The Fence Post

Protecting Our Web-footed Friends

Roadkill

• In the Sandbar Wildlife Management Area on the northeast shore of Lake Champlain in Vermont, a frog fence is used to reduce roadkill of leopard frogs along a state highway
• In the Klamath Basin in Oregon, a frog fence is used to protect Oregon spotted frogs from being decimated by the heavy tread of grazing cattle
• In the backyards of America, frog fences are used to keep frogs out of swimming pools

Barriers

 - In Vermont, rolls of silt fence are put up along both sides of the highway for three months. Openings were left at 100-foot intervals in the 1,000 foot-long fence

 - In Oregon, a three-and-a-half-mile-long fence was erected as a cattle barrier

Around swimming pools, a wire fence made with 1/8" hardware cloth or a small mesh plastic fence high enough to prevent frogs from jumping over is effective.

Here's how one family attacked their toad problem (complete with musical accompaniment):

Have you ever seen a frog fence?

          Have you ever built a frog fence that was effective?  Care to share any tips?

                       Should state or federal money be allocated for frog fences?

Galvanized After is Excellent, but...

Did you know that hardware cloth is available with a vinyl-coated finish? Many people think that these wire cloth meshes are only available with a galvanized after finish.

Firmly Bonded, Long-Lasting

Both ½" x ½" welded mesh with a 19 gauge "core" wire and ¼" x ¼" welded mesh with a 23 gauge "core" wire are available with a black vinyl coating. The coating is firmly bonded to the wire. The vinyl will not crack or split when the wire is bent. 100' rolls are available in 24", 36" and 48" widths.

If you need to use hardware wire cloth for your next project, consider the advantages of using a mesh that is black vinyl coated:

• durable
• longest lifetime
• easy to work with
• excellent for underground gopher barriers
• double protection of galvanizing and vinyl coating resists rust and corrosion
• attractive - black color blends with background, becoming virtually invisible

Small Rodent, Big Appetite

Midnight Marauder

Kangaroo rats are small rodents with a big appetite for seeds and vegetation and can destroy a garden of any style. They are nocturnal and raid gardens and hoard foods during the night. Traditional apron fences and chicken wire are ineffective at keeping them out because this rat can squeeze through small openings.

Expandable Cheeks that are Fur-Lined  

Before we consider how to stop them, let's take a moment to learn a little more about this interesting creature. It inhabits the Southwestern U.S. primarily and gets its name from its long hind legs and the way it sits on them, hopping up to six feet in a single bound. But that's where the similarity to a kangaroo ends. The exceptional characteristic that they possess is the ability to survive in the desert. They have admirable kidney function which allows them to survive for long periods without water. They have large fur-lined expandable cheeks that they pack with food and then bring it back to a storage location for later consumption when there is none available. This is how they can devastate a garden so quickly because they don't take time to eat, they grab as much as they can and then come back for more. They like seeds the most, so they do the most damage during planting season. They dig up seeds and clip off sprouts at their base. 

Burrowing Under, Squeezing Through

So, if traditional fencing does not work, what will? Hardware cloth is a lightweight galvanized mesh; it is available with ¼" square openings, too small for even the kangaroo rat to squeeze through. Since the rats can burrow, below-ground protection is also required.

The perimeter of the garden should be enclosed with the hardware cloth. It should extend at least 30" above grade and 12" below. Additionally, at the bottom, the material should be bent out forming a 6", 90° "L" similar to apron fence. Therefore a small trench of 7-8" wide x 12" deep should be dug around the garden, the L shaped hardware cloth is dropped in and back-filled. The portion extending above ground should be secured to posts. However, if there is an existing fence there is no reason to remove it, simply attach the hardware cloth to it.This plan of action should prevent the kangaroo rat from squeezing through or burrowing under into your garden. This method is both humane and effective, working best for smaller home gardens. Larger fields may require a different solution. 

23 gauge, 4 x 4 (¼") Hardware Cloth--48" x 100' Roll

23 gauge, 4 x 4 (¼") Hardware Cloth--48" x 50' Roll 

Acknowledgments to:

Dept. of Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences, New Mexico State University

Specialized Mesh

There are many different specifications of wire cloth available with heavier gauges and different mesh sizes. They are often called industrial wire cloth and can be difficult to find and purchase. In addition to regular steel, these specialized meshes can be made with any kind of metal that can be drawn into wire including stainless steel, brass, bronze, aluminum, and copper. Great for factories, farming, and around the house. 

Tough Stuff

Square mesh industrial wire cloth specifications are usually expressed as openings per inch. For example, 4 mesh means that there are four openings per inch - the mesh measures 1/4" x 1/4". The mesh sizes available range from 1 mesh (1") down to 100 mesh (100 openings per inch). Wire diameters used in these products range from .331 inch ( gauge) down to .003 inch ( gauge).

Finer meshes from 120 down to 500 openings per inch are also available. The wire diameters used are .0037 ( gauge) to .001 ( gauge). These specifications are often called filter cloth or fine mesh wire cloth.

Use Industrial Wire Cloth for:

• screens
• guarding equipment
• cages
• fences
• pallets
• racks and shelves
• aviaries
• linings for silos
• strainers
• protective barriers

Contact Louis Page for Ordering

Due to the variety of choices of gauge, wire type, and mesh opening size, some specifications require a minimum quantity and must be made to order.

Industrial wire cloth meshes are usually woven. The woven styles are the same as those described in our blog article about standard hardware cloth galvanized wire mesh.

Have any projects requiring industrial wire cloth? Call us and describe the particulars of what you need.  (866) 328-5018

Warp Wires, Shute Wires, Crimped Mesh and more

There are two types of woven wire hardware cloth: woven and crimped. Many of these styles are made as heavy meshes for very specialized uses, such as sifting screens. In both woven and crimped wire cloth meshes, the warp wires are those running the length of the roll. The wires running across the width are called shute wires.

Woven Wire Mesh 

• Plain Weave

  

  • warp and shute wires pass over and under adjacent wires
  • most plain weave is double crimped - warp and shute wires are crimped and locked into position

• Twilled Weave 
  • warp and shute wires pass over two and under two adjacent wires
  • not as tight as plain weave - more pliable

• Plain Dutch Weave 
  • warp wires usually larger than shute wires
  • closely spaced shute wires makes dense weave with wedge shaped openings

• Twilled Dutch Weave 
  • combination of Dutch and Twilled weaves

• Smooth Top Crimp 
  • crimps are on underside of mesh
  • has a smooth flat surface on top 

Information taken in part from Edward J. Darby & Son, Inc. catalog.