Instead of using pesticides to control snails and bugs that would ravage their vines, the Vergenoegd vineyard in South Africa employs a veritable army of ducks. The 900+ Indian Runner ducks, who true to their name, run upright at quite a pace, are an eco-friendly and charming alternative to using pesticides, and they gobble up all the pests they come across.
“Before we had the ducks we had to put down snail bait, a pesticide. But, for the past nine years I have been here we’ve used very little snail bait, almost nothing, because the ducks eat all the snails and other insects,” said Marlize Jacobs, vintner and horticulturalist…
“All over the industry and all over the world, dangerous harmful pesticides are being phased out, so I believe one day you will be forced to use alternative methods because pesticides kill all insects, even the friendly insects,” Jacobs said.
