Pesticidal Paints: An Integral Approach to Colour your Imagination

Recent advances in paint technology have guided the development of novel “ready-to-use” paint formulations in which microencapsulated insecticides, or active ingredients (AIs), are embedded in the paint matrix and gradually released on the surface of the dried paint [1]. It is argued that the slow-release mechanisms enable uniform AI surface concentrations with prolonged residual effect, as compared to earlier PP products using a simple admixture of AIs in standard paint formulations [2]. Depending on the chemical action of the embedded AIs, PPs may display different properties, including spatial repellency, contact irritancy, toxicity, insecticide synergy, or insect growth regulation. Importantly, different AIs can be combined in a single PP to ensure different modes of action in one product.