December 11, 2007

Natural feed additive kills insects through dehydration

In an age where environmental and food safety concerns act to limit the range of feed additives producers can use to control pests, companies are rolling out natural alternatives that would ensure safe and environmentally friendly use.

One such product, offered by supplier Perma-Guard, kills insects by dehydrating them. The microscopically fine, sharp edges of the product desiccate the insects' exoskeleton upon contact and the pests dehydrate and die within hours. The physical way of killing insects also meant that unlike the situation with commercial insecticides, pests have no way of developing immunity.

The main ingredient, fossil shell flour, is the fossilized remains of microscopic shells created by one celled plants called diatoms The company named these substances  food-grade diatomaceous earth and obtained them from fresh water deposits. The company said the product has been cleared by the FDA as a feed additive.

The material has also been approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute of the US, which deemed it suitable for use in any type of organic production or farming.

The fossil shell flour is non poisonous to warm blooded animals but is deadly to insects such as flies. Thus the product creates a no-fly zone for livestock and feed storing environments as well as crops, the company said.

The company claims the product has passed exhaustive tests from the USDA, Kansas State University, and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

The products have been proven successful in protecting stored grain, seeds and  crops in the field from insect infestations without the addition of any chlorinated phosphates, systemic poisons or chemical compounds commonly found in commercial insecticides, the company claimed.

Perma-Guard insecticides contain Pyrethrum, a vegetable, digestible extract from a variety of Chrysanthemum flowers that is deadly poison to insects and other forms of cold blooded life, but virtually non-toxic to warm-blooded life, the company said.

The addition of Pyrethrum and Piperonyl butoxide is to irritate the bug, causing physical action, allowing the diatomaceous earth to work more quickly.

Perma-Guard, Inc bills itself as the largest supplier of food-grade diatomaceous earth products in the world.