When available, the products will let landscapers spray for pests in communities that have banned toxic chemicals.

Instead of using poisons, the new chemicals target receptors on specific insects and other pests.

TyraTech, a four-year old company in Melbourne, Fla., will bring its first product to market later this year. The new technology uses a mix of natural oils that target sensitive receptors found on insects and other pests.

Targeting Insects

“Instead of using the standard poisons that have been, and are still being used, we have something that selectively is toxic to the insect, that is not toxic to the environment or people or animals,” Douglas Armstrong, CEO of TyraTech, told Cleantech.com.

The control of insects and parasites is a $30 billion plus industry, and Armstrong said the industry is interested in going clean.

“We have over 24 products now in development, either ourselves or with our partners,” he said.

Originally backed with funds from XL TechGroup, the company already has deals for licensing or supply with Japan’s Arysta LifeScience, Switzerland’s Syngenta and Illinois’ Kraft Foods, and an option agreement with Ohio’s Scotts Miracle-Gro.

The company’s first product, TyraTech All Natural Crawling Insect Killer, will be made with active ingredients on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s exempt list.

Safe & Approved

That means the ingredients don’t require registration with the government agency because they are already considered safe.

TyraTech, which uses sub-contractors for the component products and manufacturing, plans a pilot market in the U.S. for the All Natural Crawling Insect Killer, with an expansion set for next year.

The insect killer will be sold to businesses, at competitive prices compared with current pesticides, said Armstrong, with future products targeting agriculture, gardening and even food.

Because the ingredients are natural oils, that means the products are safe to drink.

TyraTech’s products currently target insects and nematodes, like snails, snugs, worms and parasites, but it’s planning work on fungicides and on making its current products more specialized.

“If you’re going to spray a field, could you, for example, kill the bugs you want and spare the honeybee, or spare the ladybug?” asked Armstrong. “With our receptor targeted technology, we actually have the ability to begin to develop those types of products.”

Sources: cleantech.com, vanderbilt.edu