A moth-killing drone hovers over crops in a green house in Monster, Netherlands. A Dutch startup is using drones to kill moths in midair as a way of protecting valuable crops in greenhouses that are damaged by caterpillars. — AP
MONSTER, Netherlands: Dutch cress grower Rob Baan has enlisted high-tech helpers to tackle a pest in his greenhouses: palm-sized drones seek and destroy moths that produce caterpillars that can chew up his crops.
“I have unique products where you don’t get certification to spray chemicals and I don’t want it,” Baan said in an interview in a greenhouse bathed in the pink glow of LED lights that help his seedlings grow. His company, Koppert Cress, exports aromatic seedlings, plants and flowers to top-end restaurants around the world.
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A moth-killing drone hovers over crops in a green house in Monster, Netherlands. A Dutch startup is using drones to kill moths in midair as a way of protecting valuable crops in greenhouses that are damaged by caterpillars. — AP
Van Hecke (left) and Tijmons in a green house in Monster, Netherlands. Pats Indoor Drone Solutions emerged from the work of a group of students looking for ways to kill mosquitos in their dorm rooms. — AP
Baan says the drone control system is smart enough to distinguish between good and bad critters. The drones themselves are very basic, but they are steered by smart technology and special cameras that scan the airspace in greenhouses. When the cameras detect a moth, a drone is set on a collision course with the bug, destroying the bug with its rotors. — AP
The drones form part of an array of pest control systems in Baan's greenhouses that also includes other bugs, pheromone traps and bumblebees. — AP
