New Ways Of Fighting the Pest War In The United States

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 15118, 29 October 1949, Page 5

New Ways Of Fighting the Pest War In The United States

The Primary Producer

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISE CO-OPERATE

(Special to the Times) Man’s war against insects that throughout the world annually destroy billions of dollars worth of crops and livestock and carry diseases causing untold losses in human lives is being stepped up in the United States through the development of new synthetic insecticides. Governmental agencies and private American companies

are co-ojvrating in research to discover these new and better pestkillers, and in tests to find out where and how each can best be used. Toxaphene, parathion and chlordane are but a few of the new synthetic compounds- supplementing such natural products as pyrethrum, rotenone, and nicotine, and inorganic compounds such as lead and calcium arsenates, and sulphur. The synthetic compounds are being employed in a wide range of pest control efforts in the United States, from community spraying against flies to all-out air attacks on grasshoppers. Tne newly-developed chemicals complement each other in many cases. Several have been found esspecially effective for one type of insect. Some may be ieixtremely valuable for one purpose while harmful for another. It is for these reasons that the United States Department of Agriculture and others are conducting tests constantly on new insecticides, not only to widen the range of their usefulness but to discover their limitations. Chlordane Widely T sted One of the new pest-killers, which has been widely tested and is now being produced commercially, is chlordane. It has been found highly effective against grasshoppers, immediately curbing this voracious crop eater’s appetite and killing it within 48 to 72 hours. In addition cotton boll weevils, curculios, alfalfa weevils, wire worms, ants and roaches have been found susceptible to chlordano’s fatal action. Another chemical used against grasshoppers is toxaphene, which is derived from the southern pine. Because of outstanding test results obtained in 1948, it is also being recommended for use in cottongrowing areas to control boll weevils, boll worms, cotton aphids, leafworms and the southern green stink bugs. Also found useful as an animal

and crop spray is rnetnoxychlor. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends it in place of DDT as a spray for dairy cattle. In contrast to DDT, it is non-toxic to humans, and apparently is not absorbed in j cow’s milk. Lindane, the essentially pure gamma isomer of benzene hexa- ! chloride, is highly regarded by United States entomologists as a residual spray for fly control in dairies. It is free from objectionable odour and has the advantage of killing flies that have developed resistance to DDT, This compound also is said to be useful against roaches, ants, mosquitoes, cotton boll weevils, and for the control of lice on beef cattle. Tests Over Three Years Good results in protecting fruit and vegetable crops have been obtained with another new synthetic parathion. This insecticide attacks a whole host of insects previously difficult to destroy, including the European red mite, mealybug, pear psylla, curculio, aphids, Mexican bean beetle, corn borers, and thrips. Pyrenone-based compounds, chemically named piperonyl butoxide and pyperonyl cylonene, are reported useful for insect control by dairymen and beef cattle raisers. They have been found nontoxic to warm blooded animals in throe years of tests. Insecticides containing pyronones also can be safely used on growing crops and in food warehouses and processing plants without creating toxic hazards, it is reported. When mixed with pyrethrum, which is extracted in natural form from a daisy-like flower, they increase the effectiveness of the natural product several fold. A synthetic form of pyrethrum, which has proved eaual to the natural product in preliminary tests was recently developed by the United States Department of Agriculture entomologists commenced production of it is expected to start soon.