Archive for the ‘Article’ Category

Steinernema carpocapsae production underway at Dudutech’s biorational labs

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S. carpocapsae is a powerful novel entomopathogenic nematode already in use in Europe and the US, and our production capabilities have helped create additional availability.

Cutworms (Agrotis spp.) and leatherjackets (Tipula spp.) are larval stage pests that damage vegetable, cereal and root crops by biting and feeding on the plant stems and leaves. To combat these pests, Dudutech has begun production and R&D of Steinernema carpocapsae a deadly pest-parasitic nematode that targets Agrotis spp. and Tipula spp. to complete their lifecycle.

Fig. 1. Typical S. carpocapsae lifecycle.

Watch this space for more news and information on “Nematech C” development.

Catherine Gacheri prepares for a new role as Regional Technical Manager 

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As Catherine Gacheri prepares for her new role as “Regional Technical Manager”, we reflect on her history in IPM at Dudutech.

 

During her 21 year tenure at Dudutech, Catherine Gacheri has blazed a trail for IPM in Kenya and now Africa. Having worked in every part of Dudutech, Catherine is uniquely positioned – with a deep understanding of every step of the IPM product journey from R&D to in-field technical support. In 2022, Catherine will also take up an exciting new role as Regional Technical Manager. 

As Dudutech expands further into new markets, the new position was created to provide customers with enhanced technical support and new product development. Catherine said, “the position offers an opportunity for career and personal growth.” As Regional Technical Manager, Catherine will also work closely with R&D, marketing and training to help farmers access information and advice. 

 

Catherine’s track record as an IPM champion 

Catherine joined Dudutech as a Field Trials Officer in 2001 after graduating from University of Nairobi with an BSc in Agriculture, although her first experience with biologicals came from ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) where she worked with natural enemies for pest control. Starting with a research role, Catherine conducted some of Africa’s earliest field trials using these biotech solutions.  

In one story Catherine told in an interview, she recalled isolating a natural enemy for aphids from her mother’s garden. In another, she spoke about her contribution to academia through her paper on what is now known as hotspot treatment that led to a new strategy that reduces the cost of natural enemy applications. (Read about the research here).

By 2002, Catherine’s role evolved into production management for the outdoor insectaries. This experience provided insight into how the mites and parasitoids behave and what makes them thrive. It also primed Catherine for the next 16 years of her career providing technical support to internal, external and international growers across Africa. 

According to Catherine, the early to mid-2000s was an adoption phase for the IPM industry. “At that time, biological pest controls were a new concept to growers in Kenya. There was little information available,” she recalled. “The landscape was very much chemical focussed so we had to prove that it works.” 

This challenge allowed Catherine the opportunity to develop close long-term relationships with the growers and share knowledge about IPM. “Despite the early hurdles, the farmers quickly realised the value of using biologicals and widespread adoption began among the commercial/export farmers,” Catherine commented. 

As exportation began to Zimbabwe and South Africa, Catherine’s deep expertise was leveraged in the new markets and her role officially became “Field Technical Support East & Southern Africa.” Using the experiences gained in Kenya, Catherine was equipped to help growers transition to IPM. Her work in the region helped cement Dudutech’s position as a leading IPM supplier in Africa. 

After 7 years in this role, she was promoted to Kenya Technical Sales Manager, bringing her closer to her family. Her existing experience and decades-long relationships with Kenyan growers meant Catherine was the best choice to drive sales in Kenya. 

During her career, Catherine has invested in personal development and continued her education, attaining a MSc in Agricultural Entomology and a PG Cert. in sales and marketing from the University of Cape Town. 

Zimbabwe’s Forrester Estate team and Phil Weller tour Ladybird Farm

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Forging strong relationships
In mid-January 2022, Dudutech hosted Phil Weller from Dudutech Zimbabwe and his customers, Chris and Ferdinand from Forrester Estate for a tour of Ladybird Farm in Naivasha, Kenya.

The trip aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the products and capabilities directly to the farmers. The group took part in a special guided backstage tour of Dudutech’s state-of-the-art facility including the outdoor and indoor insectaries, fungal and nematode production and quality control facilities.

