Guarding A Garden Goes High-Tech

The Scarecrow
Originally uploaded by RLabay.

(From The USA Today -- By Sarah Bailey)

With the vacation and gardening seasons in full swing, here's just the thing to protect your premises -- THE SCARECROW ($89) -- a motion-detecting sprinkler that takes direct aim at wandering animals or intruders.

Just hook up the battery-operated device to a hose and stab it in the ground. When the sprinker detects motion -- up to 35 feet ahead and 45 feet to the sides -- it shoots a short but startling burst of water at the trespasser.

"I get cards from people saying they hadn't had roses for years because of cats and now they finally have something in their garden," says KAREN SCHINDELHAUER, marketing manager of SCARECROW maker CONTECH ELECTRONICS.

And then there are the unconventional uses.

One customer put THE SCARECROW outside her son's window to prevent him from sneaking out a night.

"Her son was soaking wet and couldn't lie about it," Shindelhauer says. "He was caught red-handed."

[I found THE SCARECROW on the web at www.realgoods.com ($89) and at www.critter-repellent.com ($55.95).]