The velcro strips and the net are sold together in a package.
Yes. sometimes you need to use some alcohol after removing the velcro strips to clean any sticky residuals but it's not a problem.
You get self-adhesive velcro strips that you stick on the inside of the window frame and then you attach the nylon net to the velcro.
You can also buy framed screen kits that come with the screen and a frame (you cut the metal frame to size using a hand saw and then push the screen into a slot inside the frame -- very easy). That's what we use in our windows now because we had found that the sticky tape method didn't hold up well. I was constantly fighting with it, trying to get that mesh to stick back to the tape. I'm not sure the frames would work in all types of windows, though. In our windows, there is a space between the window and the metal sun blinds that the screens fit into.
I was in Coop Bau & Hobby the other day and was tempted to buy an electronic pest repellant thingy, where you plug it into an outlet and I guess it emits some kind of frequency that bugs don't like. The package says it's fine for cats and dogs.
Has anyone ever tried one of those and had any luck with it?
The framed kits are a lot more expensive though.
I have never had problems with the sticky tape or the mesh, you must have been doing something wrong or the window frame wasn't suited for it for some strange reason (was it rough wood? Did you clean the surface before sticking the velcro stripes on?).
I even bought mesh+velcro packages from Norma (in Germany) for 1 Euro per pack once and even these cheap moskito nets lasted for several years without issues.
Oh god we didn't realise we had citronella candles when we first moved in- turned everything black including my snot lol
Yeah, the frame kits are a lot more expensive -- about 60 CHF+ per window.
No, I don't think I thoroughly cleaned the window edging (aluminum/metal) before applying the tape. But it was more that the screen wouldn't stay stuck to the tape -- not that the tape wouldn't stay stuck to the window edge. I was constantly using that little tool that comes with the screen kit to try to re-stick the screen to the tape and finally got tired of fighting with it. Also, when we moved, I realized that it was really difficult to get the tape off of the window edges. I either had to scrape it off or it left a strange mark after I pulled it off.
I'm not trying to sway the OP away from trying that method, though. Hopefully, he/she will have better luck than I did!
Apparently, hanging dryer sheets* around can also keep bees and wasps away.
* Those good-smelling sheets you put in your dryer to help soften fabric and prevent static cling (they're not as common here in CH as they are in the US, but you can find them at Migros and the larger Coop stores).
I've tried something similar for other pesky visitors - mice - I certainly found fewer droppings and remnants of snacks. I can imagine a similar device might work for things with wings.