Troublesome birds can be a problem for some specialist horticultural crop growers, but evidence suggest that using lasers can severely curtail their damage. Gazzola Farms installed the laser bird deterrent in 2018. It showed a decreased bird presence of up to 90%.
The business, located near Melbourne, deployed the lasers to solve bird damage to its celery and lettuce crops, being one of the leading vegetable growing operations in Australia. Since 1932, it has been an Australian family-owned and operated company focussing on providing a variety of lettuce, celery, and Asian greens to sell across Australia.
Based on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, Gazzola Farms harvests crops all year round, which in turn invites intruders onto the farm, with wood ducks being the most problematic.
Currently, Dean Gazzola and his brother, Alex, manage more than 500 acres, but with the large potential crop yield comes the threat of bird damage. This meant that, overnight, Gazzola Farms could lose a $200AUS worth of lettuce as a consequence of the ducks foraging.
After some time spent searching for an effective solution, Gazzola found an automated laser bird deterrent through EE Muir and Sons (an Australian partner of Bird Control Group, manufacturer of the laser bird repellents).
The latest Avix Autonomic Mark II they bought is a fully automated laser bird deterrent device and it works by projecting a laser beam to effectively spooks birds, but without hurting them. As the green laser beam moves towards the birds they disperse from the area within seconds.
Source: thescottishfarmer.co.uk
