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Bee

The health of bee populations has become a worldwide concern. The pollinating bee population has decreased by up to 50% in North America (helpthehoneybee.com) and 70% in Europe (The Economist, March 2007). According to the same article, a 30% drop in European crop output was recorded in 2006, particularly in fruit-bearing trees, vines and ground plants that rely upon pollination by bees.

Contech has developed a number of pheromone-based bee products - including the honey bee brood pheromone, SuperBoost - that improve apiary productivity and the health of honey bees.

• SuperBoost: Developed in conjunction with Texas A&M University, SuperBoost is a 10-component brood pheromone that is placed between the frames of beehives. SuperBoost has been shown in controlled scientific studies to significantly increase a bee colony’s productivity and pollen foraging which, in turn, could improve crop pollination.



• PollenBoost: The active ingredient in PollenBoost--Queen Mandibular Gland Pheromone (QMP™)--is a synthetic blend of five pheromone components that duplicates the natural pheromone produced by queen honey bees. It is sprayed on flowering fruit trees to increase bee pollination.



• BeeBoost: BeeBoost (based on QMP) is a small capsule that mimics a queen and can be used temporarily to replace a dead queen. When placed in a queenless package of workers being shipped, BeeBoost will keep the workers content and calm in transit.



• VarroaTrap: Contech’s VarroaTrap captures varroa mites, a serious threat to honeybee populations. The varroa mite is known to suppress immune responses in bees, leaving them more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections. VarroaTrap also helps with early detection of the pests as well as determining the size of an infestation.



• SwarmCatch: SwarmCatch uses Nasonov—a synthetic worker bee pheromone that helps orient returning foragers back to the colony--to help capture straggler and swarming bees. The pheromone helps to stabilize bees once they have returned to the hive and also works to lure and trap nuisance bees (around food processing plants, swimming pools, and ponds).

Pig

Pork comprises 41% of the world’s meat consumption, requiring approximately one billion pigs per year. Contech's pheromone-based pig products help pig farmers improve the breeding process and increase productivity without negatively impacting the environment.

• PheroBoar™: PheroBoar is a pig pheromone that aids in the identification of estrus in sows (sows in heat) without the need for a boar. PheroBoar also helps identify first estrus in gilts (young sows) without the use of a boar. The common practice of using a live boar to assess breeding readiness is both time and labor intensive.
  
  PheroBoar is applied via a spray pump near the snout of the sow to determine if she is ready to mate. Unlike competitive products, PheroBoar uses a water-based, non-pressurized formula that eliminates solvent shock and allows the product to be shipped by air.



• PheroMate™: PheroMate aids in the training of naïve boars as they learn to mate with dummy sows. In independent studies, PheroMate has been proven to increase vocalization, attentiveness and semen volume in naïve boars. With the application of PheroMate, slower boars with poor interest can be changed into effective, breeding boars.

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