Phil has been working with the Forrester Estate team for over 6 years to deliver sustainable crop protection to their 2,300 Ha of crops including peas, tobacco, blueberries, cereals, grasses and citrus.

“Our Dudutech trip was an eye-opener,” said Ferdinand (Forrester Estate), “it is truly amazing what growth the Dudutech team achieved with their vision, driven research and bold management. Ecological sustainability is the foundation of economic sustainability… There is much more we need to do: IPM, compost, worm farming, activated charcoal, green manure and crop rotation.”

To learn more about Dudutech in Zimbabwe, contact Phil:

Phil Weller
Zimbabwe Authorised Reseller
phil.weller@dudutech.com

New Senior Technical Lead Appointed to UG and TZ

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To support our growers in the rest of East Africa, Dudutech has appointed Festus Kilee as Senior Technical Lead, Tanzania and Uganda. Festus will drive engagement with customers and allow Dudutech to better serve them.

Festus Kilee and Livingstone Chepukel (Dudutech Senior Technical Leads) inspecting plants at Korfovouni, Tanzania.

Festus brings considerable experience to his new role having spent 3 years in Ethiopia serving Sher Afriflora, the world’s biggest flower farm, after working in IPM for cut flowers and vegetables in Kenya. 

He will regularly visit Tanzania and Uganda to ensure continuous engagement with growers, whose main focus areas are cut flowers, avocados, and macadamias. Commenting on pests and diseases, Festus said, “Avocado’s major challenges in Tanzania are: Phytophthora root-rot, Damping-off disease, False codling moth (FCM), Fruitflies, Vine weevils. Major pests for cut flowers in the area are Thrips and spider mites.” 

To help tackle these challenges, Dudutech has registered a range of products in each country. Looking at the novel challenges, Festus said, “we are making every possible effort to ensure more products are registered in these regions for a wider range of solutions to the growers.” 

Tanzania: 

  • PHYTOTECH – predatory mites for RSM 
  • BEAUVITECH – Insect-killing fungi for Thrips and Whiteflies 
  • MYTECH – Nematode-killing fungi for Plant Parasitic Nematodes 
  • LECATECH – Insect-killing fungi for Thrips and Whiteflies 
  • TRICHOTECH – Beneficial soil fungus for soil health 

Uganda: 

  • PHYTOTECH – predatory mites for RSM
  • MYTECH – Nematode-killing fungi for Plant Parasitic Nematodes 
  • TRICHOTECH – Beneficial soil fungus for soil health

According to Festus, “there is no doubt IPM is the future in farming, the growers are eager to know which solutions we can offer in a cost-effective and sustainable way.” He went on to say, the agricultural landscape in Tanzania and Uganda are very similar to Kenya, with growers open to new technologies.” 

Protecting our team through COVID-19 vaccination

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Dudutech team members registering the first shot of their COVID-19 vaccination.

As a part of our ongoing commitment to our team’s health and safety and joining the global drive to eliminate COVID-19, Dudutech is rolling out a vaccination program to the entire team. According to Benjamin Desruelle, Dudutech’s COO, the program which started on 16 April 2021 is “targeting a 100% vaccination rate for the first shot in December 2021.”

Wilson Wainaina, Dudutech’s HR manager, said “we have a reduced risk of our employees getting infected with Covid -19. As vaccination rates rise within the company, it is less likely people are to experience stress or skip health care appointments – which means happier and more productive employees.”

Dudutech team members queuing to receive the first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine at Ladybird Farm, Naivasha.

The vaccination program is aimed at helping further protect the health and wellbeing of our team. By working closely with all departments, the program has so far reached 85% of team members with the first dose, totalling 302.

The welfare committee was used to raise awareness by engaging directly with the participants. Although, Wilson said “religious beliefs and underlying medical conditions” were major challenges to the program.

Training for end-to-end QC protocols in Ethiopia a success

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The QC team during the training at Sher Afriflora, Ethiopia.

Building knowledge and understanding through QC training

Earlier this year, Constance Muholo, Dudutech Macrobial QC Manager, and the quality team from Dudutech went to Sher Afriflora’s 490Ha rose farm located at Ziway, Ethiopia to set up a QC bench at their facility. The project aimed at building customer-side knowledge and understanding, and provides end-to-end QC protocols and a team of trained technicians familiar with the process. This enables Sher to assess the condition of the mites they receive rapidly and confidently.

