Oct 7, 2015

While there’s been much controversy over the use of drones – flying robotic machines used for photography, weapons, etc. – there’s one use for them that isn’t causing as much backlash. Pest control. To be more specific, the drones are using pests in order to get rid of pests, which isn’t unheard of. After all, bats are the natural pest control for mosquitos.

The way it works: The drone flies over a field of crops that has been suffering from harmful pests. It drops helpful crop pests like Californicus mites, which eat the bugs that are eating the crops. The project is being currently used throughout Australia to determine its effectiveness.

So far, they have discovered the bug drone can cover 12 acres in 15 minutes, much faster than the traditional method of hand distributing the bugs throughout the field.

To keep up with the story and how beneficial the drones are, visit here.