Skip to main content

Watch this pest controller use a drone to vacuum up a wasp nest

A company in Japan has unveiled a new contraption that can be loosely described as a drone with a vacuum cleaner attached.

But rather than using it for cleaning hard-to-reach surfaces, the machine is designed to remove troublesome wasp nests.

Duskin Co., a cleaning and pest control firm based in the city of Osaka about 250 miles southwest of Tokyo, says its machine significantly improves the safety of a task so hazardous that around 15 people die every year while attempting to carry it out manually, according to The Mainichi.

As you can see in the video, the modified quadcopter features a funnel and a hose that leads to a cylinder into which the bees and parts of the nest are collected.

The setup allows the pest controller to stand a safe distance from the nest while gradually removing it using the drone.

A recent demonstration of the technology took about two hours to remove a single nest, including the manual cleanup work at the end.

The specialized drone would be particularly useful in scenarios where the nest is in a location that’s hard for humans to access. In fact, Duskin said that on some occasions, before it developed the drone, it had to pass on extermination jobs where the nest was in a position too difficult to safely reach.

Explaining the effectiveness of its specially designed drone, Duskin drone expert Yusuke Saito told The Mainichi that when wasps recognize an enemy, whether a human, animal, or machine such as its drone, “they secrete an alarm pheromone and attack in groups. By attaching pheromones to the drone, they will gather at the machine and can be exterminated efficiently.”

Saito said his company is planning to use more drones in its work to remove wasp nests from problematic locations in a bid to enhance the safety of its personnel as well as improving the efficiency of its work.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Drone delivery leader Wing plans to use quieter aircraft
A Wing delivery drone in flight.

Although advances have clearly been made in recent years, there are still a number of obstacles preventing drone delivery services from going mainstream.

Top of the list is, of course, safety, with regulators keen for clear proof that any autonomous aircraft flying overhead won’t suddenly crash into an obstacle -- or indeed each other -- putting people on the ground in danger.

Read more
Watch this dramatic drone footage of a tornado before disaster strikes
watch this drone footage of a tornado before disaster hits video

Experienced storm chaser Brian Emfinger had a close shave with a raging tornado a couple of days ago, but his drone wasn’t so lucky.

Eager to capture some dramatic footage of the extreme weather event, Emfinger sent his DJI Mavic 2 Pro right toward the action while being sure to keep a (fairly) safe distance himself.

Read more
Watch this breathtaking drone video of a volcanic eruption
watch this breathtaking drone video of a volcanic eruption iceland volcano

ICELANDIC VOLCANO ERUPTION 4K - Flying through the lava

Aerial filmmaker Stefan Forster has created an extraordinary piece of work (above) that captures the breathtaking beauty of a volcanic eruption.

Read more