Richard Stoner, Founder & President, AgriHouse Inc
Denver - A company in Berthoud is producing a new eco-friendly EPA registered biopesticide solution, ODC, it that could help turn the tide in the ongoing battle against pine beetles.
Mountain pine beetles (MPB) are ravaging trees across the West and Northwest, including Canada making many areas fire-prone while damaging residential property values. Many climate researchers say the loss of ‘CO2 scrubbing pine forests’ is contributing to global warming.
AgriHouse President Richard Stoner claims ODC is completely harmless to people and animals. Stoner points the main ingredient in ODC - a colloidal chitosan solution made from shrimp and lobster shell - is not toxic to mammals or the environment as other beetle treatments can be. ODC pre-arms the tree to defend itself against the pine beetle and the deadly blue stain fungus it carries.
"It's definitely a tool in integrated pest management (IPM) for homeowners, nursery and forestry people and it's available right now, and that's why we're excited about introducing it," Stoner said. AgriHouse received its approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 30 and is now selling ODC on its website, www.AgriHouse.com. Richard Stoner, Founder & President, and his fellow AgriHouse stakeholders, CSU microbiologist Jim Linden and retired CSU plant pathologist Ken Knutson, say the product works by helping the tree increase its resin output, forcing out a tunneling beetle before it can lay its eggs and infect the tree with blue stain.
"Trees have a natural immune like system that ODC activates", said Knutson. "If the beetle gets pushed out, that blue stain won't get established,"
US Forest Service Results:
The ODC formula was tested by the U.S. Forest Service last year and preliminary results showed it increased resin pitch by 40 percent in pine trees, according to AgriHouse. Beetle egg production was also reduced by 37 percent in the test. "That would reduce the number of beetles in following years by that amount," Linden noted.
The ODC mixture is applied by pouring it around the base of the tree and then absorbed through its roots. The US Forest Service study, conducted in Louisiana, showed a significant boost in resin production through root application."
ODC is available for purchase only on AgriHouse's website for $14.99 per one-ounce bottle, which treats up to 30 trees when properly diluted with water. Cost per tree treatment is about 42 cents, Stoner said, and a total of three treatments per beetle season - between early spring and until the ground freezes - are recommended.
"When compared to traditional toxic pesticides at $16 per tree or cutting the tree down for $100 or more - it behooves the landowner to seek out a lower cost alternative to pre-arming their trees against the deadly pine beetle. There is nothing like it in the world", added Stoner.
On Sept 10th, NPR Morning Edition (KUNC 91.5FM Public Radio) first featured the story of AgriHouse's newly EPA approved biopesticide, ODC, to pre-arm trees against pine beetles which was first reported by the Northern Colorado Business Report (Sept 11th, 2009 edition).
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
