September 2019 - 8

OPERATION
BUG DROP
California drone company uses beneficial insects
A drone disperses beneficial insects on a strawberry field, left. The beneficial insects are picked up the morning of dispersal, and drones are launched from the side of the field, right.
Photos: UAV-IQ
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
Drones and insects have a lot in
common: spindly appendages, buzzing
noises, flight -
and the ability
to significantly
impact fruit and
vegetable crops. A
California startup
company is
pairing the two as
a service marketed
at growers of high-value crops.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Intelligence
High-Tech Tools
2019
(UAV-IQ) will drop the insects from
drones throughout a farm. Beneficial
insects are a cutting-edge and growing
part of specialty crops agriculture,
especially for organic growers. Drones
can make dispersal more precise and
efficient than hand application, said
CEO Andreas Neuman, a U.S. Air Force
veteran who once worked in the Global
Hawk program.
UAV-IQ has already been testing
its devices on high-value crops,
Neuman said.
" We're looking to do more in tree
nuts and tree fruit, " he added.
The beneficial insects themselves are
the biggest cost, he said. There is an
additional expense of about $20 an acre
for the service of the drone.
The beneficial insects are being
provided by the U.S. arm of Dutch-owned
Koppert company, which has offices in
Michigan's Howell as well as Oxnard,
California. Koppert markets a wide range
of pollination and beneficial insects for
a variety of fruit crops including apples,
blackberries, blueberries, strawberries
and cranberries.
Koppert marketing specialist Martin
Walasek said strawberry growers would
be most excited about the potential to
airdrop beneficial insects. Koppert's
Spidex product consists of predatory
mites that devour two-spotted spider
mites and their eggs.
" They love that stuff, " Walasek
said. " They land on the plant, feel
it out, find the spider mites, and
go to town. " Spidex was one of the
first products developed in 1967 by
Koppert's founder, a cucumber grower
in the Netherlands. Walasek said the
company more recently studied flight
patterns and the best dispersal rates
for applying Spidex by drone.
As a pest, two-spotted spider mites
feed on strawberry leaves and calyxes,
often appearing as stippling, scarring
or bronzing, according to a webpage of
the University of California's Statewide
Integrated Pest Management Program.
The mites' feeding is particularly
damaging during the first two to five
months after crowns are transplanted in
summer and fall. Their highest numbers
are often following the peak of spring
fruit harvest.
To prepare for the service, Neuman
said a grower should have a pest
management agent visit the property
- something that's typically done for
free. Once there's a prescription plan
in place for the field, the visit can be
scheduled, usually about one week in
advance. An online tool allows clients
to circle areas of their fields that may
need more attention.
On the morning of the release, UAVIQ
picks up the insects and arrives at
the field about 6:30-8 a.m.
" All we really need is access to the
field, " Neuman said. Workers can't be
in the field during the dispersal, but
during the course of a daylong large job,
drone operators can work around them.
Dispersal can last half a morning to a
full day - a time savings for what can be
an intensive process.
" We've replaced teams of 10 people
with a single drone, " he said. A drone
can cover as many as 150 acres in a
day's work.
The service this season is being
offered primarily in California,
although Neuman said he plans to offer
it out-of-state early next year.
" We've gotten a fair amount of
interest outside California, " he said. FGN
CopenHaven Farms Nursery
Quality Oregon-Grown
Rootstock & Seedlings
For Fruit Trees.
Since 1982,
Specializing in
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email:
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Gaston, OR 97119
8 | FruitGrowersNews.com
www.copenhavenfarms.com
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FAX 503-985-7876

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September 2019

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