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A FRAGRANT FUTURE in the world of PEST CONTROL

This world is opening up with ever greater determination to technological innovations, understanding that the key to success is hidden in product innovation, in order to be able to differentiate itself also in the years to come

Luca Ilorini

The universe of pest control represents the most distant that can be appreciated at the moment from the colorful and artistic world of perfumes, but in a constantly evolving sector such as that of disinfestation, which makes innovation an added value and the key to ensuring a rosy future, the distance between the two aforementioned worlds is decidedly flattened and the perfume can become a valid ally for controlling pests. A trend that is becoming increasingly decisive thanks to the presence of research institutes that have decided to invest in the segment, in order to find new solutions that can be more oriented towards environmental sustainability.

PERFUMES FOR NEW PESTICIDES

Probably many people would be able to recognize methyl benzoate by smelling it: the fruity and winter floral aromas of the natural compound make it a popular ingredient for the creation of perfumes used for the production of soaps and shampoos; snapdragons and petunias emit methyl benzoate to attract bees for pollination and the insects themselves

also produce it as an attractant. Chemist Aijun Zhang, with the Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory of the Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, in the United States, has found a new possible use for methyl benzoate: an ecological control for pests, including spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an invasive species from Asia. First found in California in 2008, SWD has rapidly spread to the United States and can cause significant damage to fruit crops, especially berries; there are currently few effective measures against this pest and the control of the research in question makes possible to create a new bio-based pesticide based on an inexpensive chemical, whose residue lasts a relatively short time in the environment. Zhang then tested methyl benzoate against other agricultural pests, including the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), diamondback moth, and tobacco hornworm, finding that it can kill all stages of these insects - egg, nymph, and adult - although it works better against smaller insects than larger ones. In early tests, methyl benzoate is 5 to 20 times more toxic to the eggs of BMSB, diamondback moths and tobacco hornworms than a conventional pyrethroid insecticide, a mixture of sulfur and pyrethrin, and some organic products on the market. It is also being studied whether the use of methyl benzoate in low doses can help control Varroa mites, the major threat for honey bees nowadays. In addition to being a synthetic raw material, methyl benzoate is a natural component of essential oils such as ylang ylang and jasmine, from which it can be extracted with separation procedures of the single component, albeit in small traces in the latter.

FRAGRANCES TO DISINFECT: BETWEEN REAL EFFECTIVENESS AND VANITY

Fragrances, alone, could hardly perform an effective pest control action if used as the only element for disinfestation but it is necessary to use a traditional method, especially in the case of post-infestation, where only ‘scented’ repellents are not effective. Undoubtedly, there are some ‘smells’ that can be used in order to prevent and discourage infestation, perhaps in accordance with a more widely used solution based on classical methods. While lavender, from literature sources, is particularly indigestible for fleas, on the contrary there are hints of cinnamon, citrus fruits and the aromas of tea tree to discourage spiders, and the combination of cloves and turmeric is useful to prevent the invasion of ants: as we can see, the combinations and preferences of odors to which the individual insect families are sensitive are numerous and varied: a situation that goes well with the possibility of creating fragrances to be diffused in the air during or before the actual disinfestation phase in order to have the different olfactory notes together with each other and to obtain a large scale effect that is active on different species, at least as regards the perfuming phase. Using fragrances, especially if natural, can help players in the pest control sector to boast the presence of a claim linked to non-invasive and non-toxic solutions, helping at least partially to ‘fight’ some of the clichés usually associated with the world of pest control: fragrances represent an excellent solution that arises at the interface between an effectiveness, not easily demonstrable, and which must be supported by more classic solutions, and the ‘vanity’ or hedonism that the world of essences brings with it and that brings them into a position of future investment in terms of research for future potential in the world of pest control.

THE CASE OF PEPPERMINT OIL

The insecticidal activity of the essential oil of Mentha piperita is extremely known against numerous insects, especially mosquitoes as vectors of diseases, and is attributable to the presence of menthol, which is the main aromatic compound of the oil: the minor compounds, i.e. menthone, β-caryophyllene, mentyl acetate, isomenthone, menthyl acetate limonene, α-pinene and pulegone, showed less or no activity against the same insect species and a similar investigation was conducted on the post synthesis derivatives of menthol and their abatement and mortality effect was carefully evaluated. The

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synthesis of the derivatives followed by studies on the structure-activity relationship identified several derivatives, for example mentyl chloroacetate, menthyl dichloroacetate, mentyl cinnamate, menthone glyceryl acetal, thymol, α - terpineol and mugethanol, with a greater insecticidal activity than the compound parent L - menthone. In conclusion, in the ester derivatives of L-menthol the optimal activity depends on the size and shape of the ester group and on the presence of chlorine atoms in the ester group, furthermore in the structurally correlated derivatives of L-menthol the optimal activity depends on the aromaticity, the degree of unsaturation, the position of the hydroxy group and the type of functional group. In the professional pest control market there are numerous players worldwide, especially from America and Australia, who have worked to create disinfection solutions with peppermint, boasting the use of safe products with a claim of naturalness combined with the presence of a 100% natural essential oil able to guarantee excellent coverage over time, a parameter highly appreciated by end customers and decisive in many dynamics of assigning the disinfection of large public spaces, since it represents an important added value for those who want to have a final result of absolute quality.

FRAGRANCES IN PESTICIDES: AN ALREADY PRESENT TREND IN THE US WORLD

A model to be inspired by for a safe use of fragrances combined with the world of pesticides and the universe of pest control is the American one, since the United States has long since identified a robust model that allows a safe use of fragrances in finished products such as pesticides. On the EPA website (United States Environmental Protection Agency), a continuously updated tool has been available for some time; this tool allows people to proceed with the registration of the fragrances to be included in the product, in order to guarantee total traceability of the chemical composition of the fragrance in case of controls and, above all, in the unfortunate scenario of the occurrence of an adverse event. This document provides guidance for the Pilot Fragrance Notification Program (PFNP) of the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), for registrants seeking to

add new or modify existing fragrances into new or currently registered pesticide products. In addition, registrants seeking to register new products can now participate. The pilot project ran for two years and started in September 2011. This guidance document includes eligibility criteria for participation, submission, requirements and instructions for submission, including certification forms and the audit procedure if any. Registrants must certify that all components of the proposed new fragrance are included in the Fragrance Ingredient List (FIL) and that the concentration of the fragrance to be added or changed does not exceed 1.0% (by weight) of the total composition of the pesticide product: in this way it is understood how, through the adoption of stringent parameters, the risk of unexpected variations at the level of final use of the finished product

and consequently of possible undesirable effects at the level of use of the final article during the pest control phase is minimized. Traceability at the highest levels has allowed the United States to achieve, in recent years, high quality standards in the world of pest control, another feature that has made this country a driving nation to look at with a spirit of emulation, as regards the use of fragrances related to the world of pest control. ■

TRADITION, Research and

DEVELOPMENT

Spray Team is a company born in 1994 from the will of a group of technicians determined to make the most of their twenty years of experience gained in the construction of atomizers and nebulizers. In addition to immediately producing traditional trailed sprayers, such as the Start and Wind models, mainly used in agriculture, Spray Team perfects the construction and sale of equipment and machines for urban disinfestation and disinfection and for the treatment of public and urban greenery. To date, the agricultural sector covers only 0.5% of production, as the company has decided to invest heavily on the pest control market: in fact, there are now thousands of companies that produce atomizers, saturating this market area. In pest control sector, however, there are few manufacturers and competition is reduced to a minimum. In mid-2019 Spray Team signed a partnership contract with Gate Srl, a university spin-off and an innovative start-up, which has perfected electrochemical technology. The particular conformation of the electrolytic cell developed by Gate allows to carry out the electrolysis process of water containing chlorides, at neutral pH, with the maximum production of hypochlorous acid, even starting from only the chlorides contained in the mains water of mineral derivation, without further additions. This process is capable of generating large volumes of highly disinfectant water, which, rather than for urban disinfestation, is used in environmental sanitation. Spray Team has also developed atomizers for spraying the electrolyzed water, designing specific nozzles capable of obtaining dry air. It is with this technology that the company intends to get into the hospitality sector.

BATTERY POWERED ATOMIZERS

We have been committed for years to the research and development of solutions for reduction of acoustic and environmental impact. This is why we start the production of our sprayers for sanitization and pest control, ensuring quality and efficiency for both indoor and outdoor use. Spray Team’s new battery-powered models are designed to protect the environment and the operator’s well-being by reducing polluting emissions to zero and lowering noise levels while ensuring high performance in terms of durability and working hours. An important step towards a cleaner, and above all a healthier world.

Llevamos años dedicando nuestro compromiso a la investigación y desarrollo de soluciones con reducido impacto acústico y ambiental. Es por eso que la producción de nuestros rociadores para la desinfección y control de plagas asegura calidad y eficiencia tanto para uso en interiores como en exteriores. Los nuevos modelos a batería de Spray Team están diseñados para proteger el medio ambiente y el bienestar del operador reduciendo las emisiones contaminantes a cero y reduciendo los niveles de ruido al tiempo que garantizan un alto rendimiento en términos de durabilidad y horas de trabajo. Un paso importante hacia un mundo más limpio y, sobre todo, más saludable.