This document summarizes a new product called SuperNemos, which is a formulation of beneficial nematodes that can be used as a natural alternative to chemical insecticides. SuperNemos is shown to be effective against a wide range of soil-dwelling insect pests. Independent studies found that SuperNemos achieved similar or better control than other nematode products and some chemical insecticides, but at lower application rates. SuperNemos offers growers an effective biopesticide option that is safer for the environment and human health compared to traditional chemical insecticides.

1. SUPERNEMOS
102 Outlooks on Pest Management – June 2015 DOI: 10.1564/v26_jun_03
© 2015 Research Information Ltd. All rights reserved. www.pestoutlook.com
SuperNemos: A natural alternative to chemical
insecticide
Dr. Abdul HamidAl-Amidi,*Nemos Horticulture Ltd,Ireland.**Department of Food Science & Environmental
Health,Dublin Institute ofTechnology,Ireland outlines a new approach to the use of entomophagous nematodes
Keywords: SuperNemos, beneficial nematodes, soil pests, insect pests,
pesticides, bio-pesticides
The precursors of modern synthetic pesticides were invented
during the Second World War and some were originally devel-
oped as potential chemical warfare agents. After the war, the
organophosphate compounds were re-used as general insec-
ticides (http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Pesticides.aspx;
http://www.panna.org/resources/organophosphates; http://
www.ask.com/wiki/Organophosphate?o=2802&qsrc=999&
ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap=ask.com).
Their use is intended to improve crop quality and to
improved human health around the world. The use of these
pesticides in the 1940s and 50s, did improve crop produc-
tion and harvest productivity. Synthetic pesticides also helped
to prevent diseases found in fresh fruits and vegetables and
greatly improved human health around the world.
The benefits of pesticides are real, so are the
risks
The overuse and misuse of synthetic pesticides has contrib-
uted to:
• Damaged soil and made it unsuitable for plants to grow;
(http://hesperian.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/environ-
mental/EHB_pesticides_EN_watermark.pdf)
• Poisoning of our seas and rivers;
• Polluting our drinking water;
• Killing our fish and polluting our air. (http://hesperian.org/
wp-content/uploads/pdf/environmental/EHB_pesticides_
EN_watermark.pdf ; http://npic.orst.edu/envir/air.html)
Synthetic pesticides may also create major problems to our
health. Some pesticides enter the food chain (bioaccumu-
Abdul Hamid Al-Amidi
lation), and it is claimed can cause: Birth defects, Steril-
ity, Cancer, Damage to the immune system and Learning
disability. (http://hesperian.org/wp content/uploads/pdf/
environmental/EHB_pesticides_EN_watermark.pdf; (http://
hesperian.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/environmental/EHB_
pesticides_EN_watermark.pdf; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/
hi/south_asia/1860754.stm; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pubmed/20006272 ; http://www.chem-tox.com/ ; http://www.
beyondpesticides.org/health/pid-database.pdf ; http://www.
panna.org/sites/default/files/ChemTresMain(screen).pdf)
The availability of knowledge and the rise of health
awareness about the risk of chemical pesticides led many
people in recent years to think that pesticides can be unac-
ceptably dangerous to the environment and to human health.
This brought increasing demands from consumer and health
authorities in the EU to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides
in food crop production.
Resistance
Nurseries, gardeners, and even farmers are looking for alter-
native methods, instead of using chemical pesticide to control
their pest due to the resistance developed by the insect (and
weed and disease) pest species to many chemical pesticide
available in the market.
What is the alternative? Back to Nature – ask
for help!
All living thing are subject to predation, parasitism, or compe-
tition from other creatures. For many years scientist studied