Constance Muholo, Dudutech Macro QC Manager, inspecting a sample under a microscope during the training session.

The effect of establishing the QC bench was almost immediately realised. The team were better able to correctly distinguish the mites within the bottles and so raised fewer queries. John Ogechah, Export Manager, said, “feedback from the customer has been positive so far.”

 

 

Phil Weller Nominated to sit on Biopesticide Advisory Board

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Phil Weller from Dudutech Zimbabwe has been nominated to represent the private sector on the Biopesticides Project Advisory Board by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB).

The board is made up of experts from the industry, research and academia, regulators and farmer bodies, and will collaborate and consult on “Enhancing Trade Through Regulatory Harmonisation and Biopesticide Based Residue Mitigation in the SADC Region.” As the name implies, the project seeks to improve the agricultural trade position for the block (which includes Tanzania, DRC, Mozambique, Malawi, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, eSwatini – formerly Swaziland – and Lesotho) by reducing pesticide residue levels through the adoption of biocontrols in agriculture.

Many major horticulture importing markets, such as the EU and US, have strict MRL (Maximum Residue Limit) regulations on the acceptable levels of pesticide residue on imported food and flowers. Globally, growers who wish to enter these markets often adopt IPM and biocontrols from Dudutech in their pest management programmes to work around MRL restrictions.

Phil Weller in a flower field outside Harare, Zimbabwe.

On being nominated, Phil said, “it is a great honour to be asked to play a part in such an important project.” With a member of the Dudutech team representing the private sector, we have a unique opportunity to help growers adopt IPM and mitigate residues on their farms.

Graph: Value Added Agriculture for SADC in US$.

According to World Bank data, since 2000, the combined value-added agriculture in the SADC region has more than doubled, from US$18 billion to around US$45 billion. Although production capabilities are in place, accessing high-value markets is a key to transforming the value of ag produce exported. By looking to other African countries which have had some success in enhancing their trade partly through the use of biologicals, such as Kenya, growers are able to see the value in adopting this new technology. For example, the same World Bank data for Kenya shows this metric balloon 10 times over from 2000 to 2020, reaching US$34.7 billion, nearly three-quarters of the value-added agriculture for the entire SADC region.

Contact us to find out more about how IPM can help you manage MRL challenges:

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Sources: World Bank Data, (2021): https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.CD?end=2020&locations=ZW-TZ-ZA-ZM-NA-SZ-LS-MW-AO-CD-MZ-KE&start=2000&view=chart

Trichotech WP now approved in Ethiopia

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Dudutech’s Ethiopia team are excited to announce that TRICHOTECH WP has been approved for importation and use in Ethiopia, giving growers a powerful new tool for preventing diseases caused by Fusarium spp. and promoting good soil health. Our team have been working closely with local authorities to bring TRICHOTECH WP to market for Ethiopian growers.

TRICHOTECH WP has been an integral part of Dudutech’s IPM portfolio since 2002 and is helping farmers in Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa and now Ethiopia, with more on the way) combat plant disease without harming beneficial organisms, farmworkers or the environment.

TRICHOTECH WP mode of action.

T. asperellum is a powerful naturally occurring beneficial soil fungus used to manage diseases caused by Fusarium spp. and to promote plant growth. Each gram of TRICHOTECH WP contains 4 billion Trichoderma asperellum spores or Colony Forming Units (CFUs) mixed in an inert carrier. Once drenched on the crop, the spores germinate and the fungus grows, defending the roots and releasing nutrients locked in undecayed organic matter. By using TRICHOTECH WP, growers can sustainably manage crop disease, improve soil health and improve the health and vigour of the plant while using fewer chemicals.

