PestRid

PestRid is designed to combat insects biologically, it is a combination of Bacillus Thuringiensis, Beauveria bassiana, Actinomycete …

What is Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) ?

Bt is a microbe naturally found in soil. It makes proteins that are toxic to immature insects (larvae). There are many types of Bt. Each targets different insect groups. Target insects include beetles, mosquitoes, blackflies, caterpillars, and moths.

What are some products that contain Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt)?
Currently, Bt strains are found in over 180 registered pesticide products.Bt products are used on crops and ornamental plants. Others are used in and around buildings, in aquatic settings, and in aerial applications. These products are commonly sprays, dusts, granules, and pellets. Some of these products are approved for use in organic agriculture.

How does Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt) work ?
Bt makes toxins that target insect larvae when eaten. In their gut, the toxins are activated. The activated toxin breaks down their gut, and the insects die of infection and starvation. Death can occur within a few hours or weeks. The different types of Bt create toxins that can only be activated by the target insect larvae. In contrast, when people eat the same toxins, the toxins are not activated and no harm occurs. Each type of Bt toxin is highly specific to the target insect. For example, the ‘kurstaki’ type targets caterpillars. The ‘isrealensis’ type targets immature flies and mosquitoes. Little to no direct toxicity to non-target insects has been observed.

What is Beauveria bassiana ?

Beauveria bassiana is a fungus which causes a disease in insects known as the white muscadine. When insects or pests comes in contact with the spores of this fungus with the skin, they germinate and grow directly through the cuticle to the inner body of their host. The fungus grow by rapid production of new parts throughout the insect’s body, producing toxins and draining the insect of nutrients,and this kills the insect. Unlike bacteria and viral pathogens of pests, Beauveria and other fungal pathogens infect the pests as it comes in contact and do not need to be taken or consumed by the pests to cause infection in them. Once the Beauveria fungus has killed its host, it grows back out through the weaker portions of the cuticle, covering the insect with a layer of white mold. This downy mold produces millions of new infective spores that are released into the surrounding.

Beauveria bassiana can be used as a biological insecticide to control a number of pests such as termites, whiteflies, and many other insects.  As an insecticide, the spores are sprayed on affected crops as an emulsified suspension or wettable powder .

As a species, Beauveria bassiana parasitizes a very wide range of arthropod hosts, and therefore considered nonselective biological insecticides. These should not be applied to flowers visited by pollinating insects.

Known targets include:

• Aphids
• Whiteflies
• Mealybugs
• Psyllids
  • Lygus bugs
  • Chinch bug
• Grasshoppers
• Stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys)
• Thrips
• Termites
• Fire ants
• Flies
• Stem borers
  • Fungal gnats
  • Shoreflies
• Beetles
  • Coffee borer beetle
  • Colorado potato beetle
  • Mexican bean beetle
  • Japanese beetle
  • Boll weevil
  • Cereal leaf beetle
  • Bark beetles
  • Emerald ash borer (in conjunction with the parasitoid wasp Tetrastichus planipennisi)
  • Black vine weevil
  • Strawberry root weevil
• Caterpillars
  • European corn borer
  • Codling moth
  • Douglas fir tussock moth
  • Invasive silkworms
• Mites

Beauveria bassiana (白僵菌) is more effective to soft scale insects in comparison to the effectiveness of Metarhizium anisopliae (绿僵菌) on harder scale insects.

Preliminary research has shown the fungus is 100% effective in eliminating bed bugs exposed to cotton fabric sprayed with fungus spores. It is also effective against bed bug colonies due to B. bassiana carried by infected bugs back to their harborages. All subjects died within 5~8 days of exposure.

There are many disadvantages associated with the use of chemical pesticides like genetic variations (null mutant) in plant populations, which further reduce the pesticide efficacy, reduction of beneficial species, poisoning of food and health problems such as cancer which makes biopesticides to come into picture.

Applications:
1. The integrated use of entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana with botanical insecticide, neem against Bemisia tabaci on eggplant “Click link”.

Why  Actinomycetes is added ?

Functions / Role of actinomycetes ….
1. Many genera species and strains (eg. Streptomyces if actinomycetes produce/synthesize number of antibiotics like Streptomycin, Terramycin, Aureomycin etc.

2. Spinosad, Spinetoram, Abamectin, Avermectin are the metabolites produced by the fermentation process from a soil actinomycetes.

These substances have fungicidal and pesticidal properties towards the crops.

Dosage:
2gm/ Liter ;  40gm / 20 Liters
( Activate the mixture with same amount of molasses > 2 hours for better result )

Standard packing :
MYR8/100gm,  MYR55/Kg

Note for fermentation :
Fermentation is the most appropriate process for production of steriod, antibiotics, amino acids and some food additives. They are the result of the metabolism of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, yeast and actinomycetes). Productivity of microbial enzymes …. protease and endotoxins, can be regulated by optimizing the nutritional supplements in culture medium such as Carbon, Nitrogen, Starch and other culture parameter, for instance, air flow rate (Oxygen), pH, fermentation time and stirring frequency.

Precautions :
Avoid mixed with any fungicide.
Avoid high temperature, moisture and direct sunlight in storage

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