Page 45 - Grapevine MayJune 2021_REV

Around The Vineyard

little natural vegetation to eat, a human comes out nons and pyrotechnics available on the market,”
to the vineyard with a little thing that looks like a says Sutton.
flashlight, holds it up, and smiles. This is the signal
well known to birds. The time has come to feast,” Pyrotechnics and cannons are designed to fright-
Sutton says. en and disorient birds and other wildlife. A sonic
blast, for example, can be as loud as an ambulance
Those in the industry, he says, will recognize that siren or a jackhammer.
“flashlight” as a refractometer and his description
of how birds spot an inviting vineyard as a bit of In addition to natural defenses, netting, fenc-
well-known industry humor. However, there is es and technology, there are even more options.
nothing funny about birds swooping down and Michigan-based Avian Enterprises, LLC, offers
damaging grape crops. That’s where Sutton’s com- vineyard pest control solutions through a variety of
pany comes in, armed with an arsenal of equip- bird repellants. The company’s trio of products –
ment for vineyards to scare off unwanted, winged Avian Control Bird Repellent, Avian Migrate Goose
dinner guests safely. Those tools include visual, and Bird Repellent and Avian Fog Force TR Bird
sonic and physical deterrents. Its most popular Repellent – are manufactured in Michigan.
products include exclusion netting, propane can-
nons, pyrotechnics and a variety of visual items. Avian Control Bird Repellent spray works by trig-
gering an adverse but non-toxic reaction whenever
“We have been the exclusive U.S. importer and birds get too close to vineyards. It stimulates the
distributor of Zon propane cannons and Zink bird’s trigeminal nerve to create an unpleasant
bird-scaring pyrotechnics for more than 50 years. sensation, making vineyard grapes far less appeal-
These two brands are leaders in their fields and ing. Growers use either a hand-held sprayer or an
have consistently provided the best propane can- air blast sprayer to distribute the product on their
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