Advantages of TRICHOTECH WP:

  • Protects and promotes good soil health
  • No resistance development
  • No harmful residues
  • No MRLs
  • 0 PHI and 0 REI

Contact

Ismael Yassin
Dudutech Ethiopia

Ismael.Yassin@dudutech.com

+251 93 039 2276

 

Karibu Benjamin, Dudutech’s new COO

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FAO: Dudutech Website
REF: Benjamin Desruelle appointment.
DOI: 25/03/21

Dear All,
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Benjamin Desruelle will be joining Dudutech in the role of Chief Operating Officer – Dudutech Integrated Pest Management Ltd. Benjamin will be a member of the Dudutech Board of Directors and will be reporting to me as Managing Director, Dudutech Integrated Pest Management Ltd. All other reporting structures will remain as they are.

Benjamin has worked for Invivo Group for over seven years: His first secondment was from 2012 to 2014 within the Animal Health & Nutrition division as Operation Controller in Mexico, following this period Benjamin worked 3 years’ experience as Head of Finance at Covama. He returned to the Invivo group in 2018 as International Finance Controller for Bioline Agrosciences, the Integrated Pest Management division of Invivo, based in Paris.

At Bioline Agrosciences Benjamin has been involved in several projects, including, the creation of a subsidiary in Spain (Bioline Iberia) Implementation of new Financial Systems in France, the UK, the US & Spain, in addition, Benjamin has supported a number of major investment projects such as the construction of bio-factories in Spain and in the US. Benjamin speaks four languages – including French, Spanish, English and Portuguese.

“We are very enthusiastic to start this new life on the shores of Lake Naivasha & I particularly look forward to starting working with all of you”.

Benjamin Desruelle, Dudutech COO

Benjamin will be stationed with his family in Naivasha, Kenya. We hope they will enjoy their new neighbours – among them giraffe, zebra and other wildlife.

To find out more about his career and background, go to his Linkedin profile.

Tom Mason,
Managing Director,
Dudutech Integrated Pest Management Ltd

Delivering quality through rigorous standards

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A look into how we use our Packing and Logistics Centre to drive quality for our customers.

By Cory Smit, Dudutech Marketing

Photo: An aerial photograph of Dudutech’s Packhouse and Logistics Centre at Ladybird Farm, Naivasha (Dudutech, 2020).

Rearing biologicals is one thing – getting them around the world, alive and ready to feast, is a whole other challenge. In recent years, a significant amount of R&D focus at Dudutech has been on understanding this challenge and meeting it through innovations in quality control, cold-chain management and packaging specs. The result is consistent delivery anywhere in the world within 48 hours, without compromising the performance of the biologicals.

At Dudutech, it all starts with the people. Over 350 employees have been trained and integrated into the Dudutech family, among them doctoral and post-grad scientists, each with their own place and purpose. The team leans on their extensive collective experience to guarantee optimum product quality at every stage, from R&D to delivery on the crop.

Photo: Evans Oyo inspecting a sample under a microscope. (Dudutech/Georgina Little, 2018).

Following harvest, Jack Adundo – Technical Manager – and his dedicated QC (Quality Control) scientists vigorously check each batch on a microscopic level. By building the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System into our tried and tested Standard Operating Procedures, we ensure only products of the highest degree of quality make it to the customer’s crops. These safeguards are further buffered by pre-pack and after-pack sampling of each batch to aid quick troubleshooting and provide feedback into our continuous improvement program.

From there, their journey around the world begins. Eric Langat, who is at the head of the team at the Packhouse and Logistics Centre, fulfils the orders and uses a dynamic logistics network to secure the earliest possible delivery times.

Each of the packaging standards is continuously trialled and the resulting innovations have had a significant impact on how we pack and move the orders. The most important recent improvements are the packaging re-use scheme, the volume each order occupies, maintenance of conditions in transit, improved ease of use and optimised performance on delivery. 

In particular, the packing standards for our mites range combine an improved bottle shape and bespoke Duduvent cap design with streamlined shipping materials to balance performance, efficiency and size in transit. Duduvent provides a unique solution to the challenge. It ensures the air inside the mite’s bottles is cool and fresh and provides end-users with a better way to spread the mites on the crop.

While the tickets are being booked, each order enters our bio-chain. This specially designed and digitally monitored cold-chain system can maintain transit conditions over great distances for up to 48 hours.

Image: A bio-chain delivery vehicle used to transport biologicals under climate-controlled conditions. (Dudutech, 2020).

