Bacillus thuringiensis was first discovered in 1901 by Shigetane Ishiwata, a Japanese biologist. Thanks to its entomotoxic properties, the bacteria has been used in biological control since the 1950s, mainly in vegetable gardens.
It is particularly effective against caterpillars and worms (box tree moth, pine processionary moth, olive tree moth), cutworm, etc. Certain strains such as Bacillus thurringiensis israelensis (Bti) are also used during mosquito control campaigns.