International news in brief – January/February 2015
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Germany : Bayer to divest equine assets to Merial
Bayer HealthCare has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its equine products Legend®/Hyonate® (hyaluronate sodium) and Marquis® (ponazuril) to Merial, Inc.The deal is expected to close in the first quarter 2015 subject to customary conditions, including relevant merger control clearance. “This transactionwill allow our business to focus on innovation and growth in core segments for both companion and farm animals,”said Dr.Dirk Ehle, Head of Bayer HealthCare’s Animal Health Division. “These equine products have no strategic relevance for our business and represent less than 2 percent of our worldwide sales.” Hyaluronate sodium, marketed worldwide for over two decades as Legend® or Hyonate®, is an injectable solution that treats non-infectious joint dysfunction in horses. Marquis® (ponazuril) AntiprotozoalOral Paste, marketed in North America for over a decade, treats equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) – adisease that affects the central nervous system in horses.
Source: http://www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com.
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India: Banana crop under pest attack
A widespread attack of the banana skipper pest at plantations across the State has put growers in distress. Farm scientists, who are yet to identify ways to control the insect infestation, predict fruit weight loss at 30% on account of the attack. According to experts at the Horticultural University, Bagalkot, and University of Agricultural Sciences, Belagavi, the banana skipper (Erionota thrax), has already damaged thousands of acres of plantations in traditional crop-growing districts — around Mysuru region, Belgaum and the coastal belt. The banana crop is cultivated in 53,000 hectares in Karnataka. The State produces 7.66% (2.28 million tonnes) of the country’s produce. Owing to the infestation, the prices of banana leaves and the fruit itself has increased marginally in the retail market. Farm scientists have called for a vigil against thisnew and devastating pest that threatens to destroy banana crops. The infestation was first found in the Mysuru region about six months ago, and has now spread to
Bagalot and Koppal.
Erionota thrax caterpillar on a banana leaf (Musa sp.), Credit Starr 020813-0020 Musa sp. by Forest & Kim Starr from http://www.starrenvironmental.com/resources/ and licensed under CC
Samples of the insect have been sent to the National Banana Research Centre, Trichy, said B.S. Harish, Assistant Professor, Horticultural University. C.A. Viraktamath, Entomology Department, UAS-B, said the insect cuts the leaves at the edges and makes a series of cylindrical rolls. A heavy infestation could damage the whole banana leaf, leaving only the midrib intact. Experts have advised farmers to manually remove the leaf rolls and burn them to kill the larvae. Rangappa, a farmer, who grows the crop on an acre of land near Bengaluru, destroyed the insects by injecting neem oil with other chemicals at the bottom of the plant with a syringe.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/banana-cropunder-pest-attack/article6751884.ece
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Netherlands: Entomite-A disappears, more effective Macro-Mite takes its place
Kopperts predatory soil mite Macrocheles robustulus, or Macro-Mite, for combating sciarid fly and thrips.
At the end of 2014, Koppert removed Entomite-A (the predatory soil mite Gaeolaelaps aculeifer) from its product range. Koppert has had an alternative to this product since 2010: the predatory soil mite Macrocheles robustulus, or Macro-Mite, for combating sciarid fly and thrips.
Of all the predatory soil mites, Macro-Mite has the broadest effects. It combats a wide range of pests, including the eggs, larvae, and pupae of the sciarid fly; thrips pupae; pot worms; the eggs and caterpillars of Duponchelia fovealis; and cabbage fly eggs. MacroMite gets to work more quickly.
A recent study by Wageningen UR’s Greenhouse Horticulture research institute indicates that Macro-Mite is more effective than Gaeolaelaps aculeifer in combating sciarid fly. The predatory soil mite builds up a population more quickly and gets to work combating pests more quickly too.