Our fleet of custom-designed delivery vehicles forms the backbone of our bio-chain network. These refrigerated trucks are used to distribute the orders from our Ladybird Farm in Naivasha directly to farmers in Kenya or to export customers via Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

We include digital data monitors in each shipment to gather data on humidity and temperature and this information is then carefully analysed and relayed back to the technical team for further improvement.

Fig. 1. Process flow for Dudutech’s cold-chain standard operating procedure.

 

Want to know more?

Contact us to find out how your farm can benefit from having the freshest supply of biologicals products available.

info@dudutech.com

+254704491120

Beauveria bassiana: What about the bees?

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The effect of Beauvitech on nature’s little helpers

By John Ogechah and Cory Smit

 

Beauveria bassiana is a well-known soil-dwelling entomopathogenic (insect-killing) fungus found all over the world. For more than 100 years, tons of B. bassiana spores (e.g. Beauvitech®) have been commercially produced and used for biological control of insect pests worldwide. Growers have come to rely on this clever biological action known as white muscardine disease as a major player in chemical-free pest control. 

Following increased interest in biocontrol of pest insects between 1980 and 1990, safety aspects were raised and discussed in great detail. Burges (1981) outlined the main principles and guidelines for testing the safety of insect pathogens and “that a pathogen should be registered as safe when there is reasonable evidence that it is so and in the absence of concrete evidence that it is not. A “no risk” situation does not exist, certainly not with chemical pesticides, and even with biological agents one cannot absolutely prove a negative.” 

The commercial use of entomopathogenic fungi and their products as mycoinsecticides (fungus-based insecticides), therefore, necessitates their registration based on certain safety guidelines. Beauveria bassiana is indeed registered in several countries and proof of safety to non-target organisms such as mammals, fish, amphibia, birds, pollinators etc is an important requirement before registration.

Still, the lingering question posed by farmers and indeed the greater society is “What about the bees?” In other words, how safe are mycoinsecticides and, specifically, Beauveria bassiana to these little helpers of nature?

There are numerous peer-reviewed papers on the effect of B. bassiana on honeybees and other beneficial organisms. Examples are presented in Table I below. Notable is the fact that most of the studies were done in the laboratory and only a few in the field. 

The vast majority of the studies done on bees conclude that despite the wide host range of B. bassiana, this fungus can be used with minimal impact on honeybees and other non-target organisms. Some experiments showed that B. Bassiana can be blown directly into hives to manage Varroa destructor mites (Acari: Varroidae) without a negative effect on the bee colonies (Miekle et al., 2008; Rodríguez et al. 2009). Another set of experiments looked at using honeybees to distribute B. bassiana spores directly to crop flowers and foliage (Almazra’awi et al. 2006). Similarly, no adverse effects on the bees were reported. 

In one case, however, Almazra’awi (2007) reports that B. bassiana strains caused high mortality in caged bees dusted with dry formulations of high concentrations (10⁸-10 CFUg-1). Interestingly, in the same paper (Almazra’awi, 2007), exposure of whole beehives under field conditions resulted in low mortality that was not different from the controls regardless of the isolate tested. This points to the difference between the physiological host range and the ecological host range (Hajek & Butler 2000). 

The physiological host range demonstrates the range of insect species that can be infected in the laboratory, while the ecological host range demonstrates which insects can be infected in nature or under field conditions. Non-target insects which are infected under laboratory conditions, may not necessarily be infected in nature (Zimmermann, 2007)

We conclude that despite the wide host range of B. bassiana, evidence to date suggests that this fungus can be used with minimal impact on non-target organisms, especially when isolate selection and spacio-temporal factors are taken into consideration. Our answer is unwavering: Beauveria bassiana (Beauvitech®) has no negative effect on honeybees (Apis mellifera) in normal field conditions. In fact, there are numerous examples of benefits B. bassiana can have with and for bees. 

 

Table I. Examples of effects of B. bassiana (strains and formulations) on beneficial and non-target organisms.

