Actually, the word 'solution' in my header has a double meaning. The solution I refer to is both a device and the mixture of a chemical and water. Let me explain...
But first, just a short note about this post.
I am taking a break this week from showing you pictures of the South Island. I'll get back to them next week, but thought that a change of pace might be welcome.
Auckland lies in a transition zone between subtropical and temperate. Its climate is warm and moderately wet. Not surprisingly, this gives lichens, mosses, molds and mildews and fungi of all sorts an encouraging pat on the back, so to speak. It's little wonder that these life forms thrive on the convoluted surfaces that make up the concrete roofing tiles of many of the buildings in town.
This is a shot of what some of these roof tiles look like up close. Note the colonies. (Untreated)
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Here is another style of tile on yet another roof. (Very clean)
Further, these organisms are able to 'hide in plain sight.' Auckland does not have the steeply sloped roofs of the buildings erected in colder climates that have to support heavy loads of snow during the winter, but even a low sloped roof can still pose a challenge to get to, and to safely move around on. Especially on multi-storied buildings like those in our retirement village.
The species that threaten us today may be tiny, but they exist in their billions, and are intent on colonizing our roof tops. They could take over our village if unopposed!
This post will show you the latest solution to controlling the growth of all those unwanted invaders. I had fun taking pictures and videos. Other residents joined me, finding the day to be entertaining as the drone of something out of Star Wars echoed through the canyons between our buildings.
Not so long ago, in a city far, far away, (from Michigan anyway) our retirement village was fighting the combined forces of several alien life forms.....
Fortunately, our forces had a secret weapon.
It can't jump to light speed, but it does hold 30 liters of a spray mixture that will defeat the enemy.
And it has a small sidekick who 'talks' to it and helps it navigate.
Notice as you watch this first video that the little white drone is high above the sprayer drone. At one point in the video, I attempted to find the little white drone and zoom in on it, but I couldn't find it against the sky.
We noticed that our local seagulls often flew very close to the little white drone, wondering no doubt, what the heck it was. Good thing they didn't mess with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OikTHlXk0Gk
In this second video, it is spaying a different building. Notice that the base of your camera man shows up in the reflection of a window as it lands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcgU1mHQwVM
These next views show it in front of the Vines, working on the spraying the Sky Bridge. I was on the 4th floor of The Ferns.
It's headed for The Vines now.
I was sitting at a table, under an umbrella, drinking a cup of tea outside our café, and talking to a guy from Scotland when the drone took off again.
Fred said he wished that they had this drone at the Riverview RV park for mosquitos. That is some impressive operation to battle those organisms. McKenzie
ReplyDeleteYes, I can imagine that it would have cleared the mosquitos out in a hurry. I still think back to those days. It was a great place to visit. (even with mosquitos.)
DeleteWow that certainly is impressive technology - and kind of fun to watch! I hope no people got sprayed - would have been unpleasant for sure! I imagine this treatment will need to be repeated in a year or so as the invasive life forms reestablish themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe all had been advised about the spraying in advance, which is why I was watching for them when they arrived. As you saw, they sprayed only the roof areas and it was very controlled. The spray was never discharged until the drone was in position.
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