Insect scare device

The AS-Motor insect scare device uses a flexible front bar to disturb vegetation before the mower’s cutting tools reach it. It is intended to prompt insects to move ahead of the cut and can be fitted to the AS-Motor models listed below with the appropriate adapter.

Height & forward reach are adjustable. For meadow maintenance, orchard work or municipal high grass areas, the attachment can be set up for the vegetation being cut within the approved configuration of the carrier machine.

Find an AS-Motor dealer to check the attachment & adapter for your mower

As the mower moves forward, the bar makes contact with the plants ahead of the cutting area. It works mechanically through that contact. The distance between the bar & the cutting tools creates the advance disturbance intended to trigger an escape response.

Adjusting the height changes where the bar meets the vegetation. Forward reach can also be adjusted to the machine & working conditions. Follow the fitting instructions for the model; the permitted configuration and the surrounding obstacles determine the usable position.

The elastic plastic bar can flex when it meets smaller obstacles. The mounting mechanism also allows the attachment to fold back, with adjustable resistance at the joint. Folding brings the bar closer to the mower for transport.

The core device is used across the listed machines with model-specific mounting adapters. Your dealer can identify the relevant combination from the mower designation & serial number.

Research at the University of Hohenheim compared mowing with & without the insect scare device in a flowering meadow. A catch frame recorded an average of 7.3 flying insects per run with the device, compared with 2.5 without it. Almost three times as many flying insects were caught under these conditions. Survival after mowing was not measured.

The publication on the device’s design & field trial explains the method & its limits, with a link to the published research.