{"id":25272,"date":"2021-07-11T04:51:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-11T08:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/?p=25272"},"modified":"2023-01-13T18:43:16","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T23:43:16","slug":"bacillus-thuringiensis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/","title":{"rendered":"Bacillus Thuringiensis: Useful In Biological Crop Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Bacillus thuringiensis as a miracle weapon against mosquitoes, boxwood moths, and potato beetles &#8211; and that biologically? We&#8217;ll enlighten you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The bacterium <em>Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> is popular both in organic farming and among hobby gardeners because it forms the active ingredient in very environmentally friendly insecticides. Because his name is not particularly trustworthy and it is better to stay away from bacilli, we will explain you in detail in this article.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bacillus_thuringiensis\"><\/span>Bacillus thuringiensis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-661f97561f691\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-661f97561f691\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#Bacillus_thuringiensis\" title=\"Bacillus thuringiensis\">Bacillus thuringiensis<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#What_exactly_is_Bacillus_thuringiensis\" title=\"What exactly is Bacillus thuringiensis?\">What exactly is Bacillus thuringiensis?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#How_does_Bacillus_thuringiensis_work\" title=\"How does Bacillus thuringiensis work?\">How does Bacillus thuringiensis work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#Bacillus_thuringiensis_preparations\" title=\"Bacillus thuringiensis preparations\">Bacillus thuringiensis preparations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#Advantages_of_Bt_supplements\" title=\"Advantages of Bt supplements\">Advantages of Bt supplements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#Application_of_Bacillus_thuringiensis\" title=\"Application of Bacillus thuringiensis\">Application of Bacillus thuringiensis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#Bacillus_thuringiensis_against_the_box_tree_moth\" title=\"Bacillus thuringiensis against the box tree moth\">Bacillus thuringiensis against the box tree moth<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#Bacillus_thuringiensis_effects_on_other_organisms\" title=\"Bacillus thuringiensis: effects on other organisms\">Bacillus thuringiensis: effects on other organisms<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/bacillus-thuringiensis\/#Can_Bacillus_thuringiensis_harm_humans\" title=\"Can Bacillus thuringiensis harm humans?\">Can Bacillus thuringiensis harm humans?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>We explain what <em>Bacillus thuringiensis is<\/em> exactly, how it works and in which preparations it is contained. Then we go into the use against the box tree moth, which is important for many hobby gardeners, and clarify whether the bacterium can also damage other organisms or even humans.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_exactly_is_Bacillus_thuringiensis\"><\/span>What exactly is Bacillus thuringiensis?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The bacterium with the name <em>Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> (Bt) is an air-breathing soil bacterium that is ubiquitous, i.e. ubiquitous worldwide. When a Japanese scientist discovered a silkworm inside in 1901, he named it <em>Bacillus sotto<\/em>. In 1911, a German scientist also isolated such a bacterium from the sick caterpillar of a flour moth. Because this caterpillar came from a mill in Thuringia, he named his discovery <em>Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> &#8211; a name that still exists today. Since then, various subspecies and strains have been described and researched around the world. Some subspecies have a very useful property for humans: they parasitize and kill insect larvae.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_Bacillus_thuringiensis_work\"><\/span>How does Bacillus thuringiensis work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>The bacterium is taken up by a feeding insect larva through the mouth opening.<\/li>\n<li>In the intestines of the larva, it forms spores to multiply. At the same time, crystalline toxins are formed, which in their initial form do not affect.<\/li>\n<li>If there is a suitable pH value in the intestine of the insect larva, the toxins are dissolved. They are then broken down by digestive enzymes in the larva and thus activated.<\/li>\n<li>The toxin now binds to suitable receptors on the intestinal wall of the larva. This is opened and destroyed.<\/li>\n<li>The larva dies at the same time from the destruction of its intestinal tract and from blood poisoning, which is caused by metabolic toxins from the germinating bacterial spores in the body cavity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>So it is easy to imagine that <em>Bacillus thuringiensis can be used<\/em> in insecticides and biocides.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note on Bt maize and Bt soy<\/strong>: Behind the title as Bt maize or Bt soy there is a modification of the plant genes. A bacterial gene has been added to these maize and soy varieties, with the help of which the plant itself produces the crystalline toxin and stores it in its leaves. If a suitable harmful caterpillar eats the Bt plants, it will be killed.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\" \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/5a2ef8e910430271bd2aa018fb2f44d9.jpg\" alt=\"Bacillus thuringiensis: useful bacteria in biological crop protection\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bacillus_thuringiensis_preparations\"><\/span>Bacillus thuringiensis preparations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Four subspecies of <em>Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> have so far been approved in plant protection products in Germany.