2. SUPERNEMOS
Outlooks on Pest Management – June 2015 103
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these interactions and this led to the identification of many
potential opportunities for the use of living organisms as bio-
pesticides to protect agricultural crops against insect pests,
fungal, bacterial and viral diseases, weeds, nematodes and
molluscs. A range of bio-pesticide products is now available
commercially for control of insect pests, fungal and bacterial
diseases, and weeds. Most of these bio-pesticides have been
used to combat the pests which spend all or some part of their
life cycle above the soil that is the pests which damage the
foliage of our plants or our agriculture crops. However, there
are only few bio-insecticides agents available in the market
to combat the invisible damaging insect pest (soil-dwelling
insects) such as vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) larvae,
chafer (Rhizotrogus majalis) larvae, large pine weevils (Hylo-
bius abietis), cutworm (Agrotis spp.), leatherjackets (Tipula
oleracea) and many more. Beneficial nematodes (Bio-insecti-
cidal) can be used as alternatives to chemical pesticides.
The advantages
Beneficial nematodes are safe for animals and plants. Nema-
tode applications do not require masks or other safety equip-
ment. They do not leave any residues and do not pollute
underground water or rivers. Most biological control agents
may require days or weeks to kill the insect pest. However
once nematodes penetrate the target pest, they kill it, in just
24 to 48 hours. Field studies show that these nematodes do
not attack beneficial insects such as bees, bumblebees, and
ground beetles. The other benefit is nematodes do not require
specialised application equipment as they are compatible with
standard agrochemical equipment including pressurised mist
and aerial sprayers. Application via irrigation systems has
encouraged commercial growers to favour using nematodes.
The disadvantages
The major disadvantages of the current use of beneficial
nematode products are:
• Economic viability: traditionally the beneficial nematode
products sold in the market, as a means of bio-insecticidal
control, contain only a single nematode species, and are
only able to target a single pest, or one group of insect
pests. If multi-pest species are present, this may result in
the need to apply additional nematode products with asso-
ciated increased labour costs.
Furthermore, commercial growers will not adopt biological
control agents which do not provide efficacy which is compa-
rable with standard chemical insecticides.
What is SuperNemos?
SuperNemos is a new formulation of Beneficial Nematodes,
which is proven to make the task economically viable.
SuperNemos is a ‘Broad Spectrum Biological Insecticidal
Nematodes’ product.
SuperNemos is unlike a single or two nematodes species
product (also available in the market), SuperNemos can infect
a wider range of insect pest species in the soil. These can
include:
• Coleopteran: Vine Weevils, Red Palm Weevils (Rhyncho-
phorus ferrugineus), Flea Beetles (Phyllotreta spp), Root
Weevils (Diaprepes spp), Chafer Grubs, Small Hive Beetles
(Aethina tumida).
• Lepidopteran: Caterpillars, Cutworms, armyworms,
cabbageworm.
• Dipterans: Fungus Gnats Larvae and Sciarid Larvae
(Bradysia and other species), Leatherjackets,
• Hymenoptera: Ants.
• Isoptera: Termites.
The challenges: SuperNemos has been widely
tested
Independent scientific trials have been conducted by:
1. Fitzgerald Nurseries, Ireland for the control of the black
flies (Sciarid) in Greenhouse Crops. The result reveals that
SuperNemos gave the same significant results when only
applied at a one third of the recommended dose rate of
other nematode products available in the market.
2. ADAS (UK) 2012 conducted trials for the control of vine
weevils using SuperNemos and similar leading product in
the UK. Results again revealed that SuperNemos achieved
a similar significant level of control when SuperNemos was
applied at one half of the competitor’s recommended rate.
3. BioNema Ltd, Swansea, UK conducted trials for the control
of vine weevils, using SuperNemos and two leading nema-
tode products in the UK, Met 52 (Metarhizium anisopliae
Strain F52 ), and one chemical insecticide product, chlo-
rpyrifos @ 2l/ha. The nematodes and Met 52, results are
similar to ADAS results. However SuperNemos also gave

3. 104 Outlooks on Pest Management – June 2015
© 2015 Research Information Ltd. All rights reserved. www.pestoutlook.com
SUPERNEMOS
the same level of protection as the chemical control chlo-
rpyrifos (2l/ha) in strawberry growbags in tunnels – UK.
4. An independent Irish Agriculture Research institute (2014)
conducted a similar trial to BioNema. Results revealed
that SuperNemos achieved up to 95% control with the
other products achieving 65% - 70% control.
These field trials revealed that SuperNemos infect insect pests
up to 90% -95%. This compares very favourable against the
single or two nematodes species application, which may infect
insect pests between 40-70%, if they are applied in the same
numbers and in the same growing media.
Other benefits
SuperNemos, may help to replace several synthetic chemical
insecticides such as:
• suSCon Green (100g/kg chlorpyrifos in the form of a
controlled release granule). Considered dangerous to fish
and other aquatic invertebrates and also dangerous to
wildlife, particularly birds;
• Genfarm Chlorpyrifos 500 Insecticide (is an organophos-
phorus insecticide and very Dangerous to bees). Deltam-
ethrin (highly toxic to aquatic life);
• Halofenazide Provado Lawn Grub Killer (effect wild life
and aquatic life), Thiacloprid “PROVADO VINE WEEVIL
KILLER 2” (Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting
effects), and many similar broad spectrum synthetic chem-
ical pesticides.
At the present there are many Garden Centres, Botanic
Garden, Nurseries, Soft Fruit Growers that are replacing their
chemical insecticides with SuperNemos for the control of
insect pest species in the soil or in their growing media.
SuperNemos adds another support to rebuild our damaged
soil and environment.
References
Air and Pesticides (http://npic.orst.edu/envir/air.html).
Indian children in pesticide controversy (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
south_asia/1860754.stm).
Maternal pesticide exposure and neural tube defects in Mexican
Americans. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20006272)
Pesticides (http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Pesticides.aspx), See
History of Pesticides, Organophosphate.
Pesticides and Air Pollution Trigger Birth Defects (http://www.
rodalesorganiclife.com/wellbeing/neural-tube-defects)
Pesticides are Poison, (http://hesperian.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/
environmental/EHB_pesticides_EN_watermark.pdf), page 2
Organophosphates (http://www.panna.org/resources/
organophosphates
Organophosphates as nerve agents,
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Organophosphate?o=2802&qsrc=999&ad
=doubleDown&an=apn&ap=ask.co), see History of nerve agents.
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/health/pid-database.pdf
http://www.chem-tox.com/
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/health/pid-database.pdf
http://www.chem-tox.com/
http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/ChemTresMain(screen).pdf
http://www.panna.org/sites/default/files/ChemTresMain(screen).pdf
Dr Abdul Hamid Al- Amidi is the inventor of SuperNemos, and holds an MSc and
a PhD in biological control from NUI, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Ireland.
He worked with Teagasc Kinsealy Research Centre (1987-1989), on the use
of biological control in the mushroom industry. He also worked with Fungal
Biotechnology, BioResearch Ireland in University College Dublin (1994-2001),
for pests and diseases control in mushroom compost with special emphasis
on bio-control (ie, as an alternative to chemical pesticides). From 1997-2001
he worked as Technical director for Bio-Cara Ltd (biological pest control and
organic products).At present he works as **¯Assistant Lecturer, Dept of Food
Science & Environmental Health, Dublin Institute of Technology and is the
founding director of *¯Nemos Horticultural Ltd.
For further information on SuperNemos visit: “www.
supernemos.com.
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