AG Lab Ticked Off at Bugs (& 29, 000 Lyme cases reported in 2009)

[Guest guest]

_http://www.pjstar.com/business/x945639084/Ag-lab-ticked-off-at-bugs_

(http://www.pjstar.com/business/x945639084/Ag-lab-ticked-off-at-bugs)

Ag lab ticked off at bugs

Scientists working to find pesticide effective against Lyme carriers

" Twenty-nine thousand cxases of Lyme disease, contracted through tick

bites, were reported in 2009 to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. "

By _STEVE TARTER (starter@...)_ (mailto:starter@...)

_GateHouse News Service_ (http://www.pjstar.com/)

Posted Feb 28, 2011 @ 09:37 PM

PEORIA —

Scientists at Peoria's ag lab are working to do something about ticks.

The little critters that wait on low-hanging limbs or shrubs to suck the

blood of passersby aren't just a nuisance for dogs.

Twenty-nine thousand cases of Lyme disease, contracted through tick bites,

were reported in 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention.

Left untreated, Lyme disease can affect the joints, heart and nervous

system.

Of the hundreds of different tick species, the one that spreads the

disease, the blacklegged tick, is the focus of the study.

Behle and Lina Flor-Weiler of Peoria's National Center for

Agricultural Utilization Research are working with researchers in Connecticut

to

come up with a bio-based pesticide to solve the tick problem. " (USDA

entomologist) Kirby Stafford in Connecticut contacted me about working on the

project, " said Behle.

The Peoria team's research has focused on a natural product called

nootkatone, a substance often used as a fragrance. " People say it smells like

grapefruit, " said Behle.

The Peoria team has shown that the natural product kills ticks but

researchers are challenged to come up with a formulation that doesn't harm

plant

life.

There's another problem, as well.

" The (nootkatone) oil can be sprayed but we found it didn't last more than

a few days after being applied, " Behle said.

While research on the right formula of nootkatone is done in Peoria, field

tests are performed in Connecticut, said Behle.

Inevitably, coming up with a safe product to counter ticks comes down to

economics, he said. If the nootkatone cost can be reduced, the hope is that

the Peoria research will provide an organic answer to the elusive tick

question.

Steve Tarter can be reached at 686-3260 or starter@....

_Copyright 2011 pjstar.com. Some rights reserved_

(http://www.gatehousemedia.com/terms_of_use)

Coughlan

MA Patient Advocate

[Guest guest]

This seems like a more effective spray, and noncarcinogenic. I'm talking to

a tick spraying company to see what they think. This product, IC2 can be

easily found online.

J Med Entomol. 2010 Jul;47(4):695-8.Trial of a minimal-risk botanical

compound to control the vector tick of Lyme disease.

*Rand PW, Lacombe EH, Elias SP, Lubelczyk CB, St Amand T, RP Jr.*

Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory, Maine Medical Center Research Institute, 75

Road, Suite 9B, South Portland, ME 04106, USA.

randp@...<baf1@...>

We compared the application of IC2, a minimal-risk (25B) botanical compound

containing 10% rosemary oil, with bifenthrin, a commonly used synthetic

compound, and with water for the control of Ixodes scapularis Say (= Ixodes

dammini Spielman, Clifford, Piesman & Corwin), on tick-infested grids in

Maine, in an area where Lyme disease is established and other tick-borne

diseases are emerging. High-pressure sprays of IC2, bifenthrin, and water

were applied during the peak nymphal (July) and adult (October) seasons of

the vector tick. No ticks could be dragged on the IC2 grids within 2 wk of

the July spray, and few adult ticks were found in October or the following

April. Similarly, no adult ticks could be dragged 1.5 wk after the October

IC2 spray, and few the following April. No ticks were found on the

bifenthrin grids after either spray through the following April, whereas

substantial numbers of ticks remained throughout on the grids sprayed with

water. Thus, IC2 appears to be an effective, minimum-risk acaricide to

control the vector tick of Lyme disease.

On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 1:17 AM, <MassLyme@...> wrote:

>

>

> _http://www.pjstar.com/business/x945639084/Ag-lab-ticked-off-at-bugs_

> (http://www.pjstar.com/business/x945639084/Ag-lab-ticked-off-at-bugs)

>

>

>

> Ag lab ticked off at bugs

> Scientists working to find pesticide effective against Lyme carriers

> " Twenty-nine thousand cxases of Lyme disease, contracted through tick

> bites, were reported in 2009 to the Centers for Disease Control and

> Prevention. "

>

>

> B

>

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