximately April through September for most crops
- Use over a frame or hoops — the mesh works best held off the foliage to allow growth. Garden cane or wire hoops work well; the mesh sits above without restricting growth
- Pin or weight the edges — the fine mesh works only if there are no gaps for insects to enter. Tent pegs, soil weights, or bricks all work
- Check plants before netting — ensure no pests are already on the crops or eggs already laid. Otherwise you've netted in the problem
- Remove during flowering for bee-pollinated crops (squash, courgettes, beans, peas, fruit trees). Or pollinate by hand if leaving netted
- Store dry between seasons — folded loosely; the fabric tolerates compression but stores better loose
- Replace when the fabric starts to show wear — properly 3+ years of normal use; composts at end of life
The secondary frost fleece use
A properly useful bonus: InsectoNet also functions as a plant-based frost fleece. The fine fabric provides protection against light frost down to approximately 2°C — properly the right level for late-spring cold snaps, autumn first-frost protection of tender annuals, and overnight protection of seedlings.
This is properly the eco-friendly alternative to the polypropylene horticultural fleece most of us use:
- Spring: protect tender annuals planted out before last frost
- Autumn: extend the season for late crops
- Year-round: protect seedlings from temperature shock
- Greenhouse use: extra layer for cold nights
One sheet, two functions, plastic-free for both.
Particularly good for
- Vegetable gardeners — properly the right tool for the brassica patch, carrot bed, allium row, pea bed
- Allotment holders — substantial coverage (10.5 m²) per sheet; multiple sheets for serious vegetable production
- Organic growers — physical exclusion is properly the gold-standard organic pest control
- Eco-conscious gardeners — the genuine zero-microplastic netting alternative
- Cottage garden vegetable patches — the unobtrusive white mesh suits the cottage aesthetic better than green plastic
- Anyone tired of replacing damaged plastic nets — the multi-year lifespan and reusable nature is properly better value over time
- Frost protection users — the dual-function aspect makes one purchase serve two needs
- Greenhouse growers — for ventilated frames over crops
- Container gardeners — suitable for individual large containers as well as ground beds
Specifications
- Brand: InsectoNet by Ladybird Plant Care
- Material: Plant-based biodegradable fabric (bio-polymer)
- Mesh size: 0.85mm (fine enough to exclude small flying insects)
- Sheet size: 2.1m × 5.0m (10.5 m² coverage per sheet)
- Lifespan: At least 3 years of seasonal use
- Cut without fraying: Yes — high-quality fabric construction
- Light penetration: High — doesn't shade crops significantly
- Frost protection: Yes — secondary use down to approximately 2°C
- End-of-life: Biodegradable — composts back into soil
- Shipping: Recyclable packaging
Where it fits in our range
InsectoNet pairs properly well with the rest of our chemical-free pest control range and the Bishy vegetable seed range:
- For the brassica patch — protect Bishy cabbage, kale, broccoli, sprouts and other brassica seeds from cabbage root fly and cabbage white butterfly
- For the carrot bed — the only properly reliable defence against carrot root fly
- For the allium row — protect onion, leek and shallot crops
- For the pea bed — prevent pea moth damage to pods
- Pair with Hypoaspis Mites — the netting prevents adults laying eggs while Hypoaspis handle any soil-stage pests already in place
- Pair with Horticultural Soap — for any sap-sucker outbreaks that develop despite netting
- Pair with companion planting seeds — the InsectoNet does the heavy physical exclusion while companion plants (calendula, nasturtium, dill) add biological deterrence layers
Together these properly cover the complete chemical-free vegetable garden pest management approach: physical exclusion (this), biological controls (Hypoaspis, soaps), companion planting (Bishy seeds), and good garden hygiene.
About Ladybird Plant Care
Ladybird Plant Care are UK specialists in biological and organic pest control, supplying live nematodes, predatory insects, plant-based pest control fabric and naturally-derived sprays directly to gardeners. We're proud to stock their range as one of our trusted collective partners — their products dispatch directly to you, properly the right approach for genuine sustainable garden products.
A small thought: the best pest control is the kind that doesn't need to be applied at all. Physical exclusion — keeping the pest away from the plant in the first place — works upstream of every other intervention. No spraying, no chasing, no treating after damage is done. Just a fine net laid over a frame in March, the brassicas growing under it untouched through to September. Properly the cottage gardener's way, made possible without plastic waste.
What's included
- Recyclable packaging
Care and use
- Replace when fabric shows wear (3+ years typical)
- Composts at end of life
- Avoid storing in damp conditions
- Clean with water if needed; air dry before storage