Solar trap kills pests by the bucketload

Self-powered device catches energy during day and bugs at night.

Engineer Ali Abdulsalam poses for a portrait with the prototype of one of his inventions, a solar light trap for insects, while he's exhibiting it at the Second Agricultural Exhibition at the Al Ain CShow more

AL AIN // Farms across Abu Dhabi emirate could soon be using solar power to lure bugs to their deaths.

A new type of light trap will receive all the power it needs from its built-in solar panels, capturing energy during the day and pests by night.

"These traps are vital because they will help the environment and farms to be sustainable in the future," said Mohammed Al Reyaysa, the communications director for the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority. "This energy is free."

Mr Al Reyaysa was speaking at an agricultural exhibition in Al Ain yesterday.

The trap, more than two metres tall, will charge for 12 hours during the day. At night, the battery will power insect-attracting Led lights.

"It is better than fluorescent lights because the beam is less intense and it can be scattered on a 70-metre radius," said Hamda Al Dhaheri, a pest control inspector at the Al Ain Municipality. "So it will not repel the insect but attract it."

The light is reflected on to four mirrors to ensure maximum brightness. Approaching pests are lured into a bucket of water where they drown.

Last summer, 120 of the devices were set up on seven farms, covering 140,000 date palm trees in the Al Ain oasis.

A trap was placed in every 10,000 square metres in a sunny spot.

The Ministry of Environment and Water also installed it on a few farms in the Northern Emirates.

"We lost a lot of our ancient trees because of [pests], it's a very big problem here," said Ms Dhaheri.

The machines cost Dh2,450 eachbut a full cost-benefit analysis has yet to be completed.

The next few months will be crucial for this, as the traps are put to the test between next month and May, when many bugs are most active.

"This is when they lay their eggs so our aim is to break their lifecycle and prevent any new generations from forming," said Ms Dhaheri.

Inspectors will collect data every week to find out which species are more active than others.

After studying the concept for three years, the engineer Ali Abdulsalam designed and built the trap when he noticed the growing pest problem.

"It's important for us to be sustainable and plan for the future," Mr Abdulsalam said.

Damien Marshall, the Zimbabwean manager of a farm outside Al Ain, was interested in the machine for his 25,000-sq metre farm, which has 64 greenhouses producing vegetables and melons.

"We strive to be sustainable so we want to minimise the use of any inputs - water, electricity, chemicals and fertilisers - as much as possible," Mr Marshall said.

"Unless we reduce costs, I don't know how economically viable it would be for the future."