Acadia-led project tackles pest management with natural alternatives

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Acadia-led project tackles pest management with natural alternatives
From the Springboard Content Lab 

Researchers from a pan-Atlantic partnership, led by Acadia University, have developed products for detecting and managing pests for the multi-billion-dollar agriculture and forestry industries in Atlantic Canada. 

Acadia biology professor Dr. Kirk Hillier led the research collaboration between universities, federal government partners and industry, which demonstrated that pheromones confuse insect pests and can disrupt their reproduction cycles for insect species of importance to Atlantic Canada and beyond.  

This natural approach to pest management is being used commercially to battle notorious forest predators such as the brown spruce longhorn beetle, the emerald ash borer, and the spruce budworm –  some of the most destructive pests in Canada.  

Andermatt Biocontrol Canada (formerly Sylvar Technologies) is the industry partner for a suite of products licensed to Andermatt under the project, which are now sold in Canada, the US and world-wide. 

Pheromones are a low-risk alternative to chemical pesticides 

Pheromones are the scents emitted by insects to attract mates. Deploying pheromone traps and mating disruption products, discourages insect mating and creates a natural approach to mitigating the impact of the pests.  

The pheromone-based approach also targets agricultural pests such as the flea beetle (vegetables and fruit) and the Blueberry Spanworm. This approach, together with other natural methods, is also being explored to combat Varroa mites, which infect honeybees. 

The Acadia Office of Industry and Community Engagement has been a critical element in all aspects of these funding proposals. We’ve actually developed a whole series of new technologies….We’ve created over 50 positions for students, technicians and PhDs throughout the program as well. Lots of new jobs being created.

Dr. Kirk Hillier,
Professor, Director, INSECTA (Insect NeuroScience and Ecology CenTre at Acadia)
Acadia University

Non-toxic pest management protects the environment 

Pheromone-based pest management techniques are non-toxic and cause no damage to humans, or the environment.  

This natural approach also protects pollinators from the dangerous chemicals used in traditional pesticides, and reduces or eliminates the volume of pesticides used in agriculture and forestry. 

“With the increasing prevalence of invasive pest species, this type of integrated pest management strategy provides an important alternative to traditional pesticides,” said Hillier.  

We are excited to be at the forefront of this important clean-tech initiative. Because of Acadia’s deep-rooted connections with local and regional partners we were able to forge this large-scale collaboration, which has led to commercial success and worldwide sales.

Leigh Huestis,
Executive Director, Office of Industry & Community Engagement (ICE), Acadia University

Academic, government and industry collaboration 

This important project capitalized on the strengths of multiple partners involved in pheromone and biopesticide research and development to develop and commercialize new tools to detect, monitor, and manage invasive insect pests. These partners include: 

  • Dalhousie University (Agricultural campus) 
  • University of New Brunswick 
  • Memorial University 
  • Forest Protection Limited (Fredericton, NB) 
  • Andermatt Biocontrol Canada (formerly Sylvar Technologies Inc.) 
  • Agrifor Biotechnical Service Ltd. 
  • Canadian Forest Service Atlantic Forestry Centre (Fredericton, NB) 
  • Agriculture and AgriFood Canada Atlantic Cool Climate Crop Research Centre (St. John’s NL) 

Project outcomes: 

  • 13 products licensed and commercialized by industry project partner –  
  • 3 patents, 1 filed and abandoned
  • 9 me-too products 
  • 28 additional products under development 
  • Total sales (2014-2023): $1,373,995, 
  • Royalties: $82,606 

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency supported this research which included two projects with a total budget of at $11.2 million. 

  • ACOA Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) 2010 – 2016 – $7M total project costs 
  • ACOA Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF)2017 – 2024 – $4.2M total project costs 

Springboard and Acadia’s Office of Industry & Community Engagement (ICE) was integral to these projects in the following ways: 

  • Project & proposal development 
  • Securing project partners, ACOA AIF funding application support (IP protection strategy, commercialization strategy) 
  • Research collaboration agreements execution (ACOA and project partners) 
  • Industry partner licensing agreements and royalty negotiations 
  • Chair of the project’s commercialization committee, part of the project steering committee,  
  • IP assessments when invention disclosures were received, patent searches 
  • Liaising with patent agent for patent filing 
  • Supporting the patent claim drafting, supporting patent infringement actions, 
  • Leading all project commercialization efforts 

Support from the Springboard Innovation Mobilization fund: 

  • Marketing support – Various Technologies Developed Under the Hillier AIF project 
  • Patent & Legal – Emeral Ash Borer Technology 

Springboard Atlantic is a network of 19 colleges and universities specializing in research commercialization and industry-led research in Atlantic Canada. It is supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency , Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and member institutions