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Ghana: Cocoa farmers undergo training on pest and disease control
The Ghanaian Government is assisting cocoa farmers in the country to combat the capsid and the black pod disease, through a programme aimed at training them on the cultural and chemical methods of pests and diseases control. The government, through the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), initiated a National Cocoa Disease and Pest Control (CODAPEC) programme, popularly called “Mass Spraying,” as part of efforts to arrest the decline in cocoa production in the country. Mr. Michael Gyasi, Suhum Municipal Officer in-charge of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division, said “The programme also educates and trains local sprayers on safe pesticides usage, while it helps put more money in the pockets of farmers, and creates jobs for the unemployed youth in the rural communities,” he said. He pointed out that registered farm holdings of one acre receives three free bags of fertilizers. According to the Municipal Officer, about 960 cocoa farmers from 20 communities in the Suhum Municipality and Ayensuano District of the Eastern Region, attended farmers rally to help prepare them for the 2014/15 cocoa season which opened in October. At those rallies, Mr. Gyasi said, he briefed participants on the need to cut down all diseased cocoa trees for replanting and rehabilitation of farms which were over 30 years and above and that: “Free ammonia, seedlings, shade trees and plantain suckers shall be supplied to farmers with farm holdings of 0.50 hectares (1.25 acres and above)”.
Source: http://www.spyghana.com/ghanaian-cocoa-farmers-undergotraining-pest-disease-control/
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UK: SOFHT celebrates 35 years in food hygiene
1979 was the year that McDonalds launched its Happy Meal, an Austin Allegro was one of the most popular cars in the UK, the average UK house price was £20k and The Society of Food Hygiene (SOFHT) was launched. Thirty-five years on SOFHT has supported its members, gathered from all areas of the food supply chain from retailers to manufacturers and suppliers in a whole range of food related milestones.
From the introduction of the Food Safety Act in 1990, BSE in 1991, E-coli outbreak in Scotland in 1996, then again in salads in 2011 through to horse meat in 2013 and Campylobacter in 2014, SOFHT has provided technical expertise to its members, news and support about food safety issues, training and events as well as awards that recognise best practice and networking opportunities.
Pictured with Alan Lacey, SOFHT Chair (cutting the cake) are (from left to right) SOFHT Council members: Su Werran, SOFHT Operations Director, John Rigarlsford, Phil Shaw, PLS Environmental Services, Heather McLucas, Müller; Fiona Kibby, Tesco; Karen Middleton, Sealed Air; Neil Griffiths, SVA.
Alan Lacey, an active member of the Society for 20 years said and its present Chair said: “The food industry has changed a great deal in the 35 years since SOFHT was launched; products and innovations that we take for granted today could not have been imagined in 1979.Neither could some of the hazards and crises we’ve encountered along the way.
“The Society has succeeded in changing and developing to meet the needs and expectations of its members. The food industry is hugely important to the UK – we export 20% of the food we produce – and we will continue to support our members with technical and legal advice so that they can optimise their businesses and deal with problems that are bound to arise as markets get more demanding and the industry becomes more complex.”
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Australia: Rocky white ants suspected to be voracious West Indian kind
Authorities are on high termite alert as investigations into a suspected case of the most destructive species in the world begin in Rockhampton. A suspected infestation of the West Indian drywood termite (Cryptotermes brevis (Walker)) was discovered by a pest inspector in a North Rockhampton at the end of 2014 and with its destructive reputation, Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) authorities aren’t taking any chances. It is believed the infestation of West Indian drywood termites was brought to Rockhampton with the furniture of a South African family who moved to Australia about six years ago. The family discovered the infestation when insects began flying out of a lounge chair. The West Indian drywood termite is an introduced species in Australia with cases considered rare nationally. Despite this, it has caused considerable economic damage to timber-in-service in Brisbane, Maryborough, Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Townsville. CQ Building and Pest Inspections owner Casey Van Hese said as long as the right authorities were notified of West Indian drywood termite discovery, there was minimal threat of it spreading. Queensland DAFF Biosecurity spokesperson Sacha Kitson said officers were investigating the reported case of West Indian drywood termites, but could not verify whether the case was yet confirmed.
Source: http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/exotic-termite-alert-raisedwest-indian-white-ants/2484216/
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USA: Public schools must record pesticide usage
Starting in January, changes to the Healthy Schools Act, a California law, will give parents the right to know what pesticides are being used around their children., Public K-12 schools and licensed child care centres will be required to develop integrated pest management (IPM) plans and send pesticide use reports to the Department of Pesticide Regulation. The changes to the HSA expands the scope of information for parents and aims to minimize pesticide use by educating school staff on the least-toxic ways to control pests. The law will require those applying pesticides, including school and child care staff and hired pest controllers, to undergo annual training to ensure they are familiar with the management plan’s principles and requirements, as well as how to safely use the chemicals on campuses. The annual training aspect will go into effect July 1, 2016. The pest management plans call for good use of sanitation, pest exclusion tactics, the use of pesticides only after other methods have failed and using the least-hazardous pesticides first. Schools previously were not sending pesticide-use reports before the new law because it wasn’t required but did keep records available if needed and applicators have already been receiving training, but it wasn’t standardized.
