Pest Control: Novel Approach In A South African Vineyard

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Agriculture, Sustainability

Ed Hessler

Here is a novel, locally-grown solution to pest control, by vintners from a South African vineyard.  It includes a short video, half-a-dozen stills and a short explanatory text.

The Reuters story is about "pest munching ducks" - Indian runner ducks. Their motto could easily be "Run don't walk." They are referred to as "soldiers of the vineyards," and they are indeed very soldiery - long-legged and upright in posture - as they march to the vineyards with their duck keepers (drill sargeants?) for the day's work. They are not waddlers. At night they return home for "pellets of nutritious bird food." 

 

The link to Indian runner ducks is loaded with information, including an illustration of their markings.