A rapid method to detect and/or remove mobile insects inside granular material is presented. The core of this method is to heat grain samples to the desired temperatures (about 55 C) using microwave or radio frequency energy to force insects to move out of the granular material.

The present invention describes a method and associated equipment for using irradiated, magnetic energy (6) to carry out pest control in plants and vegetable matter e.g. agricultural crops and vegetable foodstuffs. The invention is also suitable for pest control in woody materials and is useful for any material, which is reasonably transparent to B-field energy, to attack a pest (1) that is more opaque to B-field energy than the substrate on or within which the pest (1) is located, such as wasps inside a wall cavity, or slugs and snails under the soil, or mosquito larvae in water.

A device for detecting offending features on individual granular objects or small objects. The device uses an image capturing system to scan batches of granular or small objects such as wheat, grain, rice, seeds, legumes or nuts to detect any undesirable feature such as disease, mold or spoilage. An action head on the device is configured to automatically respond once an undesirable feature is identified. The action head may capture the individual objects having undesirable features or it may cast them aside.

A system to verify product authenticity includes a transceiver configured to receive information regarding one or more pieces of ferromagnetic material that are in or on a product. The system also includes an electromagnetic radiation source configured to emit radiation to heat the one or more pieces of ferromagnetic material in or on the product. The system also includes a heat sensor configured to detect heat emitted from the one or more pieces of ferromagnetic material that are in or on the product. The system further includes a processor in communication with the transceiver, the electromagnetic radiation source, and the heat sensor. The processor is configured to determine if the product is counterfeit based on the received information and the detected heat.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-storage media, for a calibration target for ultrasonic removal of ectoparasites from fish. In some implementations, the calibration target includes a fish-shaped structure, sensors positioned at different locations of the fish-shaped structure, a processor that receives sensor values from the sensors, and a transmitter that outputs sensor data from the calibration target based on the sensor values.

An acoustic lethal ovitrap, comprising a tray defining an inner space and having a floor which slopes downwardly toward a center point, and also having a side wall defining a curved internal radius; a housing mounted within the tray; a transducer and power/control unit mounted within the housing for generating acoustic energy at a desired wavelength; a solar panel mounted on the housing and producing power for the transducer and power/control unit of the apparatus; wherein the tray captures water and attracts mosquitos to the water within the tray, and the transducer within the housing generates acoustic energy sufficient to kill mosquitos as they are attracted to the device.

An apparatus for killing mosquito larvae in a water tank, comprising: a float; a transmitter of acoustic energy, wherein the transmitter is fixed to the float; an extension arm pivotably connected at one end to the float and having a pivotable connection for securing to a water tank at the other end; and an amplifier and controller mechanism for causing the transmitter to emit pulses of acoustic energy, wherein the amplifier/controller is operatively connected to the transmitter and has a power source.

The current subject matter relates to controlling insects and includes a trap that can vary operation based at least on a target insect. For example, different insects are attracted to and/or repelled by different things, such as gases, orders, lights, and sounds. In general, things that attract a given insect are referred to as attractants and things that repel a given insect are referred to as repellents. By varying the operation of the trap, different attractants and repellants can be used to attract and/or repel specific insects. In addition, these attractants and repellants and/or characteristics thereof can these be varied dynamically based on, for example, time of day, proximity of individuals to the trap, proximity of insects to the trap, geographic location, and the like. Related apparatus, system, articles, and techniques are also described.

A method of verifying product authenticity includes emitting, by an electromagnetic radiation source in communication with a processor, radiation to heat one or more pieces of ferromagnetic material in or on a product. The method also includes detecting, by a heat sensor in communication with the processor, heat emitted from the one or more pieces of ferromagnetic material that are in or on the product. The method further includes determining, by the processor, if the product is counterfeit based on the detected heat.

A system for tracking airborne organisms includes an imager, a backlight source (such as a retroreflective surface) in view of the imager, and a processor configured to analyze one or more images captured by the processor to identify a biological property of an organism.