12/01/05 Update on the Stinger

It was last summer that the Pacific Northwest caught its first glimpse of a prototype thermal weed control machine through several demonstrations. The Aturas Stinger is designed by an Australian manufacturer, but has been supported for U.S. promotion over the last year by the Propane Education Research Council. Mark Leitman of P.E.R.C. says its method of eliminating weeds verses conventional methods such as chemical applications and burning has brought the Stinger some attention. LEITMAN: We've found that the whole concept of using steam to control weeds is actually gaining a lot of momentum. And it's particularly capturing the attention of the organic producers, as well as the orchard and vineyards. Leitman says the Stinger is available, if not yet widespread, for purchase and that another series of demonstrations in the Northwest in 2006 is being developed. And in the meantime, P.E.R.C. will continue research on the Stinger and other thermal weed control machines under development to determine best results. LEITMAN: The cost effectiveness is already proven. We know what the cost of propane is and assuming the cost of water is zero, we can go through an orchard and we can treat it for the same costs as certain chemicals, in fact, cheaper than some chemicals. So we are learning more constantly about how often the treatments need to be done, what kind of control we get on certain weed species, what kind of insect control do we pick up as a result? How often do the treatments need to be done? Those are the things we're still learning but we like what we've seen so far.