HIPPO’s First Birthday!
Back Posted On: 5/7/2014 12:00:00 AM
One year on from the release of HIPPO Enhanced eco-oil and it’s still making waves through the industry.Everyone is just amazed at the revolutionary ability of eco-oil to now kill pest insects and physically attract predatory insects at the same time.
In the past year eco-oil has won:
* Best New Product (2013 Perth Garden Week)
* Gold Award- New Product (2013 Spring Green Expo)
* Finalist – Allied Product of the Year (2014 Nursery & Garden Industry Awards)
Winning Best New Product for HIPPO Enhanced eco-oil at 2013 Perth Garden Week
NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson and NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell were interested to learn about HIPPO Enhanced eco-oil at Spring Green Expo in Sydney.
What Does HIPPO Enhanced Mean?
Contrary to some funny remarks by people eco-oil has not been loaded up with bits of hippo! Instead the word HIPPO stands for:
Herbivore Induced Plant Protection Odour
It links back to the science behind the product. When plants are attacked by pests (Herbivores) they begin releasing gases (Odours) into the air. These gases are detected by predatory insects which recognise them as signals that some tasty food is nearby. They then zone in on the plant and begin eating the pests giving the plant some natural protection. Aren’t plants amazing?
After 6 years of research we have identified plant compounds which act like these HIPPO gases and added them into eco-oil. Spraying eco-oil now creates a smell which literally attracts predatory insects like ladybeetles, hoverflies, lacewings and parasitoids.
Adult hoverfly feeding on pollen. Juveniles feed on aphids!
Juvenile lacewing devouring an aphid.
Both adults and juvenile ladybeetles feed on a range of pests.
