KALAMAZOO, MI – Vestaron Corporation, a developer of peptide-based insecticides, announced on Dec. 17, 2015 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 to detrimental effects to honeybees.
The results of these studies were presented at an invited talk at the AgChem Summit 2015: Pollinators and Pesticides in Arlington, Va. on Dec. 2, 2015.
“It’s exciting to unveil our more environmentally compatible biopesticides, which for the first time, perform comparably to synthetic insecticides,” said Robert Kennedy, chief scientific officer at Vestaron after presenting the talk.
“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 EPA on SPEAR’s effects on beneficial insects used in greenhouses,” said John Sorenson, CEO of Vestaron.
The SPEAR family of bioinsecticides utilizes two new unique modes-of-action with known resistance. This family of biopesticides is based on natural peptides which degrade to useful nutrients in the environment.
More information at www.vestaron.com
Latest from Greenhouse Management
- Voting now open for the National Garden Bureau's 2026 Green Thumb Award Winners
- WUR extends Gerben Messelink’s professorship in biological pest control in partnership with Biobest and Interpolis
- Lights, CO2, GROW!
- Leading the next generation
- The Growth Industry Episode 8: From NFL guard to expert gardener with Chuck Hutchison
- The biggest greenhouse headlines of 2025
- Theresa Specht
- 10 building blocks of plant health