 

Beneficial organism Fungus (Strain/ Formulation) Lab./ Field Trials (L/F) Results/Observations Reference
Amblyseius cucumeris  B. bassiana (Naturalis-L, BotaniGard WP) L/F No detrimental effect when sprayed onto excised cucumber leaves Jacobson et al. (2001)
Aphidius colemaniOrius insidiosusPhytoseiulus persimilisEncarsia formosa  B. Bassiana (commercial formulation, strain JW-1) L Highly susceptible under laboratory conditions, lower infection rates in greenhouse Ludwig and Oetting (2001)
Apis mellifera  B. bassiana  F Conidia were applied in bee hives: low mortality and no noticeable effect on behaviour, larvae and colony characteristics Alves et al. (1996)
Apis mellifera  B. bassiana (unformulated spore preparation) L B. bassiana reduced bee longevity at the two highest concentrations tested and caused mycosis at 106–108 spores per bee Vandenberg (1990)
Apis mellifera  B. bassiana (Naturalis-L, Bio-Power) L 30-day dietary and contact studies had no significant effect; LC50 (23 days, ingestion) 9.285 µg/bee Copping (2004)
Apis mellifera  B. bassiana L High mortality in caged bees dusted with dry formulation at high concentration (108-109 CFUg-1)Very low mortality following exposure to high inoculum densities regardless of the isolate.  Al mazrawi (2007)
Apis mellifera  M. anisopliae, B. bassiana, B. thuringiensis L M. anisopliae and B. bassiana reduced survival of A. mellifera when sprayed directly, all did not induce morphometric alterations in the midgut. Potrich et al. (2017)
Arthropod and nematode populations B. bassiana (Naturalis-L) F Chlorpyrifos had a stronger negative impact than the microbial treatment Wang et al. (2001)
Bembidion lampros Agonum dorsale  B. bassiana  F/L A negligible number was infected; low susceptibility of both species Riedel and Steenberg (1998)
Bombus terrestris  B. bassiana  L/F Able to infect bumblebees; it appears that there are no risks if the fungus is incorporated into the soil or sprayed onto plants that are not attractive to bumblebees Hokkanen et al. (2003)
Carabidae: Calanthus micropterusC. piceusCarabus violaceus Cychrus caraboidesLeistus ruefescens Nebria brevicollis, Pterostichus oblongopunctatus, P. niger  B. bassiana  L No adverse effects noticed Hicks et al. (2001)
Carabidae, Staphylinidae B. bassiana  F Infection levels in adult ground beetles and rove beetles were low (Carabidae max. 7.6% and Staphylinidae max. 7.0%); an epizootic in the staphylinid Anotylus rugosus (67%) and Gyrohypnus angustatus (37%) was observed Steenberg et al. (1995)
Cephalonomia tarsalis  B. bassiana  3 h exposure to 100 and 500 mg kg−1 wheat resulted in 52.5 and 68.6% mortality Lord (2001)
Chrysoperla carnea  B. bassiana  L Temperature, starvation and nutrition stresses significantly affected the susceptibility; nutrition stress caused the most increase in adult and larval mortality Donegan and Lighthart (1989)
Coleomegilla maculate  B. bassiana (isolate ARSEF 3113) L/F No mortality was observed Pingel and Lewis (1996)
Coleomegilla maculate and Eriopis connexa  B. bassiana (isolate ARSEF 731) L Mortality after direct application of spores; exposure via sprayed leaf surfaces resulted in no infection Magalhaes et al. (1988)
Coleomegilla maculate lengi  B. bassiana (10 isolates) L 6 isolates were highly virulent, 3 isolates caused low mortality Todorova et al. (2000)
Diadegma semiclausum  B. bassiana  L Detrimental effects on cocoon production and emergence depending on the concentration Furlong (2004)
Formica polyctena  B. brongniartii  F No negative effects noticed Dombrow (1988)
Earthworms: Lumbricus terrestris and others B. brongniartii (commercial product of barley grains) L/F No effect in a lab and in field noticed Hozzank et al. (2003)
Earthworms: Lumbricus terrestris  B. brongniartii  L No effect on earthworms noticed Arregger-Zavadil (1992)
Earthworms: Aporrectodea caliginosa  B. bassiana (Bb64) L No effect on hatching rate of cocoons Nuutinen et al. (1991)
Lysiphlebus testaceipeAphidius colmani  B. bassiana  F No significant impacts on both parasitoids Murphy et al. (1999)
Megachile rotundata  B. bassiana (strain for grasshopper control) L Spray-application of flowering alfalfa in pots: female and male mortality averaged 9%; no difference in treatment and control; however B. bassiana grew out from dead bees Goettel and Johnson (1992)
Nontarget arthropods (forests) B. brongniartii  F Only 1.1% of 10.165 collected insects and spiders were infected Baltensweiler and Cerutti (1986)
Nontarget arthropods (forests) B. brongniartii  F 1671 nontarget specimens were collected: 3.4% of them were infected, mainly species from Araneae, Thysanoptera, Homoptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera Back et al. (1988)
Nontarget arthropods (major predators, parasitoids and pollinators on rangeland) B. bassiana (strain GHA) F No statistical differences in the abundance of aerial insects Brinkman and Fuller (1999)
Nontarget arthropods (forests) B. bassiana (emulsifiable concentrate) F From 3615 invertebrates collected, only 2.8% became infected; B. bassiana could be applied to forest soil without a significant negative impact on forest-dwelling invertebrate population Parker et al. (1997)
Non-target beetle communities B. bassiana (strain SP 16) F No detectable effects Ivie et al. (2002)
Perillus bioculatus  B. bassiana (six isolates) L 5 isolates were highly pathogenic, isolate IPP46 showed low pathogenicity Todorova et al. (2002)
Pimelia senegalensisTrachyderma hispidaBracon hebetorApoanagyrus lopezi  B. bassiana  L No infection in P. senegalensis and T. hispida; 100% mortality in the parasitoids B. hebetor and A. lopezi  Danfa et al. (1999)
Poecilus versicolor  B. brongniartii (Melocont-Pilzgerste, Melocont-WP, and Melocont-WG) L No significant negative effects on P. versicolor could be observed Traugott et al. (2005)
Predatory mites:O. insidiosus  B. Bassiana (Botanigard ES) F Can be used Shipp et al. (2003)
A. colemaniDacnusa sibiria      Not recommended during application of B.bassiana   
Parasites:         
Encarsia formosa Eretmocerus eremicusAphidoletes aphidimyza      Used with caution during application of B. bassiana   
Prorops nasuta  B. bassiana (3 isolates) L Strain 25 caused the lowest infection level De La Rosa et al. (2000)
Serangium parcesetosum  B. bassiana  L The predator had significantly lower survivorship when sprayed with B. bassiana than with P. fumosoroseus; feeding on B. bassiana contaminated prey caused 86% mortality Poprawski et al. (1998)

