A vineyard in Sonoma County, California is using robotic laser bird repelling technology – and has achieved a 99,8% bird reduction while saving around $25 000.00 a year.
Jim Griffin, owner of Griffin’s Lair, has a 21-acre vineyard that suffered from bird damage to crops like many other vineyard owners.
He spent around $25 000.00 per year on netting and labour costs to keep thousands of birds at a distance.
This was labour-intensive and didn’t solve the bird problems. The biggest disadvantage of bird netting is that it is not effective for areas where many birds are foraging or perching. The birds still can get under the net and damage the grapes. The net also makes it difficult to work on the grapes for annual pruning, fertilising or removing damaged grapes.
Griffin heard about the Agrilaser Autonomic automated laser technology, already used in vineyards around the world.
Bird Control Group installed four solar-powered lasers installed on poles to cover the entire vineyard.
“We tried many different bird deterrent measures but most are difficult to use, and lasers make it easier and very effective,” Griffin says.
The laser bird deterrent technology takes advantage of a bird’s natural instincts. Birds perceive an approaching laser beam as a predator and take flight to seek safety when the laser beam passes by. There are more than 6 000 users of the bird deterrent lasers worldwide, but this is the first time the technology is being used on California wine grapes.