Public Health
Remote monitoring for bed bugs
A global bed bug (Cimex lectularius) resurgence has continued throughout the past two decades, following a period of relative absence for most of the world between 1960 and 2000 (Boase, 2001; Reinhardt & Siva-Jothy, 2007). The cause of the modern resurgence is likely to be the result of multiple factors facilitating their survival, reproduction and […]
Genetically engineered Aedes aegypti
After extensive evaluation of the best available science and public input, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted an experimental use permit (EUP) to Oxitec Ltd to field test the use of genetically engineered Aedes aegypti mosquitoes as a way to reduce mosquito populations to protect public health from mosquito-borne illnesses. The EPA claimed […]
Preliminary tests to validate the effectiveness of the Inpest pheromone dispenser patch
Monitoring traps are often used to catch certain species of stored product insect pests and in these traps a pheromone attractant is used to lure the insects. Once attracted, a sticky board or bucket captures the insect. In the case of stored product moths, the pheromones are sex attractants which attract only males of the […]
Agriculture
IPM to fight fall armyworm
CABI scientists are recommending the use of more environmentally sustainable biological controls, as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy, to fight the fall armyworm (FAW) instead of favouring more harmful pesticides. In a new paper published in the International Journal of Pest Management, Dr Justice Tambo led a team of researchers who suggest […]
Smartphone app is the farmer’s newest weapon in crop protection
Scientists are creating a new smartphone app to help farmers and growers tackle the pests destroying their crops, and it could soon have a major impact on the way information about the natural world is gathered, stored and accessed worldwide. The team of researchers from the University of Lincoln, UK, is designing and building the […]
DNA scan crop failure solution is a UK first
In a UK first, a pioneering scientific research company has introduced a new way for growers to test their plants and crops for harmful fungi and bacteria, allowing action to be taken before it’s too late. Eurofins Agro UK has introduced scientific testing to the UK which can detect an issue before it becomes visible, […]
Horticulture & Amenity
Natural weapon used by marigolds
Scientists have revealed for the first time the natural weapon used by marigolds to protect tomato plants against destructive whiteflies. Researchers from Newcastle University’s School of Natural and Environmental Sciences carried out a study to prove what gardeners around the world have known for generations – marigolds repel tomato whiteflies. Publishing their findings in the […]
More sustainable tea production in India
CABI scientists have revealed that India’s tea – which accounts for around 27 percent of the world’s tea production – could be protected from devastating crop pests with more environmentally friendly and sustainable biological controls rather than an over reliance on pesticides. As part of research funded by Unilever and working with partners including the […]
Development of fruit fly control strategies
The Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) constitutes one of the key pests of citrus, being the target of many IPM programs around the Mediterranean Sea. This species has a great ability to disperse, to use alternative hosts and displays a great developmental plasticity allowing it to survive most of the year, contributing […]
Forestry & Plantation
Biological fungicide reveals disease resistance in Cameroon
Russell Bio Solutions has developed an effective microbial fungicide, Dynamic WP. It is a powerful broad-spectrum biological fungicide and bactericide that can be applied to a wide range of crops to suppress fungal diseases. Other target diseases include wheat smut, Fusarium root rot, Banana Panama and Sigatoka disease, powdery mildew, early and late blight, and […]
First ever plantain resistant to banana streak virus
Using the gene editing tool CRISPR, a team of scientists at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has announced that they have developed banana and plantain varieties that are resistant to banana streak virus (BSV). BSV is hampering the crop’s production in Africa and threatening the food and income of millions of farmers. BSV […]
A tale of two squirrels
The two species of squirrel resident in the United Kingdom (UK) are Sciurus vulgaris (native European Red Squirrel) and Sciurus carolinensis (North American Eastern Grey Squirrel), the latter introduced as a fashionable addition to estates in the 1870’s. Its population of 2.5 million is spread over most of the UK and dwarves the 140,000 native […]
Animal Health
New sub-Saharan infectious disease surveillance program
The African Small Companion Animal Network (AFSCAN), a project of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (WSAVA) charitable foundation, has launched a significant new sub-Saharan infectious disease surveillance program. With Bayer Animal Health as the major sponsor, the program will provide novel data on the prevalence and distribution of ectoparasites and arthropod-borne infectious diseases of […]
World Pest Awareness Day
The 6th June 2017 has been declared World Pest Awareness Day to serve as a reminder of how professional pest management helps protect our quality of life. Three global pest management associations; The Confederation of European Pest Management Associations (CEPA), the Federation of Asian and Oceania Pest Managers’ Association (FAOPMA) and the @NationalPestManagementAssn (USA), have […]
Pests & Our Pets: Keeping Companion Animals Safer
With all the damage that pests can cause to businesses, agriculture and even the environment itself, sometimes it’s simply a necessity to use things like pesticides and other ways to keep their populations at bay. But rather than waiting until they’ve become a problem, either in our homes or towards our pets, it’s better to […]
Special Features
The future evolution of pest control
Organized pest control has a long history that dates to 4000 BC when the first ever pest control solution – sulphur – was used in ancient Sumer to keep insects away from crops. Since then, pest control has seen steady progress, from botanical products used as fungicides for seed treatments in China, to professional “rat-catchers” […]
Using pesticides in amenity areas
Using pesticides in amenity areas such as parks, golf courses and other areas open to the public has to conform to the EU regulations in a similar manner to protecting crops on farms. The main difference is that there are a diverse range of spray targets which frequently have to be treated using manually carried […]
Managing the problem of leatherjacket at UK airports
UK airports recently faced an issue due to the removal of a chemical, or to be precise the lack of knowledge regarding its avail- ability. The application of European EC Regulation 2009/128/EC, applied by the UK, led to the nationwide withdrawal of Chlorpyrifos. However, since the 1960’s chlorpyrifos had helped in the control of larvae […]
Other Recent Articles
Job Opportunity – Bahrain
Due to recent rapid expansion, Verminex has an opportunity for a suitably qualified and experienced pest control Service Manager to join the management team in Bahrain. A generous tax free salary and accommodation on bachelor status is offered with on-target earnings not less than $2,500.00 per month. There is an option to upgrade to family […]
Alex Wade – Technical Consultant
Alex Wade has exceptional experience in the development of strategies and products designed to control vertebrate and invertebrate pest populations. He is a respected technical writer, trainer, and public speaker. A director of Wade Environmental Ltd, his technical writing and speaking, as well as his expertise in product development and efficacy testing, have taken him […]
FAOPMA Pest Summit Virtual Conference 2020
Survive COVID-19; Protecting Your Future Safeguarding the Pest Management Industry through an Uncertain World This will be a virtual conference held over 18 and 19 of November, 2020. We have assembled many of the greatest speakers in the pest management today. This includes owners of companies who not only survived the Global Financial Crisis but came […]
