Box T Pro Press, distributed in the UK by Fargro, works as a mating disruptor. It uses a pheromone (the same that is used in box tree moth traps, but seven times more potent) that makes the zone around it smell strongly of female box caterpillar moths. Male moths cannot locate the real females, stopping them from laying fertilised eggs and therefore from producing caterpillars.<\/p>\n Box tree caterpillar is the bane of gardeners\u2019 lives in public and private gardens, defoliating shrubs and topiary <\/a>in a matter of days if not dealt with promptly. Currently, the best tool against it is the biological control Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> (sold in the UK as TopBuxus Xentari<\/a>). It does not harm wildlife or humans but needs to be sprayed on plants several times a year \u2013 not always possible due to low temperatures, rainy weather or time restraints.<\/p> Box T Pro Press is currently only available for use by horticulture professionals with PA1 and PA6 spraying licences in the UK. It is pumped onto the woody stems of box, at intervals of 2m, or three doses per cubic meter of box. Once applied, it lasts for three months \u2013 so normally two applications would be required, in May and August.<\/p>\n Chris Poole, former chairman of the European Boxwood and Topiary Societies, has been pioneering use of the product in the UK, starting with a trial at the National Trust\u2019s Ham House, from 2021. \u201cThe trial worked well, giving about an 80% reduction in visible damage to the hedges and cones across the property,\u201d says Chris. \u201cIt also meant that we could relax a little more than usual when it came to spraying [with Bacillus thruringiensis<\/em>]. It was possible to delay spraying until there was a clear run of dry weather. We were also able to spot spray just the areas that had been affected. Overall, it reduced our spraying from eight times down to three.\u201d<\/p> Chris is now working as a specialist volunteer at Chiswick House & Gardens to further test the product, working under the guidance of Rosie Fyles<\/a>, Head of Gardens. Chris\u2019s strategy involves a treatment of Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> at the first signs of caterpillar activity, then placing pheromone monitoring traps around the garden, and applying Box T Pro Press at very first signs of adult box tree moths.\u00a0So far, signs are positive: \u201cNo caterpillars have been found since the moths started flying a few weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris points out a couple of drawbacks: Box T Pro Press is not available to domestic gardeners and is expensive, at around \u00a3270 for 250 doses. \u201cWhile it would have been good if it could be available to domestic gardeners as well, at least most larger public and private gardens\u00a0will have access to someone who is qualified to apply the product. If not then a quick look at the European Boxwood and Topiary Societies UK website will find a member who can do the work for them:\u00a0ebts.org\/company-profiles<\/a>.\u201d<\/p> Ant Surrage, Fargro\u2019s Technical Development Manager, says: \u201cUsing the Box T Pro Press as a mating disruptor showcases a breakthrough in combating the box tree caterpillar. It\u2019s an eco-friendly approach that disrupts the insect\u2019s life cycle, controlling its spread and reducing its destructive impact, without the need for harmful chemicals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p> A product that claims to prevent box tree caterpillar damage is making waves in the UK horticultural industry. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":25472,"template":"","categories":[1,48],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/new-product-in-the-fight-against-box-caterpillar.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/new-product-in-the-fight-against-box-caterpillar-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/new-product-in-the-fight-against-box-caterpillar-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/new-product-in-the-fight-against-box-caterpillar-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/new-product-in-the-fight-against-box-caterpillar-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/new-product-in-the-fight-against-box-caterpillar-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/new-product-in-the-fight-against-box-caterpillar-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A product that claims to prevent box tree caterpillar damage is making waves in the UK horticultural industry.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/25471"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2023\/07\/Box-T-Pro-Press-dollop-photo-by-Mark-Sanderson-Top-PR-Ltd-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024\")
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