Page 43 - Grapevine May-June 2019

Around The Vineyard

installing and uninstalling those pain in the rear users of the units using their software program and
nets.” a standard Windows-based laptop.
Eye In The Sky “It becomes very intuitive and user-friendly,” said
Ackermann. “And the success rate of the laser tech-
Wayne Ackermann, Director of Business nology has been significant.”
Development for The Bird Control Group, keeps
those birds away from your grapevines by using However, Ackermann says that they are continual-
his automated laser bird repellent. Ackermann ly learning and improving through new studies and
previously worked in the wine industry and used the experiences of current customers.
the Agrilaser Autonomic for his own agricultur- “Hey, these birds are smart,” said Ackermann.
al needs before ultimately joining the company. “They get accustomed to all kinds of things like
The Agrilaser Autonomic is a fully automated bird thump cannons, squawk boxes, ribbons and bal-
repellent that uses lasers to deter birds around the loons. So far, lasers have worked out very well with
clock. Sounds simple, but a significant amount of a reported 70% success rate in keeping birds away.
technology is behind the success of the device. That number grows if you use it in conjunction with

other options.”
“With a laser, the human eye sees the dot, but
the birds see the full beam, almost in the way Maintenance on the Agrilaser Autonomic is simple
that we see a laser when it’s projected through and straightforward, with regular lens cleaning and
fog or steam. The birds see the whole thing, like a battery replacements. An internal timer and regu-
sword or stick, or as I like to say, a lightsaber,” says lar programs control the lasers, which come with a
Ackermann. “The beam appears to them to be a one-year warranty.
real, physical, dangerous object coming towards
them, so they scatter to get out of the perceived
path. First trials were very successful in blueberry
farms, so the next logical steps were to expand to
vineyards, where it has proved to be a very effec-
tive tool, not only here but in international trials as
well.”

Often, says Ackerman, only one unit is needed to
keep birds away.

“Individual farm landscapes, terrain, and planting
row density make a difference, as does canopy
heights,” says Ackermann. “We start with one unit,
which generally handles an eight to twelve-acre
range. If more coverage is needed, we add addi-
tional units to overlap and provide cross coverage.”

The units can run by standard power or solar.
Standard power is preferred if available in the fields
because of longer run times and fewer potential
complications, but if you want physical portability
in the unit, then the solar panel option can be a
useful upgrade. Each unit is programmable with up
to 16 different patterns and one hundred different
waypoints so that the birds won’t become accus-
tomed to the same model. The Bird Control Group
can set and program the units and also train the
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