Composite materials that are palatable to a wood-destroying pest species and also pesticidal to the pest species can be used in pest control devices and can be used as wood substitutes for structural components, which are resistant to destruction by wood-destroying pests. The composite materials include a thermoplastic polymer, a food material for the pest and a pesticide. The composite material is formed by mixing a thermoplastic polymer, wood fragments or other cellulosic materials and a quantity of pesticide, and thereafter creating a molten material within a mixer, compounder, extruder or the like. The molten material is extruded or molded to form the desired shape.

The present invention relates to a method of treating or preventing a house dust mite infestation, said method comprising applying an acaricidal infectious agent at a site of a house dust mite infestation, or at a site proximal thereto, or at a site at risk of such infestation. Also encompassed are uses of acaricidal infectious agents, methods of isolating acaricidal infectious agents, acaricidal infectious agents obtainable by said methods, acaricidal infectious agent formulations, foodstuffs and mite attractants comprising the same.

The present invention is directed to pesticidal mixtures comprising sabadilla alkaloids and Bacillus thuringiensis and methods of controlling pests including insects and mites by application of pesticidal mixtures comprising sabadilla alkaloids and Bacillus thuringiensis.

The disclosure provides a human-safe method of killing or controlling insects using a non-toxic composition comprising erythritol ((2R,3S)-butane-1,2,3,4-tetraol). The disclosure also provides non-toxic compositions comprising erythritol suitable for killing insects in residential, commercial, and agricultural locales.

Systems and methods of preventing or reducing crop damage from pests are provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises: a) applying a mating disruption tactic to a field plot; and b) disrupting expression of one or more target genes in one or more pests, wherein crop damage is reduced in the field plot. In another embodiment, the method comprises applying an attract-and-kill tactic to a field plot, wherein said attract-and-kill tactic comprises: a) applying one or more semiochemicals or factors; and b) disrupting expression of one or more target genes in one or more pests, wherein said disruption is capable of killing the one or more pests, wherein crop damage is reduced in the field plot.

Compositions and methods for controlling pests are disclosed. The compositions can be electrostatically charged, can be attractive for translocation by the social insects into nesting, tunneling, and/or gathering structures of the social insects, or both. Kits comprising the compositions and a powder delivery device operable to electrostatically charge a pest control composition during delivery are also disclosed.

Compositions and methods for controlling pests are disclosed. The compositions can be electrostatically charged, can be attractive for translocation by the social insects into nesting, tunneling, and/or gathering structures of the social insects, or both. Kits comprising the compositions and a powder delivery device operable to electrostatically charge a pest control composition during delivery are also disclosed.

The subject invention concerns new classes of insecticidally-active proteins and the polynucleotide sequences which encode these proteins. More specifically, insecticidal proteins of approximately 12-24 kDa and of approximately 12-14 kDa are used for controlling corn rootworms. The subject invention includes methods and transgenic plants for controlling Western Corn Rootworm and other coleopteran insects.

Methods for spray drying gram negative bacteria are provided. Such spray drying methods are performed under conditions that allow for the spray dried composition to retain the biological activity of interest of the gram-negative bacteria. Further provided are compositions comprising a spray dried gram-negative bacteria, where the spray dried formulation comprises at least 10.sup.5 CFU/gram of said gram-negative bacteria. The gram-negative bacteria employed in the various methods and compositions can comprise a biological activity of interest which, in specific embodiments, controls one or more pathogens that cause plant disease and/or improve at least one agronomic trait of interest. The spray dried formulation can be used as an inoculant for plants. Methods for growing a plant susceptible to plant disease and methods and compositions for controlling plant disease are also provided. Further provided are methods and compositions of increasing disease resistance in plants. Methods and compositions for improving plant health and/or improving at least one agronomic trait of interest are also provided.

A bait composition is provided for use in a bait for ingestion by a pest. The bait composition includes a poison for killing the pest, and at least one of an insect growth regulator, a larvicide and an insecticide, for minimizing the propagation of insects from the pest's carcass. The effect of pest control involving the bait on a secondary pest population may be assessed using a suitable method.