Drones keep getting smaller and smaller, while their potential applications keep getting bigger and bigger, according to an article in the Journal of Economic Entemology.
From
crop-munching caterpillars to disease-transmitting mosquitoes, insects that
threaten crops, ecosystems, and public health are increasingly being targeted
with new pest-management strategies that deploy unmanned aircraft systems (UAS,
or drones) for detection and control
“Ten
years ago, there was not much happening in the space in terms of entomologists
deploying UAS for pest management,” says Nathan Moses-Gonzales, chief executive
officer for M3 Agriculture Technologie.
He and Dr. Michael Brewer, professor of field
crops entomology with AgriLife Research at Texas A&M University, compiled a
list of recent drone applications for insect control. But in the last “the
evolution of UAS technology in entomology has been fascinating to watch,” said
Moses-Gonzales.
The
collection in the Journal of Economic Entomology, featuring both
newly-released and recently-published research, gathers examples illustrating
both the progress and potential of drone technology in insect pest management
settings.
Case studies include:
- Locating and sampling standing water for mosquito
larvae and improving accuracy of insecticide applications targeting
mosquito larvae and adults.
- Applying precise amounts of pheromones via drone over
cranberry beds to disrupt the mating of cranberry fruitworms
(Acrobasis vaccinii) and blackheaded fireworms (Rhopobota naevana).
- Photographing tree canopies from above via drone
in winter to survey for presence of cocoons of the moth Monema
flavescens and prevent defoliation in the subsequent summer.
- Delivering and releasing predator and parasitoid
insects via drone to target the European corn borer (Ostrinia
nubilalis) and the eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana).
- Using drones to release sterile Mexican fruit
flies (Anastrepha ludens) and codling moths (Cydia
pomonella) to suppress wild populations of the pests, a modern improvement
on the classic sterile insect technique.
Several
articles in the collection also explore potential future applications for drone
technology in insect pest management, including aerial spectral imagery of
crops and plants to assess signs of pest damage, enhanced deployment of traps
and monitoring systems to detect insects in hard-to-reach locations, and more.