The giant vacuum cleaner that keeps the strawberries of this organic farmer

Farmer Brendan Hoyle has found a way to crush the destructive insects and keep his delicious organic strawberries alive - and he's glad it sucks.

Key points: Brendan Hoyle uses a industrial-size insect vacuum on his strawberry If used at the right time, it sucks up to 90% of fruit flies from plants and destroys them Innovation has seen him named 2022 Australian Organic Farmer of the Year Industry Awards

The Australian Organic 2022 Farmer of the Year uses an industrial-sized insect hoover, towed behind a tractor, to control Queensland fruit flies without spraying pesticides on his crop.

This means it can extend the biological growing season from winter to spring, allowing it to sell fruit at a time that was previously not viable due to the explosion of insect pests at his Glass House Mountai farm ns, in South East Queensland.

The method has been nationally recognized as an innovative solution to an invasive pest problem.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume.Brendan Hoyle's Bug Vacuum at work in his strawberry fields>When figure:) you don't spray, vacuum

Queensland fruit flies cost Australian growers hundreds of millions of dollars every year by laying their eggs in the flesh of fruits and vegetables, causing them to rot .

Queensland fruit flies lay eggs in flesh fruits and vegetables. (Provided by Griffith University)

< p class="_39n3n">Managing the pest can be a challenge for organic growers who, under certification requirements, cannot use common control methods like pesticide sprays.

When Mr. Hoyle spotted a tractor - mounted bug vac used in the United States, he asked for help to build a version for his own farm.

He opted for a three-drum design that uses large fans to suck in the bugs, smashing them into a perforated grid that covers the tops of the drums.