Pest Management Professional, May 2018
Photo Andrew hicks Pest MAnAgeMent systeMs inc state departments of transportation are using drones for a variety of applications including survey and inspection work In pest management drones already have been deployed for bird Patrick Thompson left and Billy Tesh begin a home inspection with their drone control and inspections and additional applications likely will follow For bird control drones can be used to conduct surveys and to clear buildings or farms of pest birds sometimes by imitating predators One drone on the market even features a built in sonic bird repeller More commonly PMPs are using drones for property inspections By using a camera mounted on a drone to inspect the upper levels of residential and commercial structures PMPs can save time and reduce the likelihood of ladder accidents The use of drones is really on the cusp of expanding says Judy Black BCE vice president of technical services at Rentokil Steritech Although Rentokil currently is not using drones in North America Black notes it has used them in other markets around the world In Brazil for example the company used a drone and a thermal imaging camera to identify a mouse infestation in an agricultural field for a client that needed to identify the source of rodent hairs in its products FasTer saFer views Drones provide two key benefits for PMPs safety and efficiency For any activity that might require a ladder checking a roof or soffit for an infiltration point or termite damage for example a drone can be a safer option Drones can complete a full roofline inspection faster than sending a technician up a ladder or moving a ladder around a building to get multiple views A drone also can quickly deliver live video and take multiple still images in just a few minutes For some applications the drones also keep technicians out of harms way when it comes to checking for dangerous animals or insects Last year in the Channel Island of Jersey part of the British Isles the Department for the Environment used a heat seeking drone to inspect a nest of Asian giant hornets Vespa mandarinia The drone was swarmed by an estimated 6000 of the highly venomous insects as it took still images and video It saves us time and manpower and its safer because you dont have a guy climbing up a ladder says Billy Tesh a PMP Hall of Famer and president of Pest Management Systems in Greensboro N C Tesh who serves as the licensed drone operator for his company has been using the technology for four years mypmp net Pest Management Professional May 2018 31
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