Title:

Subterranean Earthworm Mapping for Pest Detection

Bioacoustic Sensing: Pest Detection Using Subterranean Earthworm Mapping The natural land is plagued by a range of different species of pests that ravage flora and the soil leading to challenges for ecologists and farmers alike. The use of acoustic sensing has the possibility of eliminating the predictive nature of finding these pests by detecting where the threat might be before the damage is done. Monitoring an area is accomplished by planting an array of sixteen interconnected microphones underground to listen to the movements of, specifically, earthworms. When pests are nearby, earthworms tend to dig themselves deeper into the soil. Monitoring these movements provide crucial information as to where and when a pest may be in the area. Using the array of microphones allows for more precise angular sound recording which can give data on where earthworms are located within the soil. Taking these measurements and performing calculations gives the necessary information for depth estimation. The array microphone is set underground four inches where a portion of the array above the four-inch plane which denotes the lower travel point for earthworms. This allows for angular and directional calculations to be made using the data response from the array. The region above the four-inch plane denotes the area in which earthworms remain when there are no pests, while below the four-inch plane is where the earthworms would move if there is a disturbance. By observing the change in depth of the earthworms, a conclusion can be drawn that pests are in the nearby area. Rather than applying a general solution, this information will be utilized to more accurately target an infected area to protect it with a specific remedy.

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