Before the changes, the law required only that pest management companies that apply pesticides at schools and child care centres report use to the DPR. Now, anyone who applies pesticides, including school district and child care staffers, will need to report the pesticides used, the time of application, and the location and quantity of the product.
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Italy: Major consequences’ if olive disease spreads across EU
A report by the European Food Safety Authority warns that a virulent pathogen that starves olive trees, poses a serious threat to EU olive production. The bacterium responsible, Xylella fastidiosa, presents “a major risk to the EU territory”. X. fastidiosa may affect several crops in Europe – such as citrus, grapevine and stone fruit (almond, peach, plum) – but also several tree and ornamental plants, for example oak, sycamore and oleander. Outbreaks in North and South America highlighted the potential severity of the pathogen.
Consequences such as reduced yields and costly control measures, would be the outcome if it spreads to other olive producing regions. It is already affecting a vast area in southern Italy and, as it has numerous hosts and vectors, the bacterium is expected to spread further. It has the potential to cause disease in the risk assessment area once it establishes, as hosts are present and the environmental conditions are favourable. In Brazil, where the bacterium is a problem on citrus trees, it went from just a handful of infected trees to two million infected trees in just five years. The outbreak in the Puglia region was first reported in October 2013, where almond and oleander plants also tested positive for the pathogen.
Although the outbreak is now described as officially under control, it could spread further as a result of the long-range spread of vectors. All xylem fluid-feeding insects in Europe are considered to be potential vectors. If an insect is carrying the bacteria when it feeds on the tree, the pathogen will be able to infect the plant’s life-support system. There is also concern that there could be new introductions from outside the EU via the trade in plant material, which was suspected of being the most likely source of the Puglia outbreak.
Source: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3989.htm
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Canada: New lure to manage Bed Bug infestations
Bedbug infestations can be detected and eradicated even at the earliest stages with a new insect pheromone developed by scientists at Simon Frasier University. A thorough five-year study was conducted to identify the agent or substance that would lure and trap bedbug aggregates effectively. Biology professor Gerhard Gries and his wife, Regine, also an SFU biologist, with the help students and Robert Britton, a chemist at the same academe, the researchers were able to identify the chemical substance needed to bait the bugs. The bed bug aggregation pheromone comprises five volatile components (dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal, 2-hexanone), which attract bed bugs to safe shelters, and one less-volatile component (histamine), which causes their arrestment upon contact. In infested premises, a blend of all six components is highly effective at luring bed bugs into traps. The trapping of juvenile and adult bed bugs, with or without recent blood meals, provides strong evidence t at this unique pheromone bait could become an effective and inexpensive tool for bed bug detection and potentially their control. The research, which was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, is in its final phase. The scientists are in constant coordination with Contech Enterprises, a company that sells environmentfriendly products, to finalise the formulation of the pheromone so it would be manufactured soon.
Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201409890/abstract
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….And finally
A wasp’s nest in a motorbike helmet found in a shed, taken by David Nicoll, pest control officer for Kier Harlow Ltd, in Harlow.’ Source: Bayer.
At PestTech 2014, visitors were invited to vote in Bayer’s ‘House fit for a queen’ competition, which looked for the most impressive and unusual wasp’s nest.
The Bayer exhibition stand featured picture entries of strangely located wasp’s nests, sent in by pest controllers from across the UK and visitors had the chance to vote for the most impressive entry from the five finalists. The winner was a picture of a wasp’s nest in a motorbike helmet, taken by David Nicoll, pest control officer for Kier Harlow Ltd, in Harlow. This was an apt winner, having been voted for in the National Motorcycle Museum.
David says he is over the moon to have received the winning prize of £200 worth of Bayer products. “The helmet is by far the strangest place I’ve seen a wasp’s nest, it was found in the back of a customer’s shed. I treated the nest with Bayer’s Ficam® D, and once eradicated, was given the helmet as a thank you from the customer.”
Published in International Pest Control – January/February 2015 issue
Category: International Pest News, news in brief
