SYNERGIST

Uses

Synergists per se are not insecticidal but rather enhance the activity of insecticides by inhibiting their metabolic degradation. Components of the cytochrome P-450 system are responsible for the oxidative metabolism of numerous insecticides, and these enzyme systems are inhibited by synergists. With fast knockdown chemicals such as the pyrethrins, allethrin, and resmethrin, synergists enhance insecticidal activity by prolonging the period of knockdown. Synergists also improve the safety of insecticidal formulations because their presence permits comparable efficacy to be achieved with lower doses of the active ingredient.