<\/p>\n<table id=\"tablepress-85\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-85\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n<th class=\"column-1\">Bacteria subspecies<\/th>\n<th class=\"column-2\">Affected insects<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Bt kurstaki<\/em> (Btk)<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Certain butterflies (order <em>Lepidoptera<\/em>, excluding <em>Noctuidae<\/em> )<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Bt aizawai<\/em> (Bta)<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Certain butterflies (orders <em>Lepidoptera<\/em>, also <em>Noctuidae<\/em> )<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Bt Israelis<\/em> (Bti)<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Two-winged species, including mosquitoes and mosquitoes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\"><em>Bt tenebionis<\/em> (But)<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Leaf beetles, e.g. Colorado potato beetles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Advantages_of_Bt_supplements\"><\/span>Advantages of Bt supplements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Plant protection products that use <em>Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> as an active ingredient are particularly popular in organic farming and can be used there in many ways. Some preparations are also approved for use in the hobby garden, such as our Plantura Z\u00fcnslerfrei XenTari\u00ae. The advantages of Bt supplements are as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Unlike synthetic pesticides, they can be used frequently<\/li>\n<li>They hardly pose any dangers for the user &#8211; only in individual cases do skin and\/or eye reactions occur<\/li>\n<li>On the part of the target organisms, hardly any resistance is observed, even with frequent use<\/li>\n<li>Organisms that do not target organisms are not affected at all or only marginally<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Bt products tend to have to be applied more often, as their effect due to UV radiation and precipitation decreases over time. Even if a new generation of pests grows up, a new application is necessary.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\" \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/c062d2e65a9358936f1ac233019f2719.jpg\" alt=\"Bacillus thuringiensis: useful bacteria in biological crop protection\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Application_of_Bacillus_thuringiensis\"><\/span>Application of Bacillus thuringiensis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> is sold as a dry powder that contains inactive persistent forms. When mixed with water, the bacteria come back to life. They can then be applied with a conventional spray device or &#8211; in the case of <em>Bt Israelis<\/em> against mosquitoes &#8211; poured into rain barrels or ponds. The effective, safe, and environmentally friendly use and dosage can be found in the package insert for the product in each case.<\/p>\n<p>It is important that Bt preparations only show a good effect at temperatures above 15 \u00b0 C. Only then are beetle, butterfly, and mosquito larvae sufficiently active and ingest the bacterium in sufficient quantities through feeding. When it comes to storage, it should be noted that Bt preparations can only be kept for two to three years. Opened packs can only be used for a few months, so it is worth buying products with sachets.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bacillus_thuringiensis_against_the_box_tree_moth\"><\/span>Bacillus thuringiensis against the box tree moth<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em>Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> <em>aizawai<\/em> is effective against free-eating caterpillars such as the boxwood <em>moth (Cydalima perspectalis<\/em> ), frost <em>moth (Operophtera brumata<\/em> ), cabbage white <em>butterfly (Pieris brassicae<\/em>; <em>P. rapae<\/em> ), <em>cabbage borer<\/em> (Evergestis forficalis), and the oak <em>processional<\/em> moth. The subspecies of the bacterium is the basis of our Gardender borer-free. With this you can fight the box tree moth biologically &#8211; completely without chemicals &#8211; and do not have to resort to agents that can harm various insects in our environment unspecifically. You can find out how to use it, when and how often our Gardender can and may be injected in our special article. You can also find general information on combating the box tree moth <a href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/how-to-get-rid-of-the-box-tree-moth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip:<\/strong> If you are not sure whether your boxwood ( <em>Buxus<\/em> ) is infested with the boxwood moth, you can find out here how to recognize the moth.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bacillus_thuringiensis_effects_on_other_organisms\"><\/span>Bacillus thuringiensis: effects on other organisms<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The subspecies used by humans are highly specialized organisms that can therefore be used specifically to combat pests. Only when the bacterium is ingested by the appropriate insect larva will the crystalline toxins match with the host&#8217;s digestive enzymes and receptors. On all other organisms that <em>ingest Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em>, its toxins have little or no effect. For this reason, there is also no endangerment for bees or other pollinating insects. In general, however, all Bt preparations must of course be handled just as carefully as any other pesticide.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Bacillus_thuringiensis_harm_humans\"><\/span>Can Bacillus thuringiensis harm humans?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Even if humans and insect larvae do not have much in common, <em>Bacillus thuringiensis<\/em> occurs everywhere in our environment and the subspecies used as pesticides can only do something with the larvae of very specific groups of insects, the effect of Bt preparations on humans has been examined in studies. The result was that the vast majority of test subjects showed no reaction when they were massively exposed to <em>Bacillus thuringiensis.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>You might so like<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"yoast-link-suggestion__value\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/dried-fruit-moth-successfully-combat-and-recognize\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dried Fruit Moth: Successfully Combat And Recognize<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"yoast-link-suggestion__value\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/how-to-get-rid-of-oak-processionary-moth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How To Get Rid Of Oak Processionary Moth<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"yoast-link-suggestion__value\" href=\"https:\/\/gardender.com\/fighting-colorado-beetles-tips-for-fighting-them-naturally\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How To Get Rid Of Colorado Beetles: Tips For Fighting Them Naturally<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bacillus thuringiensis as a miracle weapon against mosquitoes, boxwood moths, and potato beetles &#8211; and that biologically? We&#8217;ll enlighten you. The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is popular both in organic farming and among hobby gardeners because it forms the active ingredient in very environmentally friendly insecticides. Because his name is not particularly trustworthy and it is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[552],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25272"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25272"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27925,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25272\/revisions\/27925"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardender.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}