1/29/2016
EPA Removes Bee Toxicity Warning from SPEAR Bioinsecticide
Jennifer Zurko
Vestaron Corporation, a developer of peptide-based insecticides, announced that it has received U.S. EPA approval to delete the bee toxicity warning statement from its SPEAR Biopesticide label following a review. The removal of the toxicity statement is supported by third-party topical and feeding evaluations that show SPEAR has no increased mortality or detrimental effects to honeybees.
The results of these studies were presented at an invited talk at the AgChem Summit 2015: Pollinators and Pesticides on December 2 in Arlington, Virginia.
After presenting the talk, Robert Kennedy, Chief Scientific Officer at Vestaron, commented, “It’s exciting to unveil our more environmentally compatible biopesticides, which for the first time perform comparably to synthetic insecticides.”
John Sorenson, CEO of Vestaron, added “This is a transformative time for Vestaron. We are leading the way in development of new insecticidal peptides with the 2016 commercialization of SPEAR for control of thrips in greenhouses. And in early 2016, we will be submitting additional data to the EPA on SPEAR’s effects on beneficial insects used in greenhouses.”
The SPEAR family of bioinsecticides utilizes two new unique modes-of-action with no known resistance. This family of biopesticides is based on natural peptides that degrade to useful nutrients in the environment.
More information at
www.vestaron.com.
GT