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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • AUGUST 2018
Laser system has potential for bird control in crops Programmed correctly, laser has little impact on neighbours, livestock
by TOM WALKER LAKE COUNTRY – Lake
Country cherry grower David Geen has a laser machine on the roof of his home. All references to science fiction aside, the beam sweeps across his orchard to keep the enemy away. In this case, the enemy is cherry-eating birds, including starlings, crows and magpies. The green beam does not harm the birds, but they see it as a threat and stay away. “The roof of David’s house is the highest point above the main orchard,” explains Gayle Krahn, the horticulture manager for Geen’s Coral Beach Farms. “It also gave us a power source to run our first Agrilaser bird control unit.” Krahn was describing the success that Coral Beach Farms has had with the Agrilaser Autonomic to other
fruit growing groups at the Pacific Agriculture Show. The project was supported by Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC and the Growing Forward 2 program. Coral Beach leased its first
unit from Dutch company Bird Control Group in 2015. “We were looking for alternative bird control methods and followed a tip from Glen Lucas, general manager of the BC Fruit Growers Association,” recalls Krahn. “After we had run the first leased unit for two months, we purchased it, along with two more and in 2016, added another two,” That’s not small change at $8,500 apiece, but Krahn says they significantly reduce the amount of bird damage to cherries. “Without any control
measures, bird damage will likely be anywhere between
3% and 25%,” says Krahn. “In a light crop year, that amount of damage can be devastating.” In a large crop year, the total amount of fruit lost to birds will be less. Bird pressure also varies from year to year, she points out. Krahn says after those first
three units, Coral Beach opted to purchase the additional solar kit. “The solar panels allow us to place the units in the most suitable location,” Krahn says. It can be as simple as a stack of wooden picking bins. With a two kilometre range, the laser beam is set to pan just over the orchard canopy and can cover as much as 12 square kilometres. Krahn explains that you need to set the Agrilaser before the crop becomes attractive to the birds. “You need to go out with a
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laptop to program the Agrilaser to suit the contours of the orchard, including differences in topography,” says Krahn, adding that it takes about 90 minutes. “You can set up the laser to run
different programs at three separate times of the day, such as early morning and late evening, when feeding pressure is highest.” A total of 16 programs can
be stored in the unit, which allows you to change the pattern and timing to confuse the birds. In 2016, says Krahn, they had magpies and crows sneaking in under the beam. “The key to success is
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changing the pattern frequently,” she says. “The birds will acclimate to a pattern.” Programmed patterns need to be changed every 10 to15 days. “We did that last year and got better results,” she says. The units are tough. Coral Beach has had to replace fuses, but they have had no breakdowns. It is also certainly more urban-friendly than a propane cannon. “It’s quiet and, if managed
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properly to make sure it doesn’t hit a neighbour’s window, the laser should go unnoticed,” Krahn says. “It’s harmless to humans and workers don’t notice it during the daylight.” Other farm livestock are not affected, either. Krahn says the Agrilaser is suitable for other fruit crops. Growers could set it up to pan over their particular canopy height. But, it’s not a silver bullet that gives 100% success, she says. “The Agrilaser works well
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for us but we always deploy at least one other bird control method,” she says. “We will have staff walk the perimeter of the orchard with a pellet gun during high bird pressure and we use Bird Gard audio players.” The Bird Gard player needs to be moved frequently as well, Krahn notes. “And make sure that you
have the right sound card to go with the species you are targeting,” she adds.
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