French Farmer Says Ultrasonic Devices Are Keeping Wild Boar Out of His Crops

A French farmer has reported promising results using ultrasonic deterrents to keep wild boar away from his crops, after the species became a serious problem for his fields.

The grower, Pierre Avon, is a vegetable farmer and wine producer who says a system originally designed to scare birds away from sowings and market gardens has also proved effective against wild boar.

Speaking to local media, Avon explained: “I bought the ultrasonic bird scarer marketed by Repzen four years ago, after the serious damage wild boar caused to my melons. In two nights I lost seven tonnes. There were thirty wild boar in the plot.”

The system was installed in his crop fields, where the animals had been causing repeated damage.

Cheaper and more effective than electric fencing

Before turning to ultrasound, the farmer had tried other costly measures. He first installed electric fencing, but the terrain made it ineffective. The battery equipment was also far from the house and was repeatedly stolen.

After that, Avon decided to test ultrasonic devices, which he says were much cheaper and easier to install.

The devices are mounted on metal plates at a height of around 60 to 70 centimetres. As the farmer explains, “they have to be at the height of the wild boar’s ears.”

He now uses six units powered by small solar panels, making each device independent in the field.

Effective against wild boar, but not silent for neighbours

Avon says the system works best when he alternates several days of ultrasound with occasional audible sounds, preventing the animals from becoming used to the deterrent and reducing its effectiveness.

That audible setting can disturb nearby residents, but the farmer says he has reached an agreement with his neighbours and warns them when he activates it.

The crop owner is also a hunter and holds permits to hunt at night. When his trail cameras detect wild boar entering the fields, he combines the ultrasonic deterrent with shooting one or two animals on the edges of the agricultural plots.

He describes that combined approach as highly effective in reducing wild boar damage to his crops.