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Customer application

HORNET’PROTECT: universal protection against insect intrusion in agri-food silos

Bakery and Biscuit Industry Beverage Industry Dairy Industry Food Industry

Faced with recurring contamination of its silos by Asian hornets, the agri-food client was suffering high production losses and safety risks.

How could it prevent intrusions by harmful insects? How could it guarantee the health safety of its sweetening raw materials? The solution had to be flexible and easy to install, at a competitive price.
These were the questions the customer was asking before the project:

How can I secure my raw material silos against invasion by Asian hornets?
How can I guarantee the quality of my production and avoid having to discard contaminated batches?
How can I ensure the safety of my maintenance staff when working on silo roofs?

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Réparation et remise en route du silo après une tempête

Project objective

The idea arose from a dangerous field experience. A technician was forced to climb to the top of a silo infested with hundreds of Asian hornets without protective equipment.

Faced with the risk and absurdity of the situation — confirmed by a firefighter who described the intervention as “madness” — the decision was made internally:
“Stop, we need to find a permanent solution! No one should have to take this risk again.”

It was this human experience that transformed a customer problem into a SYVRAC innovation.

The context

The business challenge was to respond to urgent customer calls following the contamination of silos containing sugar, caramel and candied fruit by Asian hornets. These intrusions result in the loss of entire production batches, stoppages for cleaning and major risks for maintenance personnel working at the top of the silos.

The proliferation of the Asian hornet, whose period of activity now extends from May to the end of September, represents a growing threat. Unlike European hornets, their nests are difficult to locate (range up to 20 km), rendering eradication strategies at source ineffective and forcing manufacturers to adopt physical protection measures on their facilities.

Proposed solution:

To meet customer requirements, Syvrac has developed Hornet’Protect, a universal protective grille that attaches to the safety valves at the top of silos to prevent insects from entering. This innovation guarantees product safety, eliminates batch losses and makes maintenance work at height safer.

Hornet’Protect is a unique and universal solution on the market, designed and manufactured by SYVRAC. Existing solutions were obsolete and ineffective against Asian hornets. Its universal nature, ease of installation (Plug and Play) and robust design make it an unrivalled benchmark.

Hornet’Protect equipment and advantages

The installation comprises key equipment designed to protect food silos from invasions by flying insects such as hornets.

Main objective: to create an impenetrable physical barrier for flying insects at the critical entry point of the silos (the safety valve), without disrupting its operation.

Specific design steps:

Analysis: Identification of insect suction via the Venturi effect.
Mesh: 4.5 mm grid (blocks hornets, wasps and bees).
Integration: Self-cleaning sloped roof and lower grid for viscous liquid drainage.
Fixing: Universal clamping system (compatible with Ø 273 mm).

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Technical details

The system consists of two half-shells made of 304 stainless steel, assembled by bolting. It attaches directly to the valve support without dismantling anything. The surface area of the grid has been calculated to ensure optimal air filtration capacity, without impacting pressure, vacuum or air speed during silo operating cycles.

The product is designed to fit all standard safety valves on the market (Ø 273 mm) fitted to storage silos (stainless steel, aluminium, composite, metal).

HORNET PROTECT – Anti-Hornet Protection plan

What results?

Indicator	Customer Benefit
ROI	Investment < €1,000 to avoid losses of several tens of thousands of euros.
Safety	100% protection. Zero accident risk during maintenance operations.
Quality	Health compliance (IFS). No insect fragments in production.
Time	Installation in 5 minutes. Elimination of complex cleaning procedures.

The advantages of SYVRAC’s Hornet’Protect solution

✔ Safe: reduced risk for maintenance operators who are required to work at height near hundreds of Asian hornets, sometimes without suitable protective equipment.
✔ Quality & Health: no more contamination of raw materials (sugar, flour) and finished products, which can lead to entire batches being rejected for non-compliance (presence of insect fragments), with an impact on IFS-type certifications.
✔ Operational: cleaning contaminated valves is no longer a complex, dangerous or time-consuming task. The lack of maintenance personnel willing to carry out these operations is a reality.

Thanks to this customised installation, the customer benefits from a reliable, easy and quick-to-install solution at a very low cost, guaranteeing productivity gains and optimised production management.

Testimonials

Our SYVRAC expert recounts his experience: “I said stop, we have to find a solution. I came back to the office after climbing up to inspect a silo above which 300 Asian hornets were flying. Some of them ended up in the sweetener raw material and therefore in the customer’s production. We can save lives and agri-food production with this solution!”

Our agri-food customer confirms: “For less than €1,000 and very easy installation, you will save a lot on your production and silo protection. My teams no longer have to grind hornets in the finished product, caramel in this case, and no longer throw away any production because of these harmful insects.”

FAQ

My silo is not a SYVRAC brand. Can I still install the solution?

Absolutely. Lornet Protect was designed to be universal. It is compatible with all types of silos (metal, stainless steel, composite, aluminium) equipped with standard safety valves, which have a common diameter of 273 mm.

Isn’t there a risk that the grid will block my valve?

No, not at all! The surface area of the grille and the size of the mesh have been specifically calculated to maintain optimal air flow. In addition, its sloped design uses rainwater for self-cleaning, preventing dust accumulation and ensuring perfect ventilation.

Does installation require a prolonged shutdown? Absolutely not! The system is designed to be plug and play. It consists of two shells that easily fit around the existing valve without any dismantling. Installation takes less than 5 minutes.