There are somewhere around a dozen birds of prey common in the United States, each existing as an alpha predator among 10,000 species of bird.
One such is the falcon.
Falcons are helpful to farmers looking for pest control solutions to protect their vineyards from menacing birds.
With this guide, you’ll learn three farming facts that will make you think about falcons for pest control.
Fact 1: You Can Use Falcons for Pest Control
We’ve entered into a consumer age where people are concerned about the ethics of what they eat and drink.
In fact, Millennial shoppers may be more concerned about corporate ethics than previous generations.
Today’s shoppers want their fruits and veggies to be as clean from harmful chemicals and pesticides as possible. And that means they are eyeballing what goes into their wine too.
Using falconry, farmers can reduce the number of chemicals their grapes are exposed to.
To learn more about falconry for pest control, it’s important to understand the several types of birds that farmers must be leary of:
- Blackbirds
- Crows
- Robins
- Sparrows
- Starlings
These five birds are among the main avian pests that fruit farmers deal with.
Companies that specialize in falconry can bring in experts that will use trained falcons to purge the vineyard of pesky birds. But this service doesn’t come cheap, as we will describe below.
When experts bring trained falcons to your vineyard to ward off smaller birds, like starlings, this usually occurs just before the crop is ready to harvest.
The reason being is because the birds will return once the falcons are gone, and to repeat this process can be costly.
Fact 2: Falconry is Expensive
It’s estimated that bird damage to crops costs farmers $4.3 million per year.
When you look at the big picture, throwing tens of thousands into pest control solutions may not seem like a lot.
But to farmers who have hefty operating expenses already, it can be difficult to justify the cost of falconry as a means of pest control.
In most cases, hiring a falconer for bird abatement can cost up to $1,000 per day. For this reason, many farmers who choose to use falcons to ward off pests wait until the end of their crop cycle to bring in the birds for a couple of days.
Fact 3: There’s a Better Way
For those farmers who want natural protection for their crops and aren’t interested in stretching their operational budget, there’s another way.
Falcon FrightKites are a handy method of natural pest control that works similarly to releasing a real trained falcon for a fraction of the cost.
A FrightKite is it’s a tool to ward off smaller birds that fear being eaten by a predator.
Birds will follow their biological impulse to flee in the face of danger when they see a FrightKite, and leave the vineyard to be harvested.
Protect Your Crops Today
The effect a FrightKite can have on your vineyard is profound, and it doesn’t cost $1,000 a day like using falcons for pest control.
With prices starting at under $300 for your reusable FrightKite set, you can’t afford to miss out on this option.
To get your Falcon FrightKite, click here.