Scientists have created an insecticide based on palm oil

Dave Boxler, an entomologist at the University of Nebraska's West Central Research, Extension and Education Center, worked for 15 years with an industry company to develop a new organic insecticide that would not harm honeybees and bumblebees. The insecticide is based on two fatty acids derived fr om palm oil. It is promising for organic and beef producers.

In field trials wh ere cattle were passed through a special automatic sprayer that sprayed the animals with palm insecticide, Dave Boxler and his team found that the flies, as expected, avoided the sprayed animals. Moreover, it turned out that the spray kills the target pest upon contact.

A team of scientists was previously involved in developing a version of this organic insecticide for horses, the product received approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is now commercially available throughout the country.

Researchers are now awaiting EPA approval for a version intended for use in cattle. Dave Boxler plans to continue the research next summer, when the team will test how much it is possible to lower the concentration and achieve the same effectiveness.