Natural nanotech the new weapon against flystrike

Tea-tree oil and nanotechnology combine to keep blowflies off sheep Wed 15 Jul 2026 at 8:03am In short: The Australian sheep industry has developed a natural treatment for flystrike, which could help beat chemical resistance. The biopesticide uses tea-tree oil combined with nanotechnology to extend its effectiveness. What's next? Trials of the tea tree treatment in sheep will begin in the next month. Tea-tree oil has been used to create a new biopesticide for the sheep industry. Using nanotechnology to extend its effectiveness, the essential oil treatment could provide a viable alternative to prevent and treat flystrike in sheep. The painful and costly blowfly infestation, particularly on sheep's backsides, is often treated with chemical insecticides, but resistance is growing. Tea-tree oil kills and deters insects, but the raw product does not last long enough on sheep. But Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) senior research manager Carolina Diaz said scientists had found a solution. "We are finding a way to deliver this [treatment] in a better and more persistent way using nanotechnology," Dr Diaz said. Flystrike pain Flystrike is potentially fatal for sheep, stressful for farmers and costs the industry $320 million a year. AWI has researched flystrike prevention and treatment options for years, including traps, vaccine development and the release of sterile flies. Dr Diaz said the tea-tree oil biopesticide project was launched 18 months ago in response to the emergence of chemical resistance. "[Resistance] has been identified in all wool-producing states," she said. "This is looking to provide an alternative which is based on an essential oil and something natural that is not going to cause a long-term resistance, and has a low residue." Dr Diaz said tea-tree oil was used on humans to treat lice and on pets for tick control, and repelled mosquitoes and flies. "The problem is that we put it on the sheep, on wool, and it's going to last for hours only … it's very sensitive to evaporation and UV radiation," she said. AWI partnered with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and other organisations to create the tea-tree oil pesticide. "[Nanoparticles] are less than a thousandth of a millimetre in size. We can put tea-tree oil inside them," Dr Diaz said. "It's going to protect the active [ingredients] within the tea-tree oil, and it's going to stick to the wool … to make it stay for longer." She said the new treatment could last for weeks. "If it's only for three, four weeks, it would be enough for producers to have an alternative within their rotation system of chemicals," Dr Diaz said. Industry growth Main Camp Natural Extracts in the New South Wales Northern Rivers region is the largest tea-tree oil producer in Australia. Chief executive officer Philip Butlin said the company was supplying oil for the biopesticide research and trials. "The application of [tea-tree oil] to replace what are somewhat hazardous chemicals that can be currently used would be a good thing on a number of levels," he said. Mr Butlin said, if successful, the flystrike treatment would also help the local tea-tree industry. "To scale up production is an expensive exercise for our industry," he said. "But, unequivocally, if this project is a success and tea-tree is able to fight a fly strike in sheep, that will be a positive moment for the tea-tree industry." Sheep trials Trials will begin in sheep soon. "That will happen within the next month for the next fly season, and we will be testing our formulations," Dr Diaz said. "If we can identify a solution that is efficient, but also persistent enough, we will look for commercial partners as soon as possible." The trials will continue until the end of 2026, and the results should be known early next year. "It's very exciting … there's nothing more Australian [than] tea-tree oil and wool," Dr Diaz said.