Which screen mesh for a Longwood pool cage?
On a lakefront or Wekiva-side cage in 32779, 20x20 no-see-um mesh earns its extra cost, because UF/IFAS records that the blind midges breeding in lake and river muck can pass straight through ordinary screening. On an inland east-side Longwood lot, standard 18x14 is usually the right call and the upgrade is money you do not need to spend. Your street decides it.
Start with what is actually landing on your cage
Mesh selection gets sold as a preference. In Longwood it is closer to a survey question, because the pressure on a cage on Wekiva Springs Road and a cage off SR 434 east of I-4 is genuinely different. Four things drive it, and all four are documented.
Oak, and the rules that keep it there.
Canopy litter and pollen
West Longwood is under an ancient live-oak canopy that is protected twice over: by the City’s tree ordinance for trees three inches DBH and up, and by Seminole County’s Wekiva River Protection Area, where a minimum of 50 percent of trees must be preserved. Oak pollen begins in late February and peaks March through April. Leaves, twigs and acorns fall year-round.
What that means for mesh: the roof panels are the ones under load, and a heavier or tighter weave does not stop a falling limb. What helps is honest expectations about cleaning frequency, and knowing that the roof panel is the one to have replaced properly rather than patched from a ladder.
Twice a year, for a month each time.
Lovebugs
Lovebugs fly late April into May and again late August into September, roughly four to five weeks each time, and they plaster screens. No mesh choice prevents them. This matters mostly for timing: a rescreen booked immediately before a lovebug flight gets its first cleaning sooner than the owner expects.
The one that changes the spec.
Blind mosquitoes and no-see-ums
Sweetwater Oaks has a private beach and boat ramp on Lake Brantley. Sweetwater Club has Lake Brantley access, a boat ramp and a fishing dock. Wekiva Cove is built around Sand Lake with a lakeside walkway and pier. The Springs sits against the Wekiva River Conservation Area around a spring-fed lagoon. If that is your street, read this part twice.
UF/IFAS documents that chironomid midges — the “blind mosquitoes” — breed in the muck on the bottom of lakes and sluggish rivers, peak April through November, are strongly attracted to lights, and “can easily penetrate ordinary window screens.” They also stain paint and stucco, which is the part homeowners tend to discover on the pool deck rather than in the screen. Biting no-see-ums peak roughly March through October and are worst at dawn and dusk.
Dogs, and the bottom three feet.
Pets
Pet damage is concentrated in the lower panels, which is why doing the whole cage in pet-resistant mesh is usually the wrong purchase. Heavier mesh low, standard or no-see-um above, and the money goes where the claws are.
The weaves, to scale
Drawn at relative density — 18 strands per inch one way and 14 the other for standard screening, against 20 by 20 for no-see-um mesh.
The default for pool cage screening. Best airflow and visibility of the three, lowest cost. Right for most inland east-side Longwood lots.
Tighter and even in both directions, to stop biting midges and sand flies. Costs roughly $10–$20 more per panel in published Orlando-area guides. Right for lakefront and Wekiva-side cages.
Heavier strand, drawn here at its visual character rather than a verified count. Usually specified for lower panels only.
Which mesh, by where you live
| If your cage is… | Start with | Because |
|---|---|---|
| On Lake Brantley or Sand Lake — Sweetwater Oaks, Sweetwater Club, Wekiva Cove | 20x20 no-see-um | Midges breed in lake-bottom muck, peak April–November, and pass through ordinary screening |
| Against the Wekiva — The Springs, Sabal Point | 20x20 no-see-um | Riverine and spring-run habitat plus a protected canopy: insect pressure and debris together |
| Markham Woods corridor — Alaqua, Alaqua Lakes, Springs Landing, Wingfield Reserve | Depends on the water, but plan the ARC step | Estate-scale two-storey and mansard cages; the architectural review committee approves exterior changes before work starts |
| East side off SR 434 or I-4 — Rolling Hills, The Woodlands, Longwood Club | Standard 18x14 | No adjacent standing water, so the no-see-um upgrade is usually cost without benefit |
| Anywhere, with a dog that leans on the screen | Pet mesh low, standard above | Damage is concentrated in the bottom panels; a whole-cage pet rescreen is $2,000–$3,000+ in published guides |
On HOA colour rules
Several Longwood communities run architectural review committees, and Alaqua Lakes’ is explicit that exterior property changes must be approved. But no Longwood HOA document specifying a required screen or frame colour was found in writing, so this site does not claim one exists. Check your own community’s guidelines before ordering, and assume an ARC submittal in the gated Markham Woods communities.
What we will not tell you
How many years your new mesh will last. Competitor sites put it at seven to ten years, but that number traces back to vendors and not to any independent testing, so repeating it here would just be laundering someone else’s marketing.
What can be said with a source is the load your cage is under, month by month, which is what this page is about. For what each mesh actually publishes on warranty and spec — and what an upgrade costs — see the mesh upgrade cost breakdown.
Questions people actually type
These are verbatim Google and DuckDuckGo autocomplete strings, kept in the wording people type rather than tidied up into marketing questions.
Searched asno-see-um screen vs regular
Regular insect screening for a pool cage is 18x14 — 18 strands per inch one way, 14 the other. No-see-um mesh is 20x20, a tighter and more even weave built to stop the much smaller biting midges and sand flies. The trade-off is real: a tighter weave cuts airflow and slightly cuts visibility, and it costs more. On a Wekiva-side or lakefront Longwood cage the trade is usually worth it, because UF/IFAS notes that chironomid midges “can easily penetrate ordinary window screens.” On an inland east-side lot with no water nearby, 18x14 is normally the right answer.
Searched asno see um screen mesh size
No-see-um screening is commonly specified as 20x20 — 20 strands per inch in both directions — against the 18x14 used for standard pool cage screening. Published Orlando-area cost guides put the upgrade at roughly +$10–$20 per panel over standard mesh, which is a market estimate rather than our price ().
Searched aspet screen for pool cage
Pet-resistant mesh uses a heavier, tougher strand than standard screening, and the usual approach on a pool cage is not to do the whole enclosure in it. Lower panels where a dog leans, pushes or claws get the pet mesh; everything above stays standard or no-see-um so the cage still breathes and you can still see out. Florida cost guides put a whole-cage pet-resistant rescreen at $2,000–$3,000+ ($1.50–$2.50/sq ft), which is why the mixed approach usually makes more sense.
Searched assuper screen vs phifer
These are the two brand names that come up most in Central Florida — a Longwood competitor advertises that it uses only new Phifer screen, and SuperScreen is the usual comparison. We are not going to referee that from marketing copy. The question worth asking any contractor, whichever brand they name, is: what mesh count, what warranty, in writing, and does the warranty survive being installed into a forty-year-old spline groove?
Get the mesh decision made properly
Tell us the subdivision and whether the water is on your lot line. That is most of the answer before anyone drives out.