Balinsec pellet for exterminating the caterpillars of the nests of the Pine Processionary Moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa.

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Balinsec Pellet

For exterminating the caterpillars of the nests of the Pine Processionary Moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa.

In order to stop the spread of the Pine Processionary pest it is essential eliminating the new infestations of caterpillars each season, a task in which the Balinsec Pellet is useful allowing to apply accurately the minimum necessary dose of insecticide to kill all the caterpillars of the nests by shooting with air guns (air rifles) to the nests that are inaccessible.

CHARACTERISTICS

The Balinsec Pellet has been created to kill the caterpillars of the Pine Processionary nests after giving time to the action of their natural enemies, avoiding the necessity of widespread spraying and the necessity of preventive treatments on a regular basis.

COMPOSITION

Each Balinsec Pellet [FIG.1] consists of a pellet (pellet Gamo Match) [2] with a capsule containing 0.15 mg deltamethrin - 6 mg Delta EC 2,5 Sapec Agro [4].

For avoiding accidental contact with the capsule during its manipulation, each Balinsec Pellet is provided individually inside a polyethylene protection.

The Balinsec Pellet can also be delivered constituted by other less polluting metals than lead, or by other materials as the pellets made of plastic with a core of zinc (Prometheus pellets), although the product rises in price and its use requires adapting the weapons to the concrete characteristics of these pellets.

TECHNIQUE OF APPLICATION

It is necessary to introduce a Balinsec Pellet with a kinetic energy equal or superior to 10 Jules, either manually or by means of the shooting, to the interior of each nest of caterpillars that is necessary to treat.

To extract the Balinsec Pellet out of its polyethylene protection, the Balinsec Pellet [FIG.1] must be pushed forward by its tail [1] with the aid of a ball-pen's mine tip or a similar tip (the weapons can be adapted to use them exclusively for shooting the Balinsec Pellet, without necessity of extracting their polyethylene protection previously, that which facilitates the application).

SEASON AND HOUR OF THE DAY SUITABLE FOR THE APPLICATION OF THE BALINSEC PELLET

The season of application of the Balinsec Pellet includes from the formation of the first definitive nests on the trees until some days before the processions of burial of the caterpillars. The application should be carried out during the morning when the temperature under the sun is inferior to 10 ° C, because at noon, when the sun heats, the caterpillars usually abandon the nest to take the sun and in the afternoon, in general, they abandon the nest until the dawn to feed.

The action of the Balinsec Pellet is not affected by rain.

CARBINES SUITABLE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALINSEC PELLET

Most air rifles on the market are suitable for the application, although those having the bore feeding hole of the barrel more accessible, such as the breaking cannon carbines, are those which allow loading the Balinsec Pellet more easily into the barrel.

In reference to the power of the carbine, the kinetic energy needed to free adequately the insecticide content of the Balinsec Pellet inside the nests is approximately 10 Joules.

The specific authorization for each application must be given by the local authorities.

PROTOCOL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALINSEC PELLET

When the management program for the Pine Processionary caterpillars determines the treatment of nests with the application of the Balinsec Pellet by shooting, it must be followed the protocol:

Inspection, with sampling and quantification of the nests.
Preparation, indicating with marks the trees affected and the localization of the nests that need the treatment.
Solicitude of authorization to the local authorities.
Notification to the adjacent properties.
Adoption of all the security measures necessary to ensure full security according to the characteristics of the environment, while isolating with barriers and with informational signs the security zones.
Execution of treatment.
Maintenance, with periodic inspection, to detect the emergence of new nests, which will be treated the same way.

MEASURES OF CAUTION FOR THE SHOOTING OF THE BALINSEC PELLET

Although the capsule [4] of the Balinsec Pellet [FIG.1] frees its insecticide content into the nest due to the resistance offered to its advance by the constituents of the nest, its lead pellet [2] continues its trajectory out of the nest after crossing it, being necessary to be sure that the lead pellet cannot cause any damage.

EFFECTS

As they acquire the insecticide dose, the caterpillars show the following sequence of dysfunctions:

1. Excitement.

2. Digestive syndromes.

3. Muscular and nervous syndromes (convulsions).

4. Agony and death of the caterpillars.

To the nests woven with thick cloth most caterpillars die inside the nest, in particular when the application is made early in the morning, when the sun hardly heats. The mortality is practically absolute in the term of 2 to 4 days.

To the nests that are moderately woven, the Balinsec Pellet causes the dispersion and the death of some caterpillars on a radius of 20 centimetres during the first 24 hours, what permits to verify the success of the treatment. The mortality of the caterpillars in this case is practically absolute in the term of 3 to 6 days.

To the scarcely woven nests, most caterpillars fall down in their agony to the soil, with what they can cause allergic reactions, being then important to pick up the fallen caterpillars wetting them by means of the watering through irrigation to avoid the dispersion of the urticating hairs of the caterpillars. The mortality of the caterpillars in this case is practically absolute in the term of 3 to 7 days.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

L. Rejat “Tratamiento de bolsones de la Procesionaria del Pino, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Den. et Schiff.) (Lepidoptera: Thaumetopoeidae), mediante balines conteniendo deltametrin” Boletín de Sanidad Vegetal – Plagas, vol. 24, p. 621-628, Ministerio de Agricultura, Madrid, 1998.

PRICE

The Balinsec Pellet is supplied in tubes with 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 units.

Under dry and fresh storage conditions the Balinsec Pellet has a half-life of 2 years from the date of delivery.

The prices according to the quantity and the calibre (21% VAT included) are as follows:

Price	Calibre 4.5 mm	Calibre 5.5 mm
Tube with 5 Balinsec Pellets	8,00 €	8,10 €
Tube with 10 Balinsec Pellets	15,00 €	15,20 €
Tube with 15 Balinsec Pellets	21,00 €	21,30 €
Tube with 20 Balinsec Pellets	25,00 €	25,40 €
Tube with 25 Balinsec Pellets	28,00 €	28,50 €

The acquirement may be taken through the author, who facilitates orientations on the treatment, as well as the most suitable time for the application and the complementary measures of control of the plague.

The usual way of delivery is by mail after a banking transfer or through, with an added cost of 11 € (21% VAT included), for the expenses of packing and shipping.