Adapted from Zimmermann (2007).

 

References:

William G. Meikle, Guy Mercadier, Niels Holst, Christian Nansen, Vincent Girod. Impact of a treatment of Beauveria bassiana (Deuteromycota: Hyphomycetes) on honeybee (Apis mellifera) colony health and on Varroa destructor mites (Acari: Varroidae). Apidologie, Springer Verlag, 2008, 39 (2), pp.247-259. Ffhal-00892301f

Marta Rodríguez, Marcos Gerding, Andrés France. Selection of entomopathogenic fungi to control Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae). Chilean J. Agric. Res. – Vol. 69 – Nº 4 – 2009

Burges, HD. 1981. “Safety, safety testing and quality control of microbial pesticides”. In Microbial control of pests and plant diseases 1970–1980, Edited by: Burges, HD. 737767. London: Academic Press.

Hajek, AE and Butler, L. 2000. “Predicting the host range of entomopathogenic fungi”. In Nontarget effects of biological control, Edited by: Follett, PA and Duan, JJ. 263276. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

S. Al Mazra’awi, J. L. Shipp, A. B. Broadbent, P. G. Kevan, Dissemination of Beauveria bassianaby Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) for Control of Tarnished Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) on Canola, Environmental Entomology, Volume 35, Issue 6, 1 December 2006, Pages 1569–1577, https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/35.6.1569

Zimmermann, G. (2007) Review on safety of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Beauveria brongniartii, Biocontrol Science and Technology, 17:6, 553-596, DOI: 10.1080/09583150701309006

Al Mazra’awi, M. S. (2007). Impact of entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana on honeybees, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Worl Journal of Agricultural Science 3(1): 07-11, 2007.