Drones

Insecticide-packing drone takes out hornet nests

Insecticide-packing drone takes out hornet nests
The Drone Spray Hornet with canister loaded
The Drone Spray Hornet with canister loaded
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The Drone Spray Hornet with canister loaded
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The Drone Spray Hornet with canister loaded
Drone Spray Hornet in action
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Drone Spray Hornet in action

A French company known for designing drones for specific uses, like shooting 360-degree video for virtual reality, is now taking on a specific invasive species. Drone Volt has introduced the Drone Spray Hornet to locate and destroy the nests of Asian hornets that are becoming a nuisance in parts of Europe.

The Asian Hornet is believed to have arrived in France in a shipment of pottery over a decade ago, and has since spread itself over much of the country and other European regions. The predatory wasp preys on a variety of insects, including bees and other native pollinators. The species is also known to defend its nests by attacking perceived threats in swarms.

Drone Volt collaborated with a beekeeper to develop a drone equipped with a tilting spray system and a Go Pro Hero 4 Black Edition HD camera to safely track down and eliminate the hornet nests. The company says Drone Spray Hornet complies with existing laws in France and should be legal to fly, even in cities.

Drone Spray Hornet in action
Drone Spray Hornet in action

A few of the basic specs on the quadcopter include a weight of about 3 kg (7 lb), a payload capacity of up to a 750 ML aerosol can of insecticide, emergency parachute in the case of failure, and battery life of 9 to 18 minutes depending on the number of batteries onboard. An optional guidance and obstacle detection module is also in the works.

You can see the Drone Spray Hornet in action in the video below:

Drone Spray Hornet V1

Source: Drone Volt

5 comments
5 comments
Gaëtan Mahon
I'd rather go with a harpoon design dangling from below the sUAV.
Just position it above the Nest, release the locks for the harpoon, with the can, to drop onto it and via remote trigger the aerosol release mechanism with the whole thing actually being close to the nest.
Depending on the harpoon design it could even release the chemicals directly into the nest.
Once finished, jank the whole thing off the tree with a thin wire tether that was attached to the harpoon - Or just pull it out to recover your can with the mechanics attached to it.
HarryTuttle
Will it kill larvea in the nest ?...
MikeHingle
A NON-Chemical approach would be safer. There's high Voltage release from capacitor banks - enhanced by a prior mild water spray to soak the nest.
rchiiibob
I wonder if this can be modified to seek out and destroy the zika mosquitos, that are now infesting the United States? Have you seen what those mosquitos cause in newborn babies? Simply awful!
Firehawk70
Those asian hornets are terrifying. They are like 3 inches long and completely murderous towards bees and people. We now have Chinese stinkbugs in America (since 1999) that remain unchecked, they are quite a nuisance but at least not deadly.