Archive for June, 2013
Biocontrol industry gathers at annual Lucerne event
The Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting was held at the KKL Culture and Convention Center Lucerne, Switzerland on October 22th-24th 2012. The meeting is organised jointly by the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (ABIM/IBMA) and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL). ABIM provides an annual meeting place specifically adapted to the needs of the biocontrol industry. […]
Hypovirulence hope for management of sweet chestnut blight
In 2012 sweet chestnut blight, caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica, was found for the first time in the United Kingdom (UK) on trees imported from France in 2007 and planted at two sites, one in Warwickshire in the West Midlands and the other in East Sussex in southern England. If the UK plant health […]
40 years of rat control in Budapest: The importance of sewer treatments for effective rat control in urban areas
Rats proliferating in urban areas may spread infectious diseases, cause considerable economical damages or through the reaction they provoke, may annoy inhabitants; therefore, their control is indispensable. The question remains: where exactly should control be carried out to obtain appropriate results? ‘Deratization’* of Budapest city Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, is the only metropolis […]
US first nanopesticide registration challenged
A landmark decision by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2011 to grant conditional registration for a nanopesticide product is being challenged by environmental groups. The four-year limited registration for the pesticide, which contains nanosilver as a new active ingredient, marked the first nanopesticide registration authorized in the country. In summer 2012, environmental groups filed […]
Food and crop diversity under threat in Europe
Since 2009, 10 EU associations representing the entire agri-food chain have been calling for solutions and proper investment schemes to support minor uses and specialty crops and to improve the availability of tailor made solutions for their protection. Minor uses concern fruit and vegetables, cereals, including rice, seeds, hops, flowers and all those plants that […]
CEPA asks European legislator to monitor internet sales of biocides more closely
In order to guarantee the safe use of biocides, European legislators have introduced increasingly stringent conditions for their authorisation, distribution, sale and application by approved professionals. However, cyber technology has given birth to new distribution systems that appear to be beyond legal control. With the arrival of online sales it has become a real challenge […]
News from the ‘ISNTD Bites’ meeting on vector control
The International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD) is a new, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to a multidisciplinary approach to a set of diseases that have traditionally ranked low down in terms of public health priorities but nevertheless impair the lives of an estimated 1 billion people. The World Health Organisation recognises 17 NTDs, many of […]
Rats invade buildings in response to floods and low temperatures
Widespread flooding across the UK during 2012 has caused thousands of rats to retreat from their waterlogged outdoor nests and make for the nearest dry shelter. Given rats usually live within close proximity to homes and farm buildings, indoor sightings of these pests have sharply increased in recent weeks. If a nest becomes flooded, the […]