Stop the Spread! How Drones Help Detect and Control Macadamia Felted Coccid

Macadamia Felted Coccid is spreading - but drone tech gives farmers a new line of defence. Learn how aerial data and app-based scouting can change the game.

Jul 14, 2025

Early Warning. Smarter Scouting. Better Control.

Macadamia Felted Coccid (MFC), scientifically known as Acanthococcus ironsidei, is a stealthy pest wreaking havoc in macadamia orchards. Its presence often goes unnoticed until significant damage has occurred, leading to leaf yellowing, branch dieback, and reduced nut yields. In severe cases, entire trees can succumb to its infestation.

But there's hope.

Drones are revolutionising how we detect and manage this pest.

A Pest That Hides in Plain Sight

MFC thrives under a fuzzy white felt on leaves, twigs, and nuts, making early detection challenging. Traditional scouting methods, while effective, are labor-intensive and often reactive. By the time visible symptoms emerge, the infestation is already well-established.

Enter drone technology. Equipped with high-resolution cameras, drones can survey vast orchard areas swiftly, identifying stress indicators before they become visible to the naked eye.

Seeing the Signs Sooner

Recent research has demonstrated the efficacy of drones in early MFC detection.

A study conducted in Hawaii utilised RGB imagery from small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAVs) to detect foliar damage caused by MFC. The findings revealed that even at foliar damage levels below 10%, drone imagery correlated positively with ground-based assessments, highlighting its potential in early infestation detection.

Notably, the study also observed that certain cultivars, such as 344 and 856, exhibited higher susceptibility to MFC, while cultivars 800 and 333 showed greater tolerance. This information is invaluable for growers aiming to prioritise monitoring and intervention efforts.

Track. Compare. Act.

Platforms like Aerobotics enhance the utility of drone data.

By integrating drone imagery with ground truth observations, farmers can:

Identify early signs of MFC infestation.
Monitor the spread and severity over time.
Evaluate the effectiveness of control measures.
Make informed decisions on targeted interventions.

The synergy between aerial surveillance and on-the-ground scouting ensures a comprehensive understanding of orchard health.

Not Just Drones - Decision Support

While drones provide a bird's-eye view, integrating their data with other tools amplifies their effectiveness. Combining drone imagery with mobile applications allows for real-time infield observations, enabling scouts to tag affected trees and sync data seamlessly.

This holistic approach ensures that interventions are timely, targeted, and efficient, reducing unnecessary treatments and preserving orchard health.

Expert Perspectives

Dr. Schalk Schoeman emphasises the importance of vigilant monitoring:

“Effective monitoring is the first line of defence in any insect management programme.” [read more]

Dr. Elsje Joubert advocates for adaptive strategies:

“Farmers need to keep open minds and be willing to change their way of thinking if this industry is going to survive the pest onslaught into the future.” [read more]

Dr. Gerda Fourie underscores the value of collaboration:

“The success of our Macadamia Protection Programme hinges on regular and comprehensive communication with farmers.” [learn more]

Scouting for MFC: Practical Steps Using Drone Data

Conduct Regular Drone Surveys:
If you have easy access to a pilot or equipment, schedule drone flights every 4–6 weeks during peak risk periods to capture high-resolution imagery and up to date insights.

If you have constraints in terms of budget or pilot/hardware availability, schedule your drone flight at least once a season at the peak risk period to monitor longer term changes over time (either spread, prevalence, or intervention effectiveness).
Analyse Image Data for Stress Indicators:
Utilise platforms like Aerobotics to process drone imagery, identifying areas showing early signs of stress. And to follow-up with in-field scouting.
Aerobotics Drone Scan data with in-field mobile application observations record prevalence and severity with added precision.
Ground-Truthing:
Deploy in-field scouts to inspect and validate any suspected hotspots (these show up as stress epicentres on drone data outputs) confirming MFC presence and severity.

These saved observations can also be used to create a heat-map of prevalence helping you to monitor where the worst areas are or from which side of the farm the spread is moving in from.
Integrate Data:
Combine aerial and ground observations to track infestation patterns, evaluate control measures, and adjust strategies accordingly.
Implement Targeted Interventions:
In Integrated Pest Management (IPM), interventions are precise and strategic—not blanket treatments. The goal is to control Macadamia Felted Coccid (MFC) while minimising chemical use and preserving beneficial insects.
- Spot-spraying only the infested areas identified through drone surveys and ground scouting reduces pesticide volumes significantly. This lowers costs and environmental impact.
- Threshold-based treatments mean farmers act only when infestations exceed defined levels that risk economic damage, avoiding unnecessary applications.
- Encouraging natural predators such as ladybirds and parasitic wasps is vital. Preserving these allies through reduced pesticide use helps maintain biological control within orchards.
- Cultivar selection and orchard design can support resilience—knowing which varieties are more susceptible allows farmers to prioritise monitoring and adapt management accordingly.
- Use of softer, targeted pesticides with minimal non-target effects fits within this strategy, applied as a last resort when biological and cultural controls aren’t enough.
By combining these approaches, farmers can effectively suppress MFC populations while safeguarding orchard ecology and long-term productivity.

Can Drones Be Used for Spraying MFC?

Yes, drones can be equipped for precision spraying, offering a highly targeted method to control Macadamia Felted Coccid infestations.

Using drone spraying allows farmers to treat affected areas identified through aerial surveys and ground scouting, minimising chemical use and limiting exposure to non-target parts of the orchard.

This targeted approach improves efficiency and reduces labour costs compared to conventional spraying methods. Additionally, drones can access difficult terrain and dense canopy areas more easily, ensuring thorough coverage where MFC tends to hide.

While drone spraying is a promising tool, it should be integrated into an overall IPM strategy, complementing biological controls and other cultural practices to achieve sustainable pest management with minimal environmental impact.

Appropriate Biological Controls for MFC

One of the most effective biological control strategies for managing Macadamia Felted Coccid is the use of parasitic wasps. These beneficial insects lay their eggs inside the coccid pests. As the wasp larvae develop, they consume the host from within, eventually killing it.

Several species of parasitic wasps are known to target felted coccids specifically, and encouraging their presence in orchards can significantly reduce pest populations. Maintaining biodiversity and minimising broad-spectrum pesticide use helps these natural enemies establish and thrive.

Integrating parasitic wasps into an orchard IPM plan offers a sustainable, long-term solution for MFC control; one that complements drone-based monitoring and targeted chemical interventions.