As the sky turned black around 8.30pm, Mr Gaeta headed up the hill towards the rows in question - he just knew the bats would be on their way, coming to feast on his plump red baubles.

"They can smell [the cherries]," he said.

"They were coming in low, but they didn't land on the trees because we were there scaring them away.

"We spent half an hour going up and down the rows, and none landed because we frightened them off."

Somewhere in the distance Mr Gaeta heard the crack of gun fire.

"Somebody was shooting all night."

At the bats?

"I don't know, but they were shooting. But it doesn't work."

Since 2015 the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has only issued licences to shoot flying-foxes as a crop protection measure "where special circumstances are met. Licences will be issued to shoot flying-foxes for the duration of the incursion, subject to strict limits".

Mr Gaeta said it was of no use having a licence to shoot "five or 10" bats, as growers needed to be able to keep shooting at them.

"And then you just spend all night doing it," Mr Gaeta said.

"The only thing left to do is to cover them with nets."

Apple and cherry grower Peter West said about 60 percent of his trees were netted: "We do more as cash flow permits."

Mr West said the flying foxes came after his cherries, but mostly they went for his apples.

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