WEBVTT - How Do Fungal Pesticides Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren voglebom here. Poisoning various things in nature

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<v Speaker 1>is big business. In the year the last time that

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<v Speaker 1>the United States Environmental Protection Agency published a report on

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<v Speaker 1>the subject, chemical pesticide sales in the US amounted to

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<v Speaker 1>nearly fourteen billion dollars. That's around one point one billion

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<v Speaker 1>pounds or or half a billion kilos of chemicals like chlorine, formaldehyde,

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<v Speaker 1>and arsenic pumped into the landscape in a single year.

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<v Speaker 1>But let's face it, we wouldn't have as robust and

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<v Speaker 1>agricultural system if it weren't for pesticides killing unwanted critters.

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<v Speaker 1>But let's also face it, synthetic pesticides don't just affect

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<v Speaker 1>the targeted organisms. Our heavy insecticide use isn't doing humans

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<v Speaker 1>are pollinators, or our wildlife neighbors any favors either. But

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<v Speaker 1>imagine a pesticide that could fend off unwanted insects while

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<v Speaker 1>believing everybody else alone. It is possible. The technology exists,

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<v Speaker 1>but it requires approval by the e p A and

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<v Speaker 1>that we become okay with the idea of weaponizing parasitic

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<v Speaker 1>fungi to feed on the innerds of insects for our

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<v Speaker 1>own agricultural gain. Let me explain much of the promising

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<v Speaker 1>new research centers around fungi that kill or disable insects.

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<v Speaker 1>They're part of a category of pesticides called biopesticides because

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<v Speaker 1>they work thanks to biologically occurring substances, including chemicals, microorganisms

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<v Speaker 1>like fungi, and substances made by genetically engineered plants. But

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<v Speaker 1>the fungal pesticides are of particular interest because while some

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<v Speaker 1>biopesticides merely fend off pests or screw up their mating cycles,

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<v Speaker 1>these fungus based ones take no prisoners. Mycologist Paul Statements

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<v Speaker 1>has patented to fungus based insecticides, one that's targeted towards

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<v Speaker 1>fire ants, carpenter ants, and termites and other bot a

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<v Speaker 1>more general audience of around two hundred thousand insects species.

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<v Speaker 1>These pesticides seem delicious enough to lower insects to them,

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<v Speaker 1>and once the bugs have eaten them, the fungi sporelates

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<v Speaker 1>and sprouts inside them, feeding on their internal tissue until

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<v Speaker 1>they die and a tiny mushroom sprouts from their heads,

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<v Speaker 1>which is how you know it worked. Fungi are living things,

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<v Speaker 1>just like insects, are capable of evolving and adapting. Many

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<v Speaker 1>synthetic pesticides have lost efficacy over the years because the

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<v Speaker 1>target insects have evolved a built up tolerance to them.

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<v Speaker 1>The ones that were killed off by the pesticide, after all,

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<v Speaker 1>have bless of a chance to breed and pass their

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<v Speaker 1>susceptible genes onto the next generation. But like any other

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<v Speaker 1>relationship between parasite and host, predator and prey, the fungus

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<v Speaker 1>based biopesticides have the ability to evolve right along with

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<v Speaker 1>any adaptation that the insects might come up with to

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<v Speaker 1>hinder them. They're also non toxic to humans and other wildlife,

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<v Speaker 1>including bees and other good poll naters, which have really

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<v Speaker 1>taken the brunt of our love affair with chemical pesticides

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<v Speaker 1>over the years. Some of the downsides of fungal pesticides

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<v Speaker 1>are price and finickiness. They could easily cost farmers twenty

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<v Speaker 1>times more than what they're used to paying for pesticides,

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<v Speaker 1>and like other living things, they are sensitive to environmental

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<v Speaker 1>conditions like temperature and humidity. Hopefully that cost would come

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<v Speaker 1>down with further research and adoption, and wouldn't it all

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<v Speaker 1>be worth it? If we could find a way to

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<v Speaker 1>protect our crops without endangering ourselves. Today's episode is based

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<v Speaker 1>on the article Fungus based pesticides Maybe the Green solution

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<v Speaker 1>of the Future on houstaf works dot com, written by

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<v Speaker 1>Jesslin Shields. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with houstuf works dot com, and it's produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Kyler Klain. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio.

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