Pyrethrins is the world’s most widely used plant-based insecticide active ingredient.Offering a myriad of benefits versus both alternative natural extracts and synthetic chemistry, natural Pyrethrins provides broad-spectrum contact kill of most insects. With its favourable toxicology profile, short environmental persistence, and short withholding period, Pyrethrins-based products are used in more sensitive applications including pest control in food processing environments
Why is Pyrethrum better?
- Pyrethrum is a natural insecticide produced by the daisy-like plant pyrethrum, Tanacetumcinerariifolium(also known as Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium).
- The insecticide is concentrated in the flowers of the growing plant.
- The active consists of six molecules called the pyrethrins, which have very similar structures, chemical and insecticidal properties.
- Pyrethrum has a very long history of use as an insecticide and studies of the structures and mode of action of the pyrethrins wereused to develop the synthetic pyrethriods such as permethrin, bioallerthrin and cypermethrin.
Insecticidal characteristics of Pyrethrum
- Pyrethrum is a broad-spectrum insecticide, which is effective against a wide range of pests including common household pestssuch as flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and agricultural / garden pests such as caterpillars, whiteflies, aphids, leafhoppers, beetlesand thrips.
- Pyrethrum also acts as a repellent and an ‘exciter’ – increasing the activity of many insects so that they are ‘flushed’ out of theirhiding places. This increases the exposure of the pest with the insecticide.
- Another feature of pyrethrum is rapid-knockdown (or fast-action) compared to many other insecticides.
- Pyrethrum is generally combined with a synergist, such as piperonylbutoxide, which increases efficacy.
Environmental characteristics of Pyrethrum
- Pyrethrum is rapidly decomposed in natural sunlight and air.
- Pyrethrum is poorly absorbed and translocated by plants.
- It has low volatility, is readily biodegradable and is classified as immobile in soil (McCall classification system).
- Pyrethrum does not persist in the environment. Pyrethrum sprays tend to remain on the surface of plants and soil where theyare rapidly degraded to harmless metabolites including CO2.
- Tests have shown that only 3% of applied pyrethrum remains within 5 days of being sprayed onto the leaves of potatoesand tomatoes.
Toxicological characteristics of Pyrethrum
- Pyrethrum has very low mammalian toxicity.
- The pyrethrins are extensively metabolised by mammals. None of the degradation products are known to be harmful.
- The pyrethrins and their degradation products are excreted from the body.
- Tests on human volunteers show that the pyrethrins are poorly absorbed through the skin. Only 0.22% of an applied dosewas absorbed over 8 h and most of this was excreted in the urine within 24 h.
- Pyrethrum is a broad-spectrum insecticide which is effective against a wide range of insect pests.
- Pyrethrum is a natural insecticide produced by the daisy-like plant pyrethrum, Tanacetumcinerariifolium(also known as Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium).
- The insecticide is concentrated in the flowers of the growing plant.
- The active consists of six molecules called the pyrethrins, which have very similar structures, chemical and insecticidal properties.
- Pyrethrum has a very long history of use as an insecticide and studies of the structures and mode of action of the pyrethrins wereused to develop the synthetic pyrethriods such as permethrin, bioallerthrin and cypermethrin.
- Pyrethrum is a broad-spectrum insecticide, which is effective against a wide range of pests including common household pestssuch as flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and agricultural / garden pests such as caterpillars, whiteflies, aphids, leafhoppers, beetlesand thrips.
- Pyrethrum also acts as a repellent and an ‘exciter’ – increasing the activity of many insects so that they are ‘flushed’ out of theirhiding places. This increases the exposure of the pest with the insecticide.
- Another feature of pyrethrum is rapid-knockdown (or fast-action) compared to many other insecticides.
- Pyrethrum is generally combined with a synergist, such as piperonylbutoxide, which increases efficacy.
- Pyrethrum is rapidly decomposed in natural sunlight and air.
- Pyrethrum is poorly absorbed and translocated by plants.
- It has low volatility, is readily biodegradable and is classified as immobile in soil (McCall classification system).
- Pyrethrum does not persist in the environment. Pyrethrum sprays tend to remain on the surface of plants and soil where theyare rapidly degraded to harmless metabolites including CO2.
- Tests have shown that only 3% of applied pyrethrum remains within 5 days of being sprayed onto the leaves of potatoesand tomatoes.
- Pyrethrum has very low mammalian toxicity.
- The pyrethrins are extensively metabolised by mammals. None of the degradation products are known to be harmful.
- The pyrethrins and their degradation products are excreted from the body.
- Tests on human volunteers show that the pyrethrins are poorly absorbed through the skin. Only 0.22% of an applied dosewas absorbed over 8 h and most of this was excreted in the urine within 24 h.
- Pyrethrum is a broad-spectrum insecticide which is effective against a wide range of insect pests.