Development of Sensor-Based Pest Control System

Agricultural productivity continues to face severe challenges due to pest infestations, particularly from rats and birds, which contribute to significant crop losses. These pests not only reduce yields but also increase production costs and threaten food security in both small- and large- scale farming. Conventional pest control methods, such as manual inspection and the application of chemical pesticides, are inefficient, labor-intensive, and often environmentally harmful. They lack the precision and timeliness required to prevent substantial crop damage. This creates an urgent need for an innovative, sustainable, and automated solution that can effectively address pest the pest threat pest threats without causing ecological harm. The developed system utilizes ultrasonic sensors for real-time pest detection, ensuring accurate monitoring of farm surroundings. An Arduino microcontroller serves as the processing unit, coordinating sensor inputs and triggering deterrent mechanisms. The pest control response incorporates ultrasonic sound emission, audible alarms, and light flashes designed to repel pests in a non-lethal manner. To ensure sustainability, the system is powered by solar energy, allowing continuous operation in outdoor environments without reliance on the conventional power grid. This integration of renewable energy and automated detection makes the system both eco-friendly and efficient. System performance was evaluated using key accuracy metrics. The ultrasonic sensor achieved an accuracy of approximately 80%, demonstrating reliable detection of pest activity in real-time. The false positive rate remained below 5%, minimizing unnecessary activations and ensuring dependable operation. It’s also showing a very high precision of 100 percent. However, it missed four pests, leaving the recall at about 79 percent. Additionally, the solar-powered system maintained over 85% daily uptime, confirming its suitability for sustained agricultural use. These results indicate that the system successful combines pest detection with effective, automated deterrence, while maintaining energy efficiency and reliability. This sensor-based pest control system has wide applications in modern agriculture, especially for farmers seeking sustainable and cost-effective pest management strategies. It can be deployed in crop farms, grain storage facilities, and horticultural fields where pest activity is prevalent. Beyond agriculture, the system can also be adapted for use in food storage warehouses, museums, and archives to prevent rodent or bird infestation. By reducing reliance on harmful pesticides, the solution promotes environmentally responsible farming practices, enhances food security, and supports the goals of precision agriculture in developing resilient